Letter From the Founder

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As I reflect on an incredible second year of growth here at Axis, I am filled with gratitude for all of you who have generously supported and championed our work to bridge the gap between people of color and independent schools.

When I established Axis as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2020, I had a vision of building diverse independent school communities here in Los Angeles that would ensure equal access and opportunity for all students and educators. What I did not anticipate, however, is the groundswell of support that has propelled this organization to the heights we have reached in just two short years of operation.

Over the past year alone, we have:

Doubled the number of BIPOC families we are serving from admissions through graduation, from 40 families in 2022 to 86 in 2023; Grown our network of Partner Schools to 35 independent schools that are facilitating access for BIPOC students and educators;

Hired a full-time Associate Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accountability (DEIA); and Raised over $150k at our inaugural Axis Glow Up Gala.

None of this would have been possible without the tireless efforts of our phenomenal team and the generosity of our supporters. It is your commitment to a more equitable education system for our children that pushes our work forward.

As we forge ahead toward our strategic vision for 2023-2024, we invite you to join us Together, we can open the doors of educational opportunity to students of color and change lives for generations to come

Sincerely,

Collette Bowers Zinn, J.D., M.Ed. Founder & Executive Director