By Cecilia Chen, Akonadi Foundation
67 Sueños mural on 212 E 12th Street in Oakland.
As Akonadi Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary, we reflect on a milestone initiative that demonstrates our commitment to advancing racial justice in Oakland: All in for Oakland (AIO). Launched in 2020, AIO was a five-year, $12.5 million investment designed to strengthen the movement ecosystem and address the disproportionate criminalization of Black and brown youth in Oakland.
Guided by our mission to support movements led by those most impacted by systemic racism, AIO trusted local organizations to mobilize directly impacted individuals to reimagine school safety and school discipline, close youth prisons, and realize other critical efforts to transform youth justice in Oakland.
At the heart of AIO was a simple but ambitious goal: end the criminalization of Black and brown youth in Oakland. Guided by our mission to support movements led by those most impacted by systemic racism, AIO trusted local organizations to mobilize directly impacted individuals to reimagine school safety and school discipline, close youth prisons, and realize other critical efforts to transform youth justice in Oakland.
These base-building organizations, together with their partners, formed a collaborative ecosystem that could respond to the community’s needs, advance systemic change, and sustain long-term advocacy efforts.
Through working alongside our partners, we learned the importance of:
- Investing in long-term, flexible funding. Movement building takes time. Multi-year, adaptable support allows organizations to plan strategically, build coalitions, and respond to evolving challenges, from pandemics to political shifts.
- Centering those most impacted. Communities experiencing systemic injustice are best positioned to lead and define strategies for change. Centering their leadership ensures advocacy reflects lived realities.
- Supporting culture, healing, and arts. Movement work is demanding. Integrating arts, culture, and healing into campaigns strengthens organizers, sustains morale, and builds resilience.
- Leveraging funder influence strategically. Beyond funding, philanthropy can educate policymakers, mobilize additional resources, and promote community-led approaches across the broader ecosystem.
- Thinking ecosystemically. Supporting networks of organizations, rather than isolated efforts, amplifies impact, fosters collaboration, and strengthens long-term capacity for systemic change.
Akonadi funding helped Oakland make tangible progress in both education and youth justice. The Black Organizing Project achieved a landmark victory in removing police from Oakland schools. Meanwhile, the Urban Peace Movement, the Young Women’s Freedom Center and others advanced initiatives to close detention facilities in Alameda County while building coalitions advocating for youth decarceration and alternative, community-based supports. Investments in leadership development, coalition coordination, and organizing strengthened youth and adult organizers alike, ensuring a movement ecosystem that is more connected, resilient, and sustainable beyond AIO’s timeline.
While AIO sunsetted last year, Akonadi Foundation remains deeply committed to advancing racial justice in Oakland and beyond. The lessons from AIO guide how we continue to support grantee partners, invest in community-led movements, and strengthen the ecosystems that make transformative change possible. We apply AIO’s lessons in our new strategy Oakland for All, deepening our investment in power building and communities most impacted by systemic injustice.
Ending the criminalization of youth and dismantling systems of oppression is a long-term endeavor. By trusting communities, investing flexibly, and building power across networks, Akonadi aims to continue advancing a vision of racial justice for generations to come.
