A community-rooted, equity-forward foundation funding the programs that turn MLK Academy from adequate to extraordinary — built by the families and neighbors who believe every scholar in 94965 can rise.
Ensure every TK–8th grade student at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy has equitable access to the music, art, outdoor education, garden, field trips, and teacher resources that make a great education — above and beyond what public funding can provide.
A unified district where the zip code on a child’s street does not determine the richness of their education — and where MLK Academy is the community’s first choice, not its fallback.
A small group of Sausalito parents launches a 501(c)(3) to fund enrichment beyond the district budget.
The legacy arts-focused foundation merges into Willow Creek, bringing endowed art and music programs.
The Sausalito Marin City School District unifies; MLK Academy becomes the community’s shared TK–8 school.
The foundation rebrands to reflect a unified district and an equity-forward future.
Hundreds of scholars served, thousands of classroom hours funded, every program above the basic-aid line made possible.
Rise Up! is what happens when a community decides not to wait for the state to remember our kids. We just — rise up.
An all-volunteer board of MLK parents, alumni, and community members.
In 2022, the Sausalito Marin City School District unified after decades of separate schooling for the kids of Sausalito and the kids of Marin City — communities a half-mile apart but historically a world apart in opportunity. MLK Academy is the result.
Unification was a milestone. It was also just the start. An equity-forward foundation in a unified district has one job: make sure every scholar, regardless of zip code or family income, gets the same chance to discover what they’re great at.
With over 12 languages spoken across our families and a student body that mirrors the real diversity of the Bay Area, that work looks like ensuring every kid has a clarinet, a paint brush, a hiking boot, and a teacher with the budget to say yes.
Short answer: not enough of them. California ranks among the lowest states in per-pupil funding nationally. After Proposition 13 capped property taxes in 1978, school revenue shifted to the state general fund — and never recovered.
The Sausalito Marin City School District provides what the state covers: teacher salaries, the building, basic instructional materials. What it cannot fund is what makes school school: art and music teachers, garden coordinators, overnight outdoor education, classroom field trips, classroom enrichment supplies.
That’s where Rise Up! comes in. We are the community infrastructure that closes the gap — not as a luxury, but as the difference between an adequate education and an excellent one.
Three different organizations, three different jobs. Here’s how the ecosystem fits together at MLK Academy.
| What it pays for | Rise Up! Foundation | PTA | School District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher salaries & benefits | — | — | yes |
| School building & facilities | — | — | yes |
| Core curriculum & textbooks | — | — | yes |
| Music & visual art programs | primary | occasional | — |
| Outdoor education & overnight trips | primary | — | — |
| Garden classes & field trips | primary | occasional | — |
| Teacher classroom grants | yes | — | — |
| Day-to-day classroom support & events | — | primary | — |
| Family-teacher conferences & school culture | — | primary | yes |