Urban Alliance Foundation

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The Urban Alliance Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating in Washington, DC. Often referred to as Urban Alliance, or just UA, their mission is to prepare young adults from under-resourced areas in DC for the world of work and a life of self-sufficiency, through education, mentoring, and meaningful paid internships.

UA opened their doors in 1996, after a student attending Anacostia Senior High School expressed a need for positive job experiences to UA founder Andrew Plepler. Andrew placed that student and five of his friends at internships throughout the city during 1996. The program was developed according to the best practices implemented by the National Youth Employment Coalition[1]. Specifically, the program:

• Fosters long-term mentoring relationships with supportive and caring adults
• Increases youths’ personal, academic, and financial independence, while supporting them to successfully meet their increased responsibilities through workshops on time management, financial literacy, and conflict resolution
• Exposes youth to a variety of careers through a summer speaker series and workshops on how to solicit and conduct informational interviews
• Supports active mentor participation sending mentors copies of our workshop materials and providing management tools such as our work journal and idea bank
• Documents students’ ongoing success and increased competencies by tracking each internship on a weekly basis and collecting tri-annual ratings from the mentors

The program continued to serve students at Anacostia Senior High School for the next eight years, providing them with positive youth development and employment opportunities otherwise missing in their community. In 2004, UA agreed to manage the World Bank's summer internship program. The following year, UA expanded to recruit students at 10 other District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) for a new Half-Day model, as well as manage the Fannie Mae summer internship program. The Half-Day Program model target DCPS seniors who were eligible for only half-day of school classes. These students attend school in the morning and UA's program in the afternoon.

In the last decade, UA has employed and inspired 700 DC students. Their students have significantly better outcomes then their peers:

• 96% graduate from high school
• 88% attend college
• 74% increase their mastery of critical job skills

Urban Alliance has been recently recognized for excellence by the 2005 Catalogue for Philanthropy[2], 2005/06 Spirit of Giving Guide[3], and in the 40th Anniversary Edition of the Washingtonian (magazine)[4].

Official Website: http://www.urbanalliancefoundation.org