(Carson, Ca.) The Male Success Alliance (MSA) at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has received $100,000 from Kaiser Permanente as part of $8.15 million in grants awarded to 40 nonprofit and community-based organizations across the nation for programing that addresses systemic racism.
Kaiser announced the funding on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as part of a $25 million commitment the nonprofit health system made in June 2020 to promote health equity and address racism-driven stresses that lead to poor health outcomes. It includes $1 million for 10 organizations in Southern California, and CSUDH was the only institution of higher education among the grantees.
“CSUDH is honored that our Male Success Alliance program was selected for funding. This generous grant will have a lasting impact on the hundreds of young men and boys who will have access to MSA’s programs and services focused on activism, leadership development, social justice, community and civic engagement, and college success,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. “I applaud Kaiser’s commitment to the communities it serves, and their recognition that to truly have a healthy community, we must address social and racial inequities that are endemic to our society.”
The MSA was founded in 2009 in response to the nation’s high school dropout and low college degree attainment rates among young men, primarily Blacks and Latinos. The organization works to improve these rates through a strong academic and social support system that promotes scholarship and intellectual curiosity, leadership, identity development, and civic engagement among its members.
Outreach is a major component of the program. MSA has engaged more than 15,000 young men of color through its in-person, peer-to-peer presentations at member schools in the Los Angeles area. Each year, the organization’s annual Spring Summit brings more than 700 middle and high school students to CSUDH to inspire a college going culture. The day is filled with workshops covering topics such as race and social justice, healthy masculinity, academic grit, and building bonds of brotherhood.
MSA will use Kaiser’s funding to create a virtual Spring Summit to host the event during COVID-19. “Men of Color” monthly workshops that incorporate current events and guest speakers to promote its learning domains – social justice, personal development, professional development, and leadership – will also be developed.
The grant will also help support the MSA as it enhances its curriculum with a focus on activism, community and civic engagement, college success, and cultural change.
