CZI announces grants and investments in Belle Haven and East Palo Alto

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) has announced a series of grants and investments totaling more than $10 million to support families, students, and non-profit organizations in the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park and the town of East Palo Alto  — sustaining and expanding the integrated, family-centered services spearheaded by The Primary School (TPS).

Together, these investments carry forward key elements of The Primary School, including: integrated care, early childhood support, and family wellness.

As part of its $50M commitment announced last year, CZI worked alongside community partners to understand and align on investments that would have the greatest impact for families. In addition, as pledged last year, CZI invested $3.6M into nearly 550 education savings accounts for students at The Primary School across East Bay and East Palo Alto. These accounts grow over time, helping families pay for future education costs tax-free.

CZI is awarding $7 million across three community organizations to sustain and expand integrated health and wellness support for the community.

• Children’s Health Council ($3M) will adapt and continue The Primary School’s Parent Wellness Coaching program, ensuring families retain access to mental health and wellness support.
• Ravenswood Family Health Network ($3M) will expand its integrated, school-based medical home model to additional schools across East Palo Alto and Belle Haven, bringing coordinated physical and behavioral health care directly into school communities.
• Ravenswood Early Learning ($1M) will launch a community-wide early intervention initiative to strengthen developmental screening, referrals, and follow-up services for children ages 0–5.

In addition, CZI provided bridge funding to support the transition of Primary School students into the Ravenswood City School District to ensure continuity of services, and is in active conversations with the district to invest in affordable housing for teachers and staff.

Graphic courtesy of CZI