Family first foundation
25 years of championing youths and families.
Family First Foundation was built on a simple promise: when opportunity finds you, help create it for someone else. Since 2000, we have worked alongside schools, families, athletes, first responders, universities, businesses, and community leaders to help at-risk and overlooked young people see a future larger than the circumstances around them and prepare for college as the path toward it.
Los Angeles • Volunteer-led since 2000
.jpg)
2001
FOUNDED
18K+
youth served
PROGRAMS
4
25+
years running
90%
college- bound rate
WHY WE BEGAN
IT STARTED WITH A SIMPLE IDEA: GIVE BACK WHAT LIFE GAVE YOU
2001
"We didn't start because it was the right thing to do. We started because no one else was doing it."
Family First was not created to build an institution. It was created because a group of people who had been fortunate in their own lives believed they had a responsibility to open doors for families and young people who had fewer of them.
That principle has guided the Foundation for more than a quarter century. Our directors and volunteer leadership have not taken salaries. The work has grown through relationships, service, persistence, and one belief that has never
changed: access matters most when someone stays long enough to help a young person turn it into direction.
IF OPPORTUNITY FINDS YOU, HELP CREATE IT FOR SOMEONE ELSE.
.jpg)
26+ YEARS - THE CHAPTERS OF FAMILY FIRST
2000
FAMILY FIRST FOUNDATION. A volunteer-led Los Angeles nonprofit focused on community service, family support, and youth opportunity.
2001
CITY OF ANGELS. First responders and young people meeting on school campuses to build trust before crisis hits.
2004
LA FUTURES. Using professional sports, colleges, and entertainment to bring the conversation back to education and college readiness.
2020
TECH HUB. An experiential program for high-potential middle-school students needing more challenge and access.
TODAY
Three flagship programs. One mission. Opening doors so opportunity can become a lifelong trajectory.
AI ORIGIN
School access revealed new student challenges, giving rise to the specialized Artificial Intelligence Institute.
WHAT WE STAND ON
THE PRINCIPLES THAT HAVE NEVER CHANGED
CHILD FIRST
The decision begins with what helps the young person
COLLEGE FORWARD
Education remains the clearest path to lasting opportunity
EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Students believe possibilities faster when they can see and touch them
TRUST IS EARNED
Schools and families open doors because relationships have been built over time
ACCESS + STRUCTURE
Opening the door matters. Guidance helps students walk through it prepared.
SERVICE BEFORE SALARY
Family First board and volunteer leadership have served without taking salaries.
we never asked children to rise above their circumstances.
We changed the circumstances.
25–YEAR ARC
How We Got Here.
2001
Family First Foundation Founded
Los Angeles. One program, one conviction: the child comes first.
2003
City of Angels Launches
First Responder–Youth bridge programming begins in partnership with LAPD and 12 civic agencies.
2007
LA Futures College Pipeline
Structured college access and financial aid navigation for first-generation students.
2012
5,000 Youth Milestone
FFF crosses 5,000 students served across all active programs.
2016
Tech Hub Program Launches
Experiential STEM, robotics, and digital arts for youth in underserved neighborhoods.
2019
Academic All-Stars Recognition Program
Formal recognition framework for academic achievement across all FFF youth cohorts.
2023
AI Institute Co-Founded
Behavioral AI literacy for K–12 at $0.70 per student. Now a national model.
2025
18,000+ Youth Served
Twenty–five years. Four programs. One city. Proof that it works.
Founding Leadership
visionary advocates driving community impact
Family First grew from people already working inside schools, communities, sports, public service, education, science, and family life, people who could open doors because they had spent years earning the trust to do it.
Richard Awni
Founder & Chairman. Founded Family First Foundation in 2000; 26+ years of community, school, partnership, and youth-program development. Focus the story on service, access, college aspiration, and building the institution.
The institution builder. Richard has led Family First Foundation since 2000, 26 years, 18,000 students, 90% college matriculation. He co-founded the AI Institute in January 2025 and built the national model that now has the NSF, Princeton, and the White House at the table.
Lea Ubas
President. Community, family, and civic leadership; school and local government experience. Focus the biography on underserved communities, education,
and service
President of the Family First Foundation and a City Commissioner for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, where she plays a key role in shaping initiatives that uplift underserved communities. With a strong background in STEAM education, she is a passionate advocate for gender diversity and greater representation of minorities in the technology sector.
Brian Taylor
Director of Sports & Education. Princeton alumnus, former professional basketball player, and longtime education leader. Emphasize the bridge between sports, college aspiration, institutional access, and student
opportunity
The community anchor. Brian Taylor co-founded Family First Foundation alongside Richard Awni, bringing deep roots in Los Angeles communities that made 26 years of sustained impact possible. A longtime personal friend and institutional backbone of the organization.
FAMILY FIRST BOARD / GOVERNANCE
Getting inside Los Angeles classrooms at scale requires more than a mission statement. It requires someone who has sat on both sides of every table, the parent side, the teacher side, and the governance side, for decades.
Family First Foundation is guided by directors and volunteer leaders who bring experience across education, community service, sports, science, finance, and civic life, with one shared responsibility: protect the mission and put the child first.
STEWARDS OF A 26-YEAR MISSION
RUSSELL KNIGHT, PH.D.
Co-Founder & President · AI Institute
The scientist behind the Artificial Intelligence Institute framework. Russell is an advisor to STEAM Education Program at Family First Foundation and the Artificial Intelligence Institute (Aii, foundation's legacy program), bringing the rigorous behavioral research methodology that drew the National Science Foundation to our door. Princeton MBA. Builder of education systems nationally.
Josef Palik
Chief Financial Officer
Josef Palik is a young and driven finance professional who brings a fresh perspective and new ideas to the team for our Compliance and Fundraising efforts. With a B.S and M.S. in Professional Accountancy and Finance from Cal Poly Pomona, Josef has a strong desire to simplify the complex in the world of finance. His past and current professional experience at a local firm in North Los Angeles, working intimately with Small Business Owners in a diverse set of industries, has given him a unique understanding of the intricacies of financial management.
ISAAC JEAN-PAUL
DIRECTOR OF ELITE SPORTS PARTNERSHIP & PROGRAMMING
Is a two-time medalist, elite high jumper, author, and dedicated advocate for inclusion and community empowerment. Competing in the T13 classification for visually impaired athletes, he has earned international recognition for his performance on the world stage and continues to pursue excellence at the highest levels of sport.
ALEX RICHARDSON
DIRECTOR OF science and program development
Alex Richardson is a technology innovator whose work spans artificial intelligence, machine learning, visual effects, automotive technology, and emerging technologies. As Director of Science & Program Development at Family First Foundation, Alex helps develop STEM programs and experiences that connect young people with real-world science, technology, and innovation.
An early adopter of AI-driven image and video technologies, Alex has worked at the cutting edge of the entertainment industry, applying advanced visual effects and digital techniques to major Hollywood productions. His work also extends into the automotive sector, where he has contributed to projects involving Honda and Toyota, developing real-time machine learning systems for traffic monitoring, passenger behavior analysis, and autonomous-vehicle vision systems.
At Family First, Alex brings that real-world experience into program development, STEM education, and youth engagement, helping create opportunities for students to explore the technologies shaping their future.
LEGAL ADVISER & IP COUNSEL
BRANDON DORSKY
Brandon Dorsky has served as legal counsel to Family First Foundation, providing ongoing guidance on organizational matters, entity structure, intellectual property, governance, contracts, and compliance. Through the Law Offices of Brandon Dorsky, P.C., Brandon has generously provided his legal services to the Foundation pro bono, helping protect and strengthen the organization as it has grown and expanded its community programs.
Beyond legal counsel, Brandon has been a longtime supporter of Family First’s mission and its commitment to creating opportunities for children, families, and communities. His continued service provides the Foundation with trusted legal guidance while allowing more of its resources to remain focused on the people and programs it serves.
ALEXZANDER AWNI
STEM Ambassador
A student at Penn State University pursuing a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. Alexzander serves as a Physics Lab Assistant at Penn State’s Eberly College of Science, supporting students in the university’s physics program.
Before attending Penn State, Alexzander was an active participant in the Family First Foundation’s youth programs, where he served as a liaison and mentor to younger students. Even while away at college, he continues to give his time to Family First and support its youth programs.
As a STEM Ambassador for Family First, Alexzander uses his passion for science, technology, aerospace, and service to inspire the next generation of innovators. Alexzander’s STEM experience also includes previous involvement with the UCLA Space Institute, where he expanded his exposure to space science, aerospace, and research.
Through mentorship and service, Alexzander works to expand access to STEM opportunities and encourage young people from all backgrounds.
RECOGNITION
honored by the city we serve.
Over 26 years, Family First Foundation and its leadership have been recognized by the City of Los Angeles, state government, education partners, and peer organizations for sustained impact in underserved communities.
2024
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
Community Impact Award - AI Literacy & Youth Education
2022
LAUSD PARTNERSHIP
Exemplary Nonprofit Partner - College Access Programs
2019
LA COUNTY SUPERVISOR
Certificate of Recognition - 18 Years of Civic Programming
2015
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Community Excellence Award - Youth & Family Services
2010
LAPD COMMUNITY BOARD
Civic Trust Award - Police-Community Relations Initiative
2005
CITY COUNCIL
Proclamation of Service - First Responder Outreach Program
this is what 25 years looks like.
IN THE COMMUNITY
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
"The most radical thing we ever did was stay.
Twenty-five years in the same neighborhoods."
GET INVOLVED
every program
needs a village
For 26 years, Family First has worked because schools opened doors, families trusted us, volunteers showed up, companies hosted students, athletes shared their stories, first responders gave their time, and donors made the next experience possible
The next young person is already out there. The next door is waiting to be opened