ImpactTulsa is excited to announce a $3.6 million investment from StriveTogether aimed at placing 15,000 more Tulsa youth on the path to economic mobility by 2030. StriveTogether selected ImpactTulsa as one of just six network members to receive this investment, aiming to support 4 million more young people by 2030.
As a dedicated member of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network, ImpactTulsa is part of a nationwide initiative committed to ensuring that every child, no matter their race, ethnicity, zip code, or circumstance, has the opportunity to thrive in school and life.
Collaborative Efforts and Strategic Initiatives to Drive Equity in Tulsa
“Since April 2014, we have been working with our community partners to drive equitable outcomes in the Tulsa community,” said Ashley Phillipsen, ImpactTulsa Executive Director.
“By bringing together people and organizations, leading strategic collaborations through our MBK Model Community Milestone tablesand place-based working groups, and harnessing the power of actionable data insights, we are primed to make our goal a reality.
We are excited about the opportunity this investment will enable as we work to shift the policies, practices, resources, and power to support Tulsa youth.”
Addressing the Decline in Economic Mobility Through Key Educational Milestones
The urgency of this work is clear. Economic mobility in the United States is on the decline. Research from Opportunity Insights reveals that only half of today’s children will surpass their parents’ income levels—a statistic that is even more concerning for young people of color and those experiencing poverty.
In response, ImpactTulsa and its partners are laser-focused on improving the key outcomes that lead to economic mobility: kindergarten readiness, early grade reading, middle school math, high school graduation, postsecondary enrollment, postsecondary completion, and employment. Hence, these seven cradle-to-career milestones are essential for setting up Tulsa’s youth for future success.
The investment from StriveTogether will be a driving force behind targeted initiatives in these critical areas, furthering our mission to uplift Tulsa’s young people. Therefore, over next few months, ImpactTulsa will launch aligned strategies, co-developed with local partners, to rally community partners around “Knowing Our Number”—a commitment to setting measurable targets that will guide our efforts to improve economic mobility for Tulsa’s youth.
ImpactTulsa’s vision is ambitious: to place 15,000 additional young people on the path to economic mobility by 2030. Importantly, this catalytic investment from StriveTogether is a pivotal step toward that goal, but it will require the collective effort of the entire Tulsa community.