Statement of Purpose and Mission

Statement of Purpose

At CityBridge we are guided by an unshakable belief in the equal worth of every person:  Regardless of station, regardless of calling, every individual carries equal value and deserves access to abundant opportunity.  This calling plays out for us in service to the children of Washington, DC, where we are working to build and sustain a system of schools that will transform the lives of all our children.  A decade into this work, we know one thing with certainty—that poverty is not destiny.  Great schools can eliminate—not just lessen—educational inequity and thereby foster the most American of all ideals:  Opportunity for all.

Mission

CityBridge Foundation is working toward one central goal—that our nation’s capital will be the first city conclusively to break the link between poverty and low academic achievement and build a city-wide system of high-performing schools.  Working toward this goal, we create, incubate and invest in the most promising practices in public education for the District. To sustain this work, we also intentionally cultivate knowledgeable, long-term “stewards for education”—the citizens and leaders who can ensure that progress lasts, well into the future. All of our work involves conscious collaboration with those citizens, leaders and other stakeholders.

Five CityBridge values inform our mission and our practice.  These values guide our interactions with each other and with all participants in our work. These values are:

1. Finding Right Ideas
Our approach to complex social problems is one of optimism—a belief that right ideas and solutions exist, that human potential and achievement are always within reach.

2. Service to a Common Good
Certain goals—such as mutual service or excellent education for all—can serve to unite all citizens, binding them together as one strong civic family. Our work should uplift, and it should unite.

3. Building a "Destination Sector"
We reject the notion that nonprofit work is a second-class talent destination, or that we need not strive for results. The quality of our own work product and talent base, and those of our partners, should consistently exceed the expectations of the marketplace.

4. Conscious Collaboration
All CityBridge work should foster mutual respect and conscious linkages among citizens, especially between those historically divided by race, class, or neighborhood.

5. Leaning Forward
As individuals, we hold ourselves to the highest standard, seeking constant opportunities for growth as people and as practitioners.