The Rainin Foundation envisions a world where all Oakland children succeed regardless of their race, level of income or neighborhood. We focus on early childhood education because these years make a big difference in a child’s life.
Children learn at home, in the community and in the classroom. Empowering the adults who interact with them daily can help children be successful in school and in life. We ground our work in community wisdom, partnering with families, educators, community organizations and like-minded funders to unlock potential in Oakland’s youngest learners.
Education Program Snapshot
Education Grants
Education grants are by invitation only. Funding supports teachers and families to build relationships that develop children’s language, literacy and social emotional skills so they become confident and joyful learners!
Education Initiatives
Learn about the Rainin Foundation’s initiatives to get all Oakland children ready for kindergarten and reading successfully by the end of third grade.
Education News & Stories
06/05/2024 | Education
Early Care Spaces will provide grants of up to $100,000 to support organizations promoting early language and literacy development for Oakland children from birth to five years old.
05/21/2024 | Education
The Kenneth Rainin Foundation awarded over $245,000 in Education grants in April to support Oakland’s early learning ecosystem.
05/09/2024 | Education
Informing Change evaluated our Education grantmaking. Explore their findings and recommendations to help us achieve our goal of all Oakland children reading at or above grade level by third grade.
