About Us

Mission Statement

To design systems of belonging for boys and young men of color by delivering direct programming, shaping public policy, and driving systemic change.

Vision Statement

Our vision is a society where belonging is predictable, healing is possible, and opportunity is equitable, where every boy and young man of color is seen, supported, and safe

The Uniqueness of Sims-Fayola

Improving life outcomes for boys and young men of color requires more than strong programs in isolation. It requires attention to the full ecosystem that shapes their lives, including home, school, community, and the systems that govern access, opportunity, and belonging. Across the country and around the world, many organizations do critical work within specific parts of this ecosystem. That work matters.

At the Sims-Fayola Foundation, our role is to connect those parts into a coherent whole.

We operate at the intersection of direct service and systems change, integrating high-touch youth programming with school and community partnerships, trauma-responsive mental health supports, and a statewide policy and advocacy institute. This coordinated approach allows us to support boys and young men of color not only as individuals, but within the environments and systems that shape their long-term outcomes.

Our work spans multiple, interconnected domains, including:

High-touch youth mentoring and developmental programming
Academic, behavioral, and school-based intervention
Leadership development and postsecondary access pathways
Trauma-responsive mental health and healing supports
Community violence prevention and systems-impact initiatives
Statewide policy and advocacy through the Sims-Fayola Policy & Advocacy Institute
A unifying design model that anchors all work: the Sims Framework

Grounded in our Vision 2030 strategy, this integrated model enables us to design conditions where boys and young men of color can thrive, while simultaneously supporting the evolution of the systems around them. Our work is not only about changing individual trajectories. It is about building systems of belonging that make success predictable, not exceptional.

Our Why

Despite decades of awareness and reform efforts, the U.S. education system continues to fall short in meeting the needs of students of color, particularly boys and young men. From early learning through higher education, boys of color encounter compounding inequities shaped by systemic bias, fragmented supports, and chronic underinvestment.

These inequities do not stop at the classroom door. They extend into the social, economic, health, and justice systems that young men must navigate, often reinforcing patterns of over-discipline, disengagement, underachievement, and increased contact with the criminal justice system. Too often, systems respond to symptoms rather than addressing the conditions that produced them.

At the Sims-Fayola Foundation, we exist to change those conditions.

Our work is rooted in equity, justice, and a clear understanding that outcomes are shaped by systems, not deficits in young people. We believe boys and young men of color deserve environments that recognize their humanity, build on their strengths, and make success predictable rather than exceptional. Our mission is not to help young men survive broken systems, but to design systems that allow them to thrive.

Our Approach

At the Sims-Fayola Foundation, we advance change by working across every level that shapes outcomes for boys and young men of color, including the individual, the school, the community, and the systems that govern access and opportunity. We do not treat inequity as a single-point problem or rely on one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, we take a holistic approach that addresses beliefs, structures, practices, and policies simultaneously.

Our work is grounded in the Sims Framework, a culturally grounded and research-informed design model that centers identity, belonging, and agency. The framework provides a shared language and discipline for how we design programs, partner with institutions, and influence systems.

The Sims Framework is organized around seven core components:

Cultural identity and belonging
Equity-centered instruction
Agency and advocacy
Systems awareness
Affirmation and high expectations
Best practices in mentoring boys and young men of color
Culturally centered pedagogy

These components are intentionally integrated across all of our work, from direct youth programming and educator development to policy design and systems alignment.

A core driver of our systems-level impact is the Sims-Fayola Policy & Advocacy Institute, which translates practice-based learning into policy, institutional, and ecosystem change. Through the Institute, we convene cross-sector leaders, support collective impact initiatives, advance equity-centered policy agendas, and align local and statewide strategies around shared outcomes for boys and young men of color.

As the backbone organization for My Brother’s Keeper Denver, the Foundation, through the Policy & Advocacy Institute, convenes partners to advance a shared Local Action Plan focused on population-level change. Initiatives such as the Male Educators of Color Fellowship and the Empowered Ambition Youth Development Program generate real-time impact while informing longer-term policy and systems transformation.

Our Pillars

The Sims-Fayola Foundation advances its Vision 2030 strategy through three interconnected pillars that guide how we build capacity, influence systems, and sustain community impact.

Building Power
We equip boys and young men of color, their families, and the adults who support them with the knowledge, skills, and platforms needed to lead change. We center youth voice, strengthen family and educator capacity, and create leadership pipelines that connect lived experience to decision-making across programs and policy spaces.

Shaping Systems
We design and influence policies, practices, and institutional structures across education, workforce, mental health, and justice. Through our direct work and the Sims-Fayola Policy & Advocacy Institute, we translate evidence from practice into system-level change that improves access, accountability, and long-term outcomes.

Elevating Narratives
We shift public understanding and political will by affirming cultural identity and challenging deficit-based narratives. Through storytelling, strategic communications, and ambassador engagement, we change how boys and young men of color are seen, valued, and supported by communities and institutions.

Our Objectives

At the Sims-Fayola Foundation, our objectives span the full developmental journey of boys and young men of color, from early childhood through postsecondary and career pathways. Each objective is designed to improve individual outcomes while strengthening the systems that shape them.

Our work is focused on achieving the following outcomes:

Reduce school-based discipline disparities, including suspensions, expulsions, chronic absenteeism, and truancy, by advancing prevention, early intervention, and restorative approaches.
Increase participation and persistence in leadership development, civic engagement, and enrichment opportunities that build agency, voice, and community connection.
Strengthen core social-emotional competencies, including self-awareness, decision-making, emotional regulation, and relationship-building, as foundations for academic and life success.
Expand access to postsecondary and career pathways in underrepresented fields such as technology, healthcare, law, education, and public service.
Decrease juvenile justice involvement through preventative supports, restorative practices, and credible alternatives to punitive and carceral responses.
Equip youth-serving professionals, schools, and institutions with the tools, training, and structures needed to meet the holistic needs of boys and young men of color.
Shift public narratives, institutional policies, and community investments toward durable, equity-centered systems that make positive outcomes predictable rather than exceptional.

SIMS-FAYOLA FOUNDATION ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW