Our Game Plan
Mission: Increasing opportunity and economic mobility for single-parent families through higher education.
Here are some of our most recent wins—as presented during our 2023 Under Review event.
Who We Are
Raise The Barr is a 2Gen program led by a 2Gen Team on a mission to maximize the potential of every individual. Co-founded by NFL Linebacker Anthony Barr and his mother, Lori Barr, our organization is built on their own lived experiences. We are committed to increasing the economic mobility for single-parent students in Minnesota and Southern California by providing them with the holistic resources they need to complete their education, including resources they need for their children to thrive. Promoting college success among student-parents is critical to improving racial, ethnic, and gender equity in higher education access.
We place single-parent students at the center of our work and elevate their voices in advocacy work and leadership advising. Two RTB alumni scholars even serve on our Board of Directors.
Our Story
Lori became pregnant with Anthony when she was only 19 years old, about to begin her junior year at St. Mary’s College. As a pregnant, unmarried teenager, she found herself alone and going through an experience that was extraordinarily different to any of her peers. She had limited resources and felt isolated. Shortly after giving birth, she moved back home to Los Angeles, where she knew she could raise Anthony in a supportive and welcoming community. A year passed, and after working many odd jobs while she tried to figure out the path forward, she picked her studies back up at Loyola Marymount University, where she thrived—not only did she graduate with a bachelor's degree, but she continued to pursue higher education in LMU’s graduate school, where she earned a master's degree in counseling.
Before he was a star football player, Anthony Barr was a kid growing up in LA, in the home of his mother and grandparents. While his mother was balancing two part-time jobs and staying up late studying for her college courses, Anthony was surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who cared for him while his mom was away. He was curious and loved playing and learning. Lori reflects on how fortunate she was to have a mother who was a pre-school teacher who understood the value of early childhood education. Lori knows this is how Anthony started reading at the age of 2. The football player was always in him though. At the age of 7, Lori signed him up to play Pop Warner, and they never looked back. Anthony was a natural on the field, but beyond the success he experienced, football also offered community for both Lori and Anthony, where they felt welcomed and valued. [transition sentence]
After experiencing first-hand the social and economic barriers that come with pursuing higher education as a single parent, Lori and Anthony co-founded Raise The Barr to provide holistic resources to families like their own. The community that the Barrs found in Lori’s parents was an essential part of their ultimate success, which is why community is such a key part of our work at RTB.
Single parents—and children who grow up in single-parent households—have so much to offer the world. They just need the opportunity to succeed.
The Problem?
While more than 20% of college students in the U.S. are parents, many universities and their surrounding communities do not provide parenting students with the resources necessary for raising a family—especially while pursuing a degree. Without the right resources, student parents face a multitude of economic and social challenges.
Our Solution: Tackling Poverty Through a 2Gen Approach.
The two-generation (“2-Gen”) approach builds family well-being by intentionally and simultaneously working with children and the adults in their lives to access new resources, solve problems, and sharpen existing skills. Our programming is modeled on the 6 pillars of Whole Family Wellness as identified by Ascend at The Aspen Institute and implemented using the framework of Mobility Mentoring—a strength based approach that provides a roadmap for people living in poverty to reach economic independence. Using Mobility Mentoring, we guide our scholars to achieve their goals in education and career pathways, family life, finances, and health.
At Raise The Barr, we support single-parenting students in CA and MN by offering programming that includes financial assistance, community building, and professional and personal development.
We believe in the “curb cut effect” which, simply put, is the concept that laws or policies that are created to benefit a vulnerable group, such as single-parent students, often end up benefiting all. To make post-secondary schools more equitable, we believe in creating space for single-parent students and their families who are least supported by the system, which would benefit multiple generations of learners, as well as the broader population. Additionally, promoting college success among single-parent students is critical to improving racial, ethnic, and gender equity in higher education access. Single-parent students are at the center of all our work. Together, we plan and implement programming that leads to well-being for the entire family.
Our Goals
Reduce financial burden and stabilize families by providing scholarships, emergency grants, rental stipends and other basic needs support.
Train and prepare for the workforce which leads to opportunities for increased earnings post-degree attainment vs. no degree
Improve financial acumen that leads to overall awareness and understanding of how to be financially independent
Increase social capital that leads to reduced isolation, creates a sense of belonging, and increases opportunity for personal and professional growth, as well as improved overall mental health
Improve whole family wellness
Review our full 2023 Annual Report.
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