Northside Achievement Zone Joins the National Promise Neighborhoods Coalition
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 17, 2024) - The National Promise Neighborhoods Coalition (NPNC) is pleased to announce the addition of the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) as the sixth member of the coalition. Based in Minneapolis, NAZ’s place-based collaborative of more than 30 community based organizations and schools brings expertise in cradle-to-career support and creating a college-going culture.
Inspired by the success of the Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ), the PEACE Foundation and 50 local leaders met in 2009 to explore whether the HCZ could be replicated in North Minneapolis. This exploratory group, co-led by PEACE, formed the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ). Then in 2011, NAZ received a $28 million Promise Neighborhood grant to scale-up its enrollment and reach.
When Promise Neighborhood funds began winding down, NAZ secured local corporate, philanthropic and individual investments, including $6 million from General Mills and Target, to sustain and scale the results realized by Northside scholars and their families through an initial five-year Federal Promise Neighborhood Grant. This significant investment in the Northside impacted thousands of lives and drove measurable change in the community.
As a place-based initiative, NAZ’s work is focused on supporting scholars and families in North Minneapolis, starting at the community and neighborhood level.
“NAZ’s success in North Minneapolis will bring key insights to the coalition and its advocacy on the national level,” said Jillian Spindle, Co-Chair of the Coalition. “According to the latest data, half of NAZ’s early childhood scholars are meeting or exceeding developmental expectations and 88% of NAZ 3rd-8th grade scholars had consistent attendance at school. NAZ is making a real difference in the lives of these students.”
NAZ is also a member of a community of more than 30 place-based partnerships and learning communities such as the Harlem Children’s Zone, Blue Meridian Partners, Ballmer Group, the William Julius Wilson Institute, and the StriveTogether Network.
“We are changing the narrative in North Minneapolis,” said Sondra Samuels, President and CEO of NAZ. “We partner with scholars at all stages of life, prenatal to profession, to ensure they realize their full potential by providing academic assistance, resources, and opportunities for families to support their success in school, work, and life.”
By joining the Coalition, NAZ will have access to new resources, and have the opportunity to share best practices and showcase its results-focused model on the national stage.
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About NAZ
The Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) envisions a prosperous North Minneapolis — where all children of color are healthy, secure, and academically successful, ultimately realizing their unlimited potential. To that end, NAZ has built a prenatal-to-profession collaborative of 30+ nonprofits and educational institutions that have aligned programs and systems to provide holistic support to North Minneapolis scholars and their families.
About the National Promise Neighborhoods Coalition
The founding members of the Coalition (Mission Economic Development Agency, Partners for Rural Impact, SBCS, and Delta Health Alliance) joined together in late 2022, in partnership with the William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children’s Zone and Save the Children. Now, joined by Omega CDC, these high-performing programs lead the Coalition in building strong bipartisan relationships in Congress, the Department of Education, and the White House; increasing federal funding for Promise Neighborhood programs; improving federal policies impacting Promise Neighborhood programs; and creating a community of best practices for Promise Neighborhood providers.