The Oakland Fund for Children and Youth was established in 1996, when Oakland voters passed the Kids First! Initiative (Measure K), an amendment to the City Charter, to support direct services to youth under 21 years of age. In a special election in 2009 Measure D replaced Measure K and reauthorized funding for the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth for an additional twelve years (2010-2022). Measure D (formerly known as Measure K) sets-aside 3% of the City's unrestricted General Fund and requires a three-year strategic plan to guide the allocation of funds.
Mission: The Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY) provide opportunities and resources for Oakland's children and youth (0-20 years old) to become healthy, productive, ethical, and successful community members. We achieve this by funding organizations, creating policy, building capacity and ensuring accountability to encourage these outcomes. We work collaboratively through partnerships with children, youth and families, community organizations, public agencies, schools and other funders.
We leverage our resources and forge partnerships with the several public agency and philanthropic partners, and through match funding with various local grant makers, provide consistent funds to Oakland's youth. To learn more about the OFCY values, see below.
VALUES
Social & Economic Equity:
Children and youth have a fundamental right to partake wholly in the life of our community, to benefit from the fair distribution of community resources, and to enjoy both opportunity and security. We value the vigorous promotion of equality, justice and accountability, and the concerted application of our resources toward those youth in greatest need.
Child & Youth Development:
We support efforts to promote the social, emotional, physical, moral, cognitive and spiritual development of children and youth to cultivate pride in themselves and their community.
Community and Collaboration:
We embrace the idea that by pooling our resources and working together, we can accomplish great things. We recognize that the richness of Oakland's families extends beyond the traditional mother, father and child structure to one that incorporates all the diverse forms of family.
The Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY) provide opportunities and resources for Oakland's children and youth (0-20 years old) to become healthy, productive, ethical, and successful community members.
