For single parents pursuing higher education, the path to a degree often comes with challenges far beyond the classroom. Balancing coursework, child care, work, and financial responsibilities can make success feel out of reach. Raise the Barr Foundation is changing that reality by providing student parents with the resources, stability, and community they need to persist, graduate, and build a better future for their families. Founded in 2016 by a single mother and her son, the organization empowers student parents and aims to change the trajectory of families’ lives.
Meet Anthony and Lori Barr, Co-Founders of Raise the Barr Foundation
Behind Raise The Barr Foundation is a powerful mother-son story rooted in resilience, determination, and belief in the transformative power of education. Lori and Anthony Barr’s work is grounded in lived experience and a deep understanding of the challenges of student-parents – making their leadership both personal and impactful. From Lori’s experience navigating college as a single mother to Anthony’s rise as a professional athlete, their shared journey has shaped a mission to ensure student-parents have the support they need to succeed – both in the classroom and beyond.
Why Raise The Barr Matters
More than 20% of college students in the U.S. are parents, and a significant portion of these are single mothers juggling jobs, child care, and school. Many face financial insecurity, housing instability, and limited access to essential supports. Raise The Barr tackles this head on with a two-generational approach – meaning both the parent and child are supported simultaneously – by strengthening family stability and long-term success. Raise The Barr’s programs are rooted in evidence-based practices and driven by the needs of the communities it serves. The organization offers:
- Scholar Support: Scholarships and financial assistance help to remove economic barriers.
- Basic Needs and Emergency Aid: From rental stipends to emergency grants, the organization helps families navigate unexpected financial challenges.
- Community and Career Development: Scholars receive mentorship, networking opportunities, and professional development.
- Whole Family Wellness: Services designed with both parent and child in mind.
CCRC and Raise the Barr Foundation: Transforming Challenges into Real Opportunity
CCRC was thrilled to have Lori and Athony Barr as keynote speakers at our 2026 Securing the Future for California Families Policy Conference in January. Their lived experience and advocacy are at the heart of a statewide discussion about family stability and public policy.
During their presentation on Day 2 of the conference, Lori shared, “Everything depends on [child care] stability – especially if a child gets sick. Thirty years ago, there wasn’t a lot of community support for single parents. For me missing class meant falling behind, and I didn’t have that luxury.” Before diving into data and policy, Lori reminds us that this work is deeply personal for her – shaped by her experience as a single mother navigating higher education while raising a child. Her words alone underscore how essential stable child care is to a student parents’ success, revealing how a single disruption – such as a child getting sick – can have lasting academic consequences when there is no support system to absorb the impact.
Both Lori and Anthony’s presence at CCRC’s policy conference helped ensure that the real-life barriers and solutions experienced by communities they serve are heard by decision makers and advocates shaping California’s future. “Families don’t fail systems. Systems fail families,” said Anthony Barr. This statement captures a powerful truth about the structural barriers many families face. When parents struggle to access affordable child care, stable housing, or higher education, it is not a reflection of their effort or commitment; but rather, of systems that were never designed to support their realities. This perspective shifts the focus away from individual blame, and toward the need for policies, programs, and institutions that meet families where they are and remove obstacles that stand in their way. Yes, adversity is inevitable. But who can student-parents rely on when adversity hits? This is where these systems come into play.
CCRC was honored to provide a platform to help elevate the needs of student parents and their children within the broader topics of early learning, child care, and family support systems. Raise The Barr’s work aligns naturally with our policy conference goals. Their involvement helps shape reasonable, actionable solutions that acknowledge how education, access to child care infrastructure, and financial stability are interconnected.
Real Outcomes: Supporting Student-Parents, Strengthening Families
A high percentage of Raise The Barr’s student-parent scholars remain enrolled or graduate, and many gain secure housing and stronger financial stability thanks to the organization’s layered support. Its impact is made possible through community, partnership, and a belief in the potential of student-parents. Whether through support, advocacy, or sharing the mission, everyone has a role to play in helping to remove barriers to education and create pathways to success for families pursuing a better future.
And as Raise The Barr approaches its 10th anniversary, the foundation has already made significant strides. More than $1 million has been invested in scholarships, emergency grants, and much more for families in California and Minnesota. Raise The Barr continues to prove that when families are supported as a whole, education becomes a powerful force for generational progress.
We are extremely grateful to all the advocates and leaders that gathered for CCRC’s 2026 Securing the Future for California Families Policy Conference to advance solutions that support children, families, and child care providers. Watch our event recap video here to relive all the incredible moments and visit our blog on our website to learn more.