At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, California Youth Connection (CYC), a youth-led organization committed to transforming the foster care system, found themselves without an executive director. The uncertainty of the times and the need to have an integrated leader presented an opportunity for CYC to redefine their path. With support from the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, CYC embarked on a journey that would center youth and allow them decision-making power over their organization’s leadership. In a co-authored opinion piece for Nonprofit Quarterly, CYC’s executive director Janay Eustace and Hazen’s former program officer Isabel Sousa dive into the youth-supported process that led Janay to guiding CYC. The pair share how funders can support leadership transition, especially those led by youth of color, to build a more resilient future.

May 17, 2023 marked the 69th anniversary of the monumental Brown v. Board of Education court case. Race Forward’s HEAL Together initiative honored this historic moment in public education with an online webinar, “Our Freedom to Learn.” We invite you to watch it for yourself. Amid books bans, budget cuts…

It was difficult to celebrate this past national holiday against the backdrop of eroding civil rights and equality. We cannot celebrate “freedom” when our civil liberties are being taken away one decision at a time. It is painfully clear the Supreme Court of the United States is committed to rolling…

“My whole existence in the US is fragile.” Rosio Santos Castelan of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation shares her story as a DACA recipient in POPSUGAR, As a DACA Recipient, My Mental Health Suffers. We All Deserve Better Care. Amid immigrant stories of strength and resistance, there is also fear…

The Hazen Foundation’s president, Lori Bezahler, and board member, Sanjiv Rao, call on philanthropy and progressive leaders to invest in and resource young people in their opinion piece with The Hill, Secure a progressive America by investing in youth. Young people will guide us to a more just future — if only we follow their lead. Young people are powerful and effective change agents responsible for decades of progressive movements. Youth have led and continue to lead critical shifts in our society, such as the end of legal segregation in the 1960s South, the turn in public opinion on the Vietnam War that helped to end it, and present-day fights for immigration reform and education justice. Yet, progressive leaders often overlook their power and influence. To build a more equitable society, we must invest in youth!

President of the Hazen Foundation, Lori Bezahler, calls for education reform that supports students’ needs and builds teacher capacity in “More police in schools are not the answer. It’s up to educators to make schools safe” published by the Hechinger Report. Students deserve a learning environment where they are challenged to learn and grow, not fear for their safety. Police-free schools are safe schools.

Eleven years ago, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program became a way for people who arrived in the U.S. as children without documentation to obtain temporary protection from deportation. Though it was established through an executive order by President Barack Obama in 2012 to address the country’s immigration…

Edward W. Hazen Foundation with Gente Organizada, Youth Rise Texas, and Action In Montgomery “The right to education means the right to have a prosperous and healthy community,” said Jesus Sanchez, co-founder and executive director of Gente Organizada in Pomona, California. …

Public education is an undeniable right, yet many communities are forced to fight for it. Public schools across the country face mounting attacks that undermine public trust in the institution. …