About - California Funders for Boys & Men of Color

Aligning Philanthropy to Expand Opportunity for Boys and Men of Color in California

The California Funders for Boys and Men of Color (CFBMoC) brings together CEOs from the state’s leading foundations to shape a more just future where boys and men of color can thrive. We remove barriers, expand pathways to health, education, and economic freedom, and strengthen systems so every young person can realize their fullest potential.

Our Why

California’s prosperity depends on the well-being and success of its boys and men of color. Yet, persistent barriers in education, justice, workforce access, and economic mobility continue to limit opportunity from early childhood through adulthood. Every day, too many are left behind by our school systems, held back by punitive systems, and shut out of economic opportunities.

Our Approach: Life Course Framework

We use the Life Course Framework to organize investments, partnerships, advocacy, and narrative strategies that support boys and men of color at every stage of life.

Early Childhood (0-6)

Prepare children for school

Middle Childhood (7-11)

Provide resources to increase proficiency in math and reading by third grade
Develop socio-emotional skills and behavior in fifth grade

Adolescence (12-18)

Improve middle school grades to reduce course failures and ultimately increase high school graduation
Reduce juvenile arrests and convictions

Emerging Adulthood (19-25)

Increase college graduation
Reduce felony arrests, convictions, incarceration and recidivism
Stable, full-time employment greater than 300% Federal Policy Level (FPL)

Liberating Potential Framework

Our Liberating Potential Framework expands on the Life Course Framework to guide strategic investments, policy influence, and coordinated action that dismantle punitive systems while building stronger pathways to education and well-paying jobs in high-growth industries.

This framework focuses on three critical strategies:

Dismantle punishment pathways and strengthen healing, diversion, and opportunity-building systems.
Expand post-secondary pathways for certificate and degree attainment.
Connect to economic freedom with career pathways in sectors with upward mobility.

Read the Full Framework

A Playbook for Healing, Equity, and Opportunity

Our 2030 Policy Playbook translates our values into a concrete agenda — four interconnected pillars that guide how we invest, advocate, and defend opportunity for boys and men of color across California. From dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline to ensuring economic freedom, every goal has both an offensive strategy to build what’s needed and a defensive strategy to protect what’s been won.

Our Strategy: Regional Focus & Place-Based Partnerships

CFBMoC has adopted a place-based strategy to catalyze deeper, collective investments in three regions across California; Los Angeles County, Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area, and Sacramento/San Joaquin. Our focus in each region is guided by our three Regional Action Committees (RACs) and driven by community need and input:

Southern California’s RAC is reshaping Los Angeles County’s approach to youth development and ensuring that all young people have a fair chance to thrive.
The Northern California RAC has invested in making sure that boys and men of color are part of a thriving regional economy.
Sacramento/San Joaquin focuses on educational equity, specifically access to higher education and completion of college degree programs for boys and men of color.

Partner & Policy Ecosystem

We partner with the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color and the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color to co-design policy solutions and champion equity-focused budget and legislative wins.

Member Spotlight

Meet CFBMoC Program Associate, Tairiq Marshall

Meet Tairiq, our Program Associate, who works alongside Program Director Daniel Guzmán to advance the network’s impact. Driven by a deep commitment to racial and social justice, Tairiq brings energy […]

Member Spotlight

Meet CFBMoC Program Officer, Daniel Guzmán

Meet our Program Officer, Daniel, who helps build on the network’s work supporting youth, families, and communities while strengthening partnerships, advancing programs, and using data to inform equitable solutions. Learn […]

Member Spotlight

CFBMoC Member Spotlight: Diego Bravo, Program Director, Ready to Rise

This month, we had an opportunity to interview CFBMoC member Diego Bravo, Program Director of Liberty Hill’s Ready to Rise Program. Diego works with government, foundation, and dedicated community-based organization […]

Our Members

We are driven by a vision that all boys and men of color should enjoy full inclusion in all of the opportunities this state has to offer, and that California’s prosperity will grow as they flourish.

CFBMoC offers a powerful network of foundation CEOs committed to radically transforming the lives of boys and men of color in California through focused investment and collective action. Our members lead private, regional and community foundations and are supported by the expertise of professional grant-making and communications staff, many of whom have direct experience in policy and systems change and movement building.