OUR MISSION

Californians for Shared Prosperity is a coalition dedicated to increasing opportunities for financial security and prosperity for all Californians who work hard in pursuit of their dreams.

 

We mobilize low-wage California families to stand up as champions of public policies and practices that give everyone access to quality financial products and services, and to quality higher education – proven tools to build prosperity.

 

WHY WE NEED TO BUILD PROSPERITY FOR ALL CALIFORNIANS

 

• Nearly 6 million people in California live in poverty (CFED)

• Over 63% of poor people in California are working but don’t earn enough to make ends meet (PPIC)

• 30% of our residents do not have the financial means to cover their most basic expenses for 3 months if they lose their job (CFED)

• 44% of California households lack adequate savings to cover basic expenses if they lose stable income (CFED)

• Approximately 16% of students from California’s lowest income households graduated with a 4-year degree compared to 65% of California’s high-income households. (CFED)

• Those most affected by student debt are low-income, non-traditional and underrepresented students. The level of student loan debt has grown by 60% for Californians in the last decade. (California Postsecondary Education Commission)

• Only three in ten of all degree-seeking community college students and 26% of Blacks and 22% of Latinos have earned a certificate, associate degree, or transferred to a four-year university. (Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy, California State University, Sacramento)