ATLANTA – The Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) has been honored with the Nancy Zimpher Courage in Leadership Award from its national partners at StriveTogether. The award was presented at the 2025 Cradle to Career Network Convening in Atlanta, Georgia.
This prestigious award recognizes the organization’s commitment to creating a bold model of place-based transformation in San Francisco’s Mission District. The award is a testament to the comprehensive cradle-to-career approach, which provides pathways to success for low-income Latino families—from prenatal support to economic opportunity.
“Thirteen years ago, we launched Mission Promise Neighborhood with an audacious vision: that every child and family in the Mission should have the tools to succeed in school and achieve economic mobility,” said MEDA’s CEO Luis Granados. “With our community, we imagined what could be different. We set out to shift systems, to shape a future of opportunity for San Francisco’s Latino community. And we made it happen.”
The organization is humbled by this recognition and shares this honor with its dedicated staff, its invaluable partners, and the courageous families who are at the heart of the work. It is their vision and resilience that truly drive the innovation and courage recognized by this award.
“MEDA learned from parents that in order for their kids to succeed in school, their first priority was stable, dignified housing,” said Richard Raya, StriveTogether Board Member and who presented the award at the Convening. “MEDA’s two-generation approach brought schools, government, providers and residents together to co-create holistic solutions along the cradle to career continuum.”
StriveTogether is a national network of community partnerships that bring together neighbors, including youth and families, nonprofits, businesses, schools and more, to work toward a future where youth can thrive in their communities. Cradle to Career Network members change the way their communities work together by building connections, sharing resources and using data to put more young people on a path to economic mobility. StriveTogether work helps young people meet seven key life milestones so that they have the opportunities they need to reach their goals, and, ultimately, thrive. To learn more, visit StriveTogether.org.
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