PACT Executive Summary

About PACT, Inc. – Founded in the midst of the Civil RIghts Movement, Plan of Action for Challenging Times (PACT, Inc.) has been providing support to underserved students and students of color since 1963. Originally launched in San Francisco pioneering one of the first Federal Department of Education programs in the West Coast, PACT services have expanded to the East Bay in the new millennium. PACT, Inc. provides mentoring, tutoring, financial aid and scholarship advising to low-income, first-generation and minority students. PACT educates and supports high school students in the college access process, empowering them to realize the dream of a brighter educational and financial future, while becoming tomorrow’s community leaders.

Current Support & Programs – With 60,000 Alumni, of which approximately 20,000 graduated from college, PACT has a demonstrated history of advancing equity and serving Bay Area low-income and minority students for nearly 60 years. PACT has been the recipient of the Federal TRiO Educational Talent Search Program from 1965 to 2016 in San Francisco. In response to changing demographics, PACT expanded to the East Bay in 2002 to serve students in Richmond (Contra Costa County) and Vallejo (Solano County). Additionally PACT has extended its services under the Federal TRIO Upward Bound Program to Vacaville and Vallejo since 2017 and 2022, respectively.

Whom we serve – In Richmond, Vacaville and Vallejo, PACT tutors are effectively deployed at schools with a large number of students in need, from historically underrepresented and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with academic and test scores below the state average. The striking majority (89%) of students served by PACT is low-income, as determined by Federal guidelines, and first-generation. Approximately 350 to 500 students in the Talent Search program and  40 to 60 students  in each Upward Bound program are served per year. At different scales, both tutoring and college counseling programs focus on increasing access and success in higher education for low-income and first generation students, by positively impacting graduation, drop-out, and college-going rates. Through the Hurlbut-Johnson fund administered via the Silicon Valley Foundation, the Chamberlin Foundation in Contra Costa, and the Metta Fund PACT also provides scholarships to many deserving students.

Three-year Strategic Planning – The mission, vision and values of PACT, Inc. are embedded in its very name, Plan of Action for Challenging Times. The recently held PACT’s 60th anniversary celebration served as the launching pad for a strategic plan focused on expanding our services and building a sustainable future. Our strategic plan, aims to accomplish three major goals by 2027: 1) Fund capacity building to improve and expand our current programs; 2) Launch PACT’s Equity through Education innovative tutor and advising program designed for San Francisco and Solano County’s  underserved students, and 3) Refurbish and transform our landmark building into a Community Educational Opportunity Center.

PACT Equity Through Education Program – With the recent Supreme Court decision ending race conscious admission, closing the achievement gap for historically underserved youth sadly remains as timely a challenge as it was in the troubled 60’s. PACT is eager to offer public schools in San Francisco and Solano County its Equity Through Education Program, modeled on the Federal TRIO programs, focusing on student persistence, academic achievement, and college advising. Our innovative approach is to tackle academic intervention in the early development years by targeting elementary to high school students to ensure no child is left behind and students in underserved communities not only aspire but reach and succeed in college and beyond. 

PACT Community Educational Opportunity Center – An additional component of PACT’s approach is to create a college-going culture among minority, first generation and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. PACT owns fee simple a two-story “Painted Lady” Victorian building, located at 635 Divisadero,  just one block from historic Alamo Square which has housed PACT headquarters since 1970. It is a major goal of our strategic plan to refurbish this property and transform it into a community educational opportunity center  to provide engaging and supportive programs for students and families that build and strengthen such culture.

Who we are – A Black-led community-based organization, PACT leadership team, staff and dedicated advisors are representative of the communities they serve. PACT was founded in 1963,  the time of civil rights unrest and Langston Hughes’ Dream Deferred poems. Founder and Chairman of the Board Everett Brandon, JD has been leading PACT with unwavering vision since inception; Annette Dennett, Director, i with Deputy Project Director, Sharon Arvie, has been instrumental since 2006 in expanding school partnerships to the East Bay; Board Members Kimberly Brandon, CWS, SVP and Martin L White have provided their expertise in financial services and real estate respectively, while Board Members Johnathan Logan and Ms. Linda Barton White have lent their talent in community engagement and fundraising, and postsecondary education.Fundraising & Partnership – As PACT is expanding support with community foundations, corporations, and government funding, at the County and State level, we are looking forward to partnering with you to lead successful and inspired programs and secure PACT’s sustainable future for the years to come.