From One Idea to 100,000+ Students: Here’s How We Got Here
On November 4, 1991, a group of Washington leaders founded Communities In Schools of Washington. What they started has grown into a statewide movement reaching over 100,000 young people every year.
Three Numbers That Tell the Story of Our Statewide Reach
Celebrate 35 years of surrounding students with a community of support by making a monthly gift of $35.35. Your recurring contribution helps Communities In Schools of Washington continue connecting students across the state with the relationships, resources, and opportunities they need to succeed in school and beyond.
Join the 35.35 Giving Circle
Provide consistent, year-round support.
Join us in honoring this milestone by investing in the next generation, one student, one school, and one month at a time.
Milestones That Made Us
From a Street in New York to a Network Across Washington
THE IDEA THAT STARTED IT ALL
Bill Milliken Plants the Seed
After years working with young people on the streets of Harlem and the Lower East Side of New York, Bill Milliken believed the system wasn’t failing students, it was just failing to reach them. His answer was radical in its simplicity: bring community resources directly inside schools, where students already are. Communities In Schools was founded in 1977 on that conviction, and on a belief that would guide everything that followed.
“It’s relationships, not programs, that change children.”
Learn More:
CISWA IS BORN
Washington’s Business Community Answers the Call
On November 4, 1991, Communities In Schools of Washington was founded — with Boeing, Costco, and other major employers championing the cause. Concerned about a public school system stretched thin trying to meet students’ non-academic needs, they saw the CIS model as a proven, coordinated solution. What began in the Puget Sound would become a statewide movement.
CROSSING THE CASCADES
The Model Reaches Eastern Washington
Business and education leaders in Spokane County recognized that students east of the Cascades faced the same barriers — and deserved the same support. After years of research and planning, CIS of Spokane County launched in December 2007, bringing integrated student supports to Spokane and Cheney public schools and marking CISWA’s commitment to being a truly statewide network, not just a Puget Sound one.
SCALING FOR SUCCESS INVESTS
A Transformative $9 Million Comes to Washington
In 2023, Ballmer Group, a Washington-based philanthropic fund committed to economic mobility, made a $9 million investment in the CIS Washington network. The gift was designed to expand and deepen services in 45 schools, projected to reach more than 64,000 students across Northwest Washington, Eastern Washington, and the Kitsap Peninsula by 2028. It was the largest targeted investment in CISWA’s history — and a powerful signal of what this work means for the future.
Learn More:
TODAY
35 Years, 140,000+ Students, One Mission
On November 4, 2026, we mark 35 years to the day since a small group of Washington leaders bet on the belief that every student deserves someone in their corner. What started in the Puget Sound has grown into a statewide network spanning more than 200 schools, 40 school districts, and 13 affiliates — reaching over 100,000 students across urban, rural, and suburban communities. The mission hasn’t changed. Neither has the belief that every young person deserves someone who won’t give up on them.
Learn More:
COMING SOON
Join Us in Celebration
Thirty-five years of showing up for Washington’s students deserves a celebration worthy of everyone who made it possible. In spring 2027, we’re bringing together the champions, changemakers, and community members who have been part of the CISWA story (past and present) to honor this milestone and look ahead to the next chapter. We can’t wait to celebrate with you.
35 Years of Believing Every Student Deserves Someone in Their Corner
On November 4, 1991, Communities In Schools of Washington was founded with Boeing, Costco, and other Washington leaders championing the cause. What began in the Puget Sound has grown into something they might not have imagined: a statewide network reaching more than 100,000 young people.
Thirty-five years later, the mission is unchanged. The belief is unchanged. We’re proud to share the moments that shaped our story.
“It’s not about labels.
It’s about relationships.
When students know and feel like they belong,
they are much more likely to show up for school.”
~John Farley, Superintendent at Republic School District
Stories from Across Washington
Throughout this anniversary year, we will be sharing stories from across the CISWA network, including alumni, staff, site coordinators, school partners, community supporters, donors, sponsors, and affiliates. These stories remind us that impact does not happen in isolation. It happens when communities come together around students.
From Attendance to Achievement: A belonging-centered class helping students reconnect with school (Read More)
Why Partners Believe in This Work
We are proud to support CIS and believe in the promise of bringing their approach to scale across the US. With schools being asked to do more than ever, CIS has demonstrated how important it is to have dedicated staff who receive comprehensive supports to ensure K-12 students and families have access to high quality resources that meet pressing needs in real-time and help overcome barriers to learning in the classroom.”
Steve Ballmer, Co-founder, Ballmer Group | Former CEO, Microsoft (Source)
Join Us for the Next 30
FOUR WAYS TO BE PART OF WHAT COMES NEXT
