Family first foundation
Volunteer-led since 2000 • Los Angeles
OPPORTUNITY CAN CHANGE
THE DIRECTION OF A LIFE.
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For more than 26 years, Family First Foundation has helped young people from at-risk and underserved communities
see what's possible, then given them the experiences, guidance, and tools to pursue it.
Where Sports and Education Go Hand in Hand
Family Outreach Program at Dodgers Stadium
THE FAMILY FIRST STORY
FOR 26 YEARS, WE'VE BEEN OPENING DOORS KIDS WERE NEVER EXPECTED TO WALK THROUGH.
Our directors have never taken salaries. For more than a quarter century, we have worked alongside schools, families, athletes, first responders, universities, businesses, and community leaders to give young people experiences that can change what they believe is possible for their own lives.
Our primary focus is the middle-school years, a period when motivation, study habits, confidence, and expectations about college are still taking shape.
WE DON'T JUST TELL STUDENTS WHAT'S POSSIBLE. WE TAKE THEM THERE.
A university. A stadium. A firehouse. A technology company. A launch site. A theater. A room with someone whose life suddenly makes a student think: I could do that. The experience creates the moment. Education gives the moment direction.
THE FAMILY FIRST FILM
SEE WHAT 26 YEARS OF OPPORTUNITY LOOKS LIKE.
Real students. Real experiences. Real doors opened across Los Angeles.
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Students see it. Students experience it. Students begin to believe it can be theirs.
ACADEMIC ALL-STARS
IGNITE THEIR INTEREST TODAY. EQUIP THEM FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE TOMORROW.
Family First uses memorable experiences to start the conversation, but the mission is academic. Young people in our programs receive practical guidance designed to help them become what we call Academic All-Stars: students who learn how to prepare, study, set goals, pursue scholarships, and begin seeing college as an expectation rather than a distant possibility.
THE ACADEMIC ALL-STAR STUDY GUIDE
A simple, practical roadmap students can actually use, from preparing a productive study space and building stronger habits to staying organized, setting academic goals, and preparing for college.
STEP 01
CLEAR YOUR SPACE
STEP 02
MAKE A PLAN
STEP 03
BUILD THE HABIT
STEP 04
DO THE WORK
STEP 05
AIM FOR COLLEGE
Family First Operating Model
TRUST
EXPOSURE
INSPIRATION
GUIDANCE
TRAJECTORY
THREE PROGRAMS.
ONE DESTINATION: OPPORTUNITY THROUGH EDUCATION.
Every Family First program is different. Every one brings the conversation back to possibility, preparation, and college.
CITY OF ANGELS
BRIDGING THE DIVIDE DAILY
City of Angels brings middle-school students and first responders together on school campuses in communities where distrust can otherwise keep them worlds apart. Students meet the people behind the uniforms, spend real time together, and build human connection.
LA FUTURES
SPORTS OPENS THE DOOR. EDUCATION CHANGES THE TRAJECTORY.
Professional sports, universities, entertainment, and cultural experiences help Family First reach young people and families with a message bigger than the event itself, hearing from athletes, educators, entertainers, or community leaders about preparation, education, and college.
TECH HUB
CREATIVITY KNOWS
NO BOUNDARIES.
District-selected, high-potential middle-school students from economically challenged and Title I communities gain rare access to advanced technology, science, aerospace, sports, and creative-industry experiences designed to create the moment: I can see myself doing this.
RARE ACCESS CAN CHANGE EXPECTATIONS
SYNTHESIS + FAMILY FIRST
Through its work with high-potential students, Family First was given extraordinary access to Synthesis, the learning system built for the children of SpaceX employees. For three years, our Tech Hub students, the top 2% of at-risk youth in our program, have had real access to that same learning environment, an opportunity made possible because others saw the value of the young people and the work Family First was doing. We are grateful for that trust and for the opportunity it has created for our students.
For more than 26 years, schools, professional sports organizations, universities, companies, first responders, entertainers, and community leaders have opened doors alongside Family First. Many of those relationships continue today.
NONE OF THIS HAPPENS ALONE
26 YEARS OF DOORS OPENED
26 YEARS OF TRUST ALSO HELPED US SEE A NEW PROBLEM EARLY.
Family First's long-standing relationships with schools and students gave us access to classrooms long before artificial intelligence became a national education debate. What we saw was simple: students were gaining powerful AI tools before they were being taught how to think while using them.
That challenge led Family First and Dr. Russell Knight to develop the early work that ultimately became the Artificial Intelligence Institute, a separate organization focused on AI readiness, behavioral science, and national implementation. Family First remains the community institution. The Artificial Intelligence Institute carries the specialized AI work forward
A NATIONAL MISSION, BORN HERE.
It began as a giveback to one local school district: two volunteers, a question nobody was asking, and a program for students who were already using AI without guidance. After two school years in real classrooms, the mission has outgrown the district.
Family First Foundation now has a national goal: to make AI Driver's Education available at no cost to every K-12 student in America over the next ten years, before the habits harden. Our model estimates the cost at about 74 cents per child. We call it the 74-Cent Moonshot.
OPEN THE NEXT DOOR.
You don't have to build a program to change a young person's trajectory. Sometimes you simply have to open a door.
Corporate sponsorship • In-kind support • Legacy giving • Volunteer opportunities
SHOW THEM WHAT'S POSSIBLE. HELP THEM PREPARE FOR IT. WATCH WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
Family First Foundation — Los Angeles • Since 2000.