POWERING POSSIBILITY
2026 annual report
Pablo Villavicencio
Chief Executive Officer
Catherine Suitor
Executive Director
Powering Promise
Alliance prepares scholars to thrive in college and to live choice-filled lives.
9 Middle Schools
16 High Schools
12,000 scholars
27,000 Alumni
Identify as Black/African American and Latiné
Socio-economically disadvantaged
Are the first in their families to attend college
Are multilingual learners
Live with disabilities
Record-Breaking Excellence
In addition to Alliance’s many accolades, this year a record eight Alliance high schools received the state’s highest honor for public schools:
2026 California Distinguished Schools.
Full Circuit Impact
The Alliance Foundation supports creative, community-centered initiatives that empower first-time teachers like Edwin Jorge Benitez. A recent graduate of Alliance’s Teacher Residency Program — which recruits and prepares alumni for careers as Alliance educators — Edwin gained the skills, tools, credentials, and confidence to provide the best possible education for his scholars.
“As a first-generation college graduate and someone who grew up in South Central Los Angeles, I see how my story and experiences are strengths that allow me to connect deeply with my students. I hope to help my scholars recognize their own potential, especially those who may not always see themselves reflected in positions of success.”
Edwin Jorge Benitez
Alliance Ouchi-O’Donovan, Class of 2021;
UC Berkeley, Class of 2025;
Teacher at Alliance O’Donovan Middle School
Powering Futures
Wired for Success in College
The Alliance Foundation powers scholars toward a college degree by investing in Alliance college-preparatory programming.
Scholar-to-Counselor Ratio
With a low scholar-to-counselor ratio, Alliance offers a private school-level college counseling program in a public school setting.
Alliance Graduate Profile
Alliance prepares scholars to thrive in college and in an increasingly complex and diverse world by building skills aligned with the Alliance Graduate Profile:
- Scholarly thinker
- Resilient learner
- Powerful communicator
- Wellness seeker
- Community advocate
Acceptance to colleges and universities
Acceptance to four-year universities
Acceptance to the most selective colleges
Alliance scholars graduate from college at a rate of 3.5x their peers
Alumni on the Move
In a world that feels simultaneously connected and divided, teaching scholars to think critically, navigate difference, and approach problem-solving with a global lens has never mattered more.
Daniel Hernandez, an Alliance Leichtman-Levine High School graduate and Alliance college scholarship recipient, graduated from Dartmouth College in 2026, where he cultivated his passion for international business. Double-majoring in Chinese and Quantitative Social Science, Daniel embraced every opportunity to broaden his global perspective. Through internships in New York and Hong Kong, as well as travel to China for an international research conference connected to his honors thesis, he gained firsthand experience navigating the global business landscape.
“The teachers at Alliance empowered me to believe that I could step out of my bubble here in Los Angeles,” he shares. “Mr. Templehof, who taught physics, went to a prestigious college in Boston, and he’d tell me about the East Coast. I don’t think I would have considered Dartmouth as seriously otherwise.”
Daniel’s Alliance scholarship helped him buy his plane ticket to begin college on the other side of the country. Dartmouth then helped him journey all the way to the other side of the world.
The global perspective he gained through this experience continues to serve him well as he embarks on his new role as an Equity Research Associate at Jefferies Bank. It’s also the basis for the advice he shares with other Alliance scholars: “Learn to ask for help, step out of your bubble, and have the courage to do things that really scare you, even when you have to show up with shaky knees.”
Powering Career Pathways
Plugging into Real-World Experience
Through early career exposure and hands-on experiences, the Alliance Foundation collaborates with schools to prepare scholars for success in college and beyond by making the direct link between college aspirations and future professional opportunities.
Alliance’s Career Internship and Mentorship Program pairs scholars with a professional mentor to guide them on a journey of career exploration, leadership skills training, and real-world work experience at an Alliance partner’s worksite.
120 company and mentor partners
835 scholars
140 internships
Mentorship Momentum
We are grateful to every partner who welcomed Alliance interns,
providing experiences that help scholars envision their futures and take meaningful steps toward achieving them. Special thanks to:
Alliance Foundation Trustees for their guidance and support:
Gilbert Dávila, Rick Hess, Roopali Malhotra, and Glenn Rotner
Anchor partners:
Glenaire, Inc., Fox Family Foundation, and UCLA Riordan Scholars
Workplace partners:
Accenture, AEG, BlackRock, Bank of America, Comerica Bank, Deloitte, The Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation, Junior Achievement, Night Media, Oaktree Capital, Sequence Equity, Smidt Foundation, UCLA Health, and Warner Music Latina
Thank you to the nearly 100 mentors and panelists
who shared their wisdom and experience with Alliance interns.
Powering Transformation
Schools Where Teachers Retool and Recharge
Schools nationwide are experiencing:
- Educator burnout
- High teacher turnover
- A school day structure that often fails to meet the needs of both educators and students
Alliance has a long tradition of designing innovative models to solve public education’s biggest challenges.
Alliance launched “Reimagine the Alliance Educator” at three schools to advance scholar success through redesigned schedules that increase teacher planning time, strengthen high-quality instruction, expand scholar enrichment opportunities, and prioritize teacher well-being.
“If we’re looking at the success of our scholars, then we really need to invest in our educators so we have enough planning time, proper grading time, and the ability to get creative with our lessons.“
Nichole Hickman
11th-grade English teacher, Alliance
Dr. Olga Mohan High School
Teachers Reported
Improved lesson preparation and data reflection
Better work-life balance
The decision to stay in the teaching profession
Scholars
Made meaningful gains in reading and math
Decreased absenteeism
Earned college credit while in high school
Mobilizing for Change
In partnership with Alliance schools, the Alliance Foundation advocates for policies and practices that create the conditions for great public schools to thrive. We continue to be a trusted source for research that elevates effective practices in public education and helps move the education field forward.
Our advocacy impact:
57
Hours educating elected officials
42
Webinars, info sessions, and Know Your Rights workshops
1,250
Letters of support for Alliance charter renewals
264
Community partners, elected officials, and education leaders gathered together to shape public schools at the Alliance Innovation Summit
Reimagining the Alliance Educator public awareness campaign including:
- Alliance roundtable cohosted with three California Assemblymembers in Sacramento
- Meetings with 16 legislative offices and the Governor’s Office
- Shared findings with thousands of educators and school leaders across the nation through conferences, webinars, and podcasts
- In-depth coverage in national education press
Powering Community
Charging Neighborhood Connection
All 25 Alliance schools have been recognized as Community Schools by the State of California, serving as learning-rich hubs that take a whole-child, community-based approach to delivering a high-quality public education.
Alliance family and community-focused activities and events this year included:
- Distribution of more than $2 million in food, hygiene, and household supplies
- Community fairs and mobile health clinics
- Parent education classes and family nights
- Alumni reconnection events
- Afterschool enrichment programming
- Partnerships with local community colleges
- Scholar voter registration drives and youth-hosted candidate forums
- School anniversary celebrations and affinity-based scholar and family graduation dinners
Plugging in with Parents
Alliance parent, Yajaira Velasquez, shares how Alliance has impacted her family.
“I was proud to send my two sons — first Sebastian and then his younger brother, Jacob — to Alliance Ouchi-O’Donovan middle and high schools. As a parent, I wanted a school that not only valued academics, but also the relationship between the school, students, and family. I felt that support walking into Alliance. I saw a small school that was close to our home, and I loved the principal. They know me by name there.
Alliance schools are more than just a place where students come to learn — they are centers where we can all get together and have our voices heard as parents. Our school hosts regular ‘Coffee with the Principal’ events. We’ve also been invited to take different classes to help our children and our families, like substance use and mental health care, connecting with local food banks, finding where to get school supplies, and a lot of other resources.
Children need to feel supported, encouraged, and connected to their teachers and staff, and their neighborhood. I have personally seen how this happens at Alliance, and now my son Sebastian is off at Cal State Long Beach studying to become a certified public accountant. Jacob is in 10th grade where he’s encouraged every day to explore his love of photography with his teachers and the community.
Schools can and should be a place where we can all get support.”
Powering Generosity
A Family-Fueled Mission
For Lauren Leichtman and Arthur Levine, a contribution is only meaningful if it changes what’s possible for someone. As Arthur says, “Brains and ability are not given out by zip code.” That’s the belief that first drew him to Alliance nearly two decades ago and that later led the couple to sponsor an Alliance school named after the family.
That philosophy shows up in big ways and small moments. The Leichtman-Levines stay involved with their school, underwriting field trips for scholars and appreciation events for educators. They’ve also provided significant support to a new teacher training program at Alliance. When an Alliance senior was admitted to Yale but had a gap in his financial aid package, Arthur and his daughter Sabrina met him personally and covered the difference.
“It wasn’t a million dollars,” Sabrina says. “But whatever he does with that opportunity could change his life. That, to me, is a meaningful gift.”
Both Arthur and Lauren attended good public schools and know how much that shaped their paths and see their philanthropy as extending that same advantage to others. “We want to give other people the same chance we had,” she says.
Now a member of the Alliance Foundation Board, Sabrina carries that belief into a new generation — proof that this family’s commitment isn’t slowing down.
“It has been an honor to work alongside the Leichtman-Levine family. Their deep commitment to the social-emotional well-being of our scholars is evident in the way they listen intently to our staff, seek to understand our school community’s needs, and work collaboratively with us to respond to those needs.“
Principal, Alliance
Leichtman-Levine High School
Belong to Something Bigger
The Scholar Success Circle is a community of philanthropic leaders committed to expanding opportunity for Alliance scholars across Los Angeles.
Through a cumulative annual commitment of $5,000 or more, members invest in Alliance’s highest priorities while engaging more deeply with our mission through opportunities to:
- Support Alliance’s most critical initiatives
- Mentor and inspire scholars
- Help review and award college scholarships
- Receive exclusive updates from Alliance leadership
Join the Scholar Success Circle
Together, we can ensure more young people graduate prepared to lead, contribute, and thrive.
Steady Power, Lasting Impact
The Engines Behind Our Work
Alliance Foundation Board of Trustees
Alliance Governing Board
Financials
Our financial strategy ensures that every dollar raised accelerates scholar success, whether through flexible school support, field-leading initiatives, or direct aid to scholars.
Transparency and impact guide every decision.
2025-26 Alliance Foundation Financials
Grants to Alliance College-Ready Public Schools
To see our financial reports, visit
www.laalliancefoundation.org
and www.laalliance.org
The Power You Provide
Thank you to our generous community of 2026 supporters who believe in the brilliance of our scholars and help power the promise of public education.
The Alliance Foundation proudly completed our $10M Reimagine, Advance, Advocate Campaign this year, fueling academic innovation, college and career success, and brighter futures for generations of Alliance scholars to come. Thank you to the many supporters who went above and beyond to make significant multi-year commitments to achieve this goal, listed here.*
2026 Supporters
$1,000,000+
Jami Gertz and Tony Ressler*
$500,000 – $999,999
Ballmer Group*
Renee and Meyer Luskinn
$250,000 – $499,999
Alfred E. Mann Charities
The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation
Leichtman Levine Family Foundation*
The Smidt Foundation*
Cindy and Sheldon Stone*
$100,000 – $249,999
Anonymous
Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
Maggie and Joseph Drake
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation
Estate of Nancy Englander and Harold Williams
Fox Family Foundation
DeAnne and Tom Heymann*
Joanne and Jim Hunter
Martha and Bruce Karsh
Johnny Carson Foundation
Peter Kaufman
The Riordan Foundation*
Linda and David Shaheen*
Eva and Marc Stern*
Debbie and Milt Valera*
Won Young and Joseph McDevitt*
$50,000 – $99,999
Willow Bay and Robert Iger*
Laurie and Scott Dubchansky*
Marianna Fisher
Kissick Family Foundation
Joni and Jeff Marine*
Adria and Pedro Martí*
Marianne and Lance Miller
Ayako and Dale Okuno*
Robert Ronus*
Dorit and Glenn Rotner*
Nancy Smith and Fred Simmons
Stuart Foundation
$25,000 – $49,999
Lisette Arsuaga and Gilbert Dávila*
The Carol and James Collins Foundation
Soraya and Will Craig
Nellie Duran and Joe Acevedo*
Angella and David Nazarian
Susan and Robin Richards
Samantha Ressler and Jason Borg
Juli and Michael Woronoff
$10,000 – $24,999
AEG
Alvarez & Marsal
Anonymous
Kathrine Baxter
Sky and Brett Brewer*
Capital Group Charitable Foundation
Center for Collaborative Education
DevTo Support Foundation
Michael Dreyer
Edgerton Foundation*
The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation
Fuerza Music Foundation
Marcos C. Gonzalez*
GPSN
Janet and Jim Hamilton
Eva Ho
Cathy and George Huber
Kristy Jorgensen Schaffer and Patrick Schaffer*
Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell
Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation
Merchants Bonding Company Foundation
Jamie Mohn and Joe Blackstone
Walter Mosley
Anthony Pritzker
R&S Kayne Foundation*
The Sax Agency
Robert Sheft
Shekels Charitable Foundation
Marc Spilo*
$5,000 – $9,999
Anonymous
Molly and Peter Bachmann*
Bonnie and Mitch Bloom
Irina Constantin and Christopher Wu
Arpita and Brian Diamond
Patrick Dorime
EPI Construction, Inc
Franco Architects
Brooke Geahan and Brian Bustamante-Nicholson
Greycroft
Harbor Building Maintenance
Tara and John Jones
Maintex
Satoh Brothers International
Elizabeth and Bernie Schaffer
Vincent Selhorst-Jones
The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation
Michelle and Robert Shipp
Marie and Joseph Sweeney
Chris Weber and Kevin Wu
$1,000 – $4,999
Tanya Acker
Sophie and Allan Alpert
A&M Church and School Furniture
Anonymous
Christine Bae and Jason Kim
Bank of the West
Michelle and Todd Beiley
Craig Bernick
Blackwell Development, Inc.
Gary Blackwell
Tony Borrego
Robin and Elliot Broidy
J Castro
Crystal Cove Conservancy
Del Amo Construction
Darlene Dumke
East West Bancorp, Inc.
Cindi and Dennis Gilbert
Alison Gonzales
Wendy Greuel and Dean Schramm
Elliot Grossman
Harris & Ruth Painting
Contracting
Dr. Reginald Hill
I & S Electric Inc.
JK Property Services
Kayne Anderson Rudnick
Investment Management, LLC
KIPP SoCal Public Schools
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Robert C. Kopple
George Leis
Clara and Glen Lim
Kelly and Chris Lipp
Paula and Barry Litt
LOC Architects
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles Community Church
Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’
Charities
Los Angeles Urban League
Roopali Malhotra and
Shayan Rostam
Roy March
Barbara Marshall
Jessica Massa
MBA Mechanical Inc.
Lori and Michael Milken
Shari and Jerry Mitchell
Marilyn and Jack Mohan
Montage Insurance Solutions
Alejandra Mora and
Edgar Pecina
Rebecca Neubauer and
Erik Kronstadt
Timm Oberwelland
Omni Air HVAC
Nina and Michael Patterson
Nancy and Jeffrey Paul
George Pineda
Piper Sandler
Prime Waterproofing &
Roofing, Inc.
Rakuten USA, Inc
Rookie Productions
Gayle and Jeffrey Rosenthal
Alexander Rubalcava
Stanford K. Rubin
Tod Sacerdoti
Leigh and Jonathan San Antonio
Marna and Rockwell Schnabel
John and Diana Seto
Sheppard
SingerLewak LLP
Sosa Quality Construction
Michael Stoppelman
Evan Strauss
Catherine Suitor and Jorge Ramirez
Jack and Linda May Suzar
Pam Tajima Prager
Wendy S. Tajima
Teach for America, Los Angeles
Sally and Jonathan Tiongco
Loreen Washburn
Cha Cha and Mark Weinstein
Gayle and Pete Wilson
$500 – $999
Kamala and Marvin Avila-Salmon
Kenya and Matt Beckmann
Eman Computers
Montserra Garriga-Martin
Veronica Grazer
Quentin Harris
Danielle Hixon
Tiffany Markarian
Alan and Jaslin Osinoff
Eric Pedroza and Nicholas Ellis
Brooks Preston
Christopher Simmons
Kirsten Woo
Michael Wunderman
Up to $499
Rachel Alter
Charles Anderson
Sarah Angel and Dan Nieman
Anonymous
Nancy Aossey and Bill Sunblad
Julianne Arguello
Sean Arnold
Carter Ashforth
Una Au
Miki Baumbarten
James Beale
Howard Behar
BlackRock
Maggie Bove-LaMonica
Will Bumpus
Michael Bundy
Tracie Burress
Johhny Buss
Kelly Byrne
Laurie and Andy Caine
Christine Choi
Jon Congdon
Ellen Danna
Mark David
Carlos De Jesus
Mike Derezin
Barbra Diallo
William Drewry
Deborah Drucker
Michele V. Dryer
Chris Dupuy
Timothy Finney
First Foundation Bank
Danielle Gheorghe
Charissa and Jarryd Gonzales
David Gonzalez
Robert Green
Saar Gur
Audrey Haberman
Chis Hall
Joan Hall
Jesslyn Harris and Alex Lindgren
Ellen and Kirk Hartman
LaJuannah Hills
Kristen Hodess
Lida Jennings
Joan Johnson
Katrinia Jones
Omar Kodmani
Kup Family
Kristen Laskaris
David and Genevieve Lauck
Chris Lee
Hatty Lee
Deidre and Martin Lind
Sarah Lyding
Deborah Lynn
Giorgio Manenti
Kevin Marchetti
Alexandria Martin
Colleen McAndrews and
Rob Wood
Gregory McGinity
Michael Misciagna
Diane and Mark Neubauer
Wendy Ng-Lee
Gianni Nunnari
Susana Ordriozola
PacSun
Athanasia Panopoulos
Robert Pearman
Pugh Family
Chanel Robinson
Eric Samek
Kenny Seaton
Isaac Shalev
Ilan Shalit
Brian Simon
Jeanette T. Smith
Favio Solares
Jordan Tabaldo
Massimiliano Tafaro
Tina Trankiem
Melanie Valera
Aaliyah Wilson
Naomi Yoon
“Thank you to the Alliance community. . . each and every one of you makes dreams like mine a reality. You are all living proof that the care, love, and rigor of an Alliance education works.”
Fabiola Tucux
- Write a check, donate stock, make a direct electronic transfer
- Name the Alliance Foundation as a beneficiary of your estate
- Have your contribution matched by your employer
- Join the Scholar Success Circle
- Share our innovative work and models with your networks
- Build strategic partnerships in your field or community
- Join us in sharing your opinions with policymakers
- Read Alliance college scholarship applications
- Mentor a scholar
- Host a Career Exploration Day at your workplace
Powering possibility across 25 Schools
South Los Angeles/Watts
Alliance Christine O’Donovan Middle Academy
Alliance Cindy & Bill Simon Technology Academy High School
Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 4
Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 12
Alliance Jack H. Skirball Middle School
Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Technology Academy High School
Alliance Patti & Peter Neuwirth Leadership Academy
Alliance Renee & Meyer Luskin Academy High School
Alliance Shaheen High School
Alliance Virgil Roberts Leadership Academy
Alliance William & Carol Ouchi High School
Huntington Park
Alliance Collins Family College-Ready High School
Alliance Kory Hunter Middle School
Alliance Margaret M. Bloomfield High School
East Los Angeles
Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy 8
Alliance Marc & Eva Stern Math and Science School
Alliance Morgan McKinzie High School
Downtown Los Angeles
Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High School
Alliance Gertz-Ressler High School
Alliance Richard Merkin Middle School
Alliance Ted K. Tajima High School
Glassell Park/Lincoln Heights
Alliance Leichtman-Levine High School
Alliance Susan & Eric Smidt Technology High School
Sun Valley
Alliance Joni & Jeff Marine High School
Alliance Milt and Debbie Valera Middle Academy