Our Mission

The “Oral Lee Brown Foundation” is a nonprofit public benefit corporation with the specific purpose of providing educational assistance and scholarships for residents of the City of Oakland for the pursuit of post high school education.

History

In 1987, Oral Lee Brown adopted the entire first grade class of 23 from Brookfield Elementary School in East Oakland, California and promised each of them a chance to receive a college education. To help pay the enormous tuition bill, she pledged to deposit $10,000 of her own money into a trust account each year. Twelve years later there were 19 students from that first class enrolled in college. The foundation attracted national media attention and sponsors. More that 130 children after now gotten assistance.