The Foundation for Tacoma Students (FFTS) powers the Graduate Tacoma movement – bringing together partners across education, community, business, and government sectors. FFTS provides the strategic coordination that transforms individual efforts into collective impact. We ensure that community-led initiatives remain aligned, sustained, and accountable to those most affected by systemic barriers.
FFTS works throughout Pierce County to support student success through five core functions:
Bringing diverse partners together to foster collaboration and shared ownership
Offering trusted, disaggregated data to inform decisions and strengthen impact
Incubating and scaling innovative, community-informed solutions
Elevating community voices at local, regional, and state levels
Directing support toward strategies that drive youth success and long-term outcomes
Our approach is grounded in the collective impact model. We align partners and strategies around shared goals to drive meaningful change. By connecting local initiatives with policy advocacy, we help community-led efforts grow into systemic, statewide impact.
Identify the key factors that influence success.
Shift programs, policies, and practices to create lasting, equitable outcomes.
Use data to define targets and track progress together.
Foster collaboration across sectors to reduce duplication and increase impact.
Engage the partners whose work aligns with these priority areas.
Identify the key factors that influence success.
Engage the partners whose work aligns with these priority areas.
Foster collaboration across sectors to reduce duplication and increase impact.
Use data to define targets and track progress together.
Shift programs, policies, and practices to create lasting, equitable outcomes.
Equity is both an approach and a process. It recognizes that we don’t all start from the same place due to existing advantages and barriers. By acknowledging these varied starting points, we work to correct imbalances for marginalized and minoritized populations through:
Centering those most impacted by systemic barriers
Measuring our impact and honoring our commitments
Taking bold action when needed to drive meaningful change
Finding creative solutions to persistent challenges
Sharing data, decisions, and processes openly
Building authentic partnerships across sectors
Ensuring all voices are heard and valued
Believing in our collective power to create positive change
Our collective impact model is fueled by partners who invest in long-term change. Their support helps us coordinate strategy, align resources, and center the students who need us most.
