Dear Partners,
Marin County is a place of contrasts—where breathtaking beauty and immense wealth stand alongside communities struggling with poverty and inequitable opportunities. In places like West Marin, Novato, Marin City, and the Canal, children are falling behind on key educational milestones, and families face barriers that shouldn’t exist.
In my first few months as CEO, I’ve seen incredible momentum building across Marin. Partners—families, educators, donors, nonprofits, and civic leaders—are ready to tackle these inequities head-on. And 2024 has proven what’s possible when we come together:
- In West Marin, partners are ensuring child safety by coordinating car seat distributions.
- In Novato, parents are participating in leadership trainings that empower them to advocate for change in their schools.
- In the Canal, new partners are working together to align resources and co-create strategies to support children aged 0–5 and their families.
- In Marin City, public dashboards are increasing data transparency to drive accountability.
These efforts represent meaningful progress, but they’re just the start. In 2025, Marin Promise Partnership is launching a place-based approach—coordinating efforts in these four focus regions to deepen impact, address inequities at their roots, and empower partners to transform communities from surviving to thriving.
Place Matters
Where a family lives shouldn’t dictate their access to education, health, or economic opportunity—but in Marin County, it often does. Some places are thriving with high-performing schools, large parks, and longer life expectancies, while others face food deserts, underfunded schools, and overcrowded homes. These disparities shape children’s futures long before they set foot in a classroom.
With 17 school districts and vastly different community contexts, Marin’s unique landscape highlights the need for localized solutions. Youth, families, and local partners often tell us that broader efforts feel disconnected from their lived realities. A place-based approach ensures that those most impacted by inequitable systems lead the way in creating solutions tailored to their needs.
What is a Place-Based Approach?
We’re not going to be able to break the generational cycle of poverty and close educational equity gaps unless we respond with place-based strategies.
CEO, Canal Alliance
Leadership Team Co-Chair & Board Member, Marin Promise Partnership
To address the large-scale challenges facing Marin’s low-income neighborhoods, we need solutions that match the scale of the problem. A place-based approach focuses on coordinating efforts in specific regions to address inequities at their roots and create lasting change.
Our cross-sector Leadership Team has endorsed a strategy that connects three key areas of work:
- Academic excellence
- Family support systems
- Community economic vitality (including housing and health)
Communities in Marin are already creative and resilient, with momentum building across these areas. From the countywide CalAIM initiative, which seeks to integrate family support systems, to the launch of Community Schools in multiple districts, and the resident-led planning process in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood—Nuestro Canal, Nuestro Futuro—partners are driving the work forward.
Marin Promise Partnership’s role is to help connect the dots: aligning these initiatives, coordinating mutually reinforcing activities, and fostering shared accountability. This work requires trust, transparency, communication, and most importantly—a belief that together, we can move families out of poverty and build a system that truly works for everyone.
Why Now?
A place-based approach represents the next critical step in Marin Promise Partnership’s Strategic Plan to deepen our collective impact. By supporting partners in the regions facing the greatest inequities, we can help protect vulnerable places while working toward a shared vision for their future.
Given the uncertainty of the national political landscape, it’s more important than ever to ensure that local systems are strong, resilient, and responsive to the needs of students and families. Over the past decade, our 100+ partners have built a foundation of collaboration and trust. Now, we are leveraging this collective strength to develop actionable, community-driven plans that address each region’s unique challenges while aligning with our countywide goal for educational equity.
A Shared Vision for Transformation
Starting in 2025, Marin Promise Partnership will support the development of investment-ready plans for the Canal, Marin City, Novato, and West Marin. The rollout will depend on partnerships, capacity, and momentum, but the vision remains clear: creating places where no one is left behind, and every child can reach their full potential.
This approach is about more than addressing academic disparities. It’s about transforming how systems serve people—ensuring leadership is shared, resources are distributed equitably, and communities have what they need to thrive. By focusing on the places facing the greatest challenges, we are building a model for systemic change that can inspire transformation far beyond Marin.
This work is ambitious, but it’s also possible because of partners like you. It takes a village to raise a child, and this Partnership is that village—driving coordination and collaboration where it’s needed most.
Stay tuned for updates on this transformative work, and join us in shaping the future of Marin County, one community at a time.
With gratitude and determination,
Richard Raya
CEO
