Our mission is to empower youth through sneakers, educational, and art programs to elevate their social-economic mobility. We equip children with the tools they need to break the cycle of poverty and become affluent citizens that improve our society and economy.
Founded by two educators in 2020, Pasos began with a simple goal: raise $1,500 to provide 50 children with new shoes for school. The community responded by tripling that goal in just one week, allowing us to serve 150 children. What began with a pair of sneakers has since grown into a pathway of support designed to help students from elementary school through high school graduation and into their next step. Today, our work is organized through the Pasos Pathway, which focuses on three interconnected areas: Sneakers, Education, and Scholarships. Guided by our C.A.R.E. values—Community & Culture, Art, Responsibility, and Education—we address immediate needs while creating long-term opportunities for academic achievement, college access, career readiness, and economic mobility.
As of August 2026, Pasos has:
The Opportunity Gap
Our Response: The Pasos Pathway
We believe a pair of shoes can solve an immediate need—but it should not be the end of our relationship with a student.
A child may first encounter Pasos by receiving a new pair of sneakers. As they grow, they can participate in academic and creative enrichment through Pasos All Stars, explore colleges and careers, develop workforce skills, serve their community, and ultimately pursue a Pasos scholarship as they graduate from high school.
Our goal is to create a continuum of opportunity that meets students where they are and helps them take their next step.
Sneakers meet an immediate need. Education creates opportunity. Scholarships help students take the next step.
Our mission is to empower youth through sneakers, education, and art programs to elevate their well being and economic mobility. We equip children with the tools they need to break the cycle of poverty and become affluent citizens that improve our society and economy.
Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn't.
A student's ZIP code should not determine how far they can go.
Yet for many young people growing up in Oak Cliff, access to academic support, technology, college exposure, and career-building experiences remains out of reach.
In several Oak Cliff ZIP codes, median household income is approximately $50,000–$57,000, compared with approximately $90,000 across the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. For families already balancing housing, food, transportation, and other necessities, supplemental tutoring, technology, arts programs, and career enrichment can simply be unaffordable.
This North Texas Giving Day, Pasos for Oak Cliff is raising $20,000 to help close that opportunity gap.
Your gift will support our Pasos All Stars Program, providing Oak Cliff students with free academic enrichment, college and career exposure, creative workforce training, technology, meals, transportation assistance, and the resources they need to prepare for life after high school.
Pasos All Stars combines literacy and math enrichment with hands-on creative and workforce readiness experiences for students in grades 9–12.
Students don't simply sit in a classroom. They design sneakers, create films, develop digital designs, meet professionals, visit colleges and workplaces. Throughout those experiences, they strengthen the academic and professional skills that can open doors to college and future careers.
And it's working.
Our students have demonstrated significant academic growth, including closing an average of 2.5 years in literacy or math learning gaps during our most recent summer program. Students also completed original creative projects while developing skills in communication, problem-solving, collaboration, technology, and project management.
But demand is growing faster than our resources.
We currently have students waiting for an opportunity to participate. At the same time, the cost of providing meals, transportation, technology, creative materials, instructors, and hands-on experiences continues to rise.
Reaching our $20,000 goal will help Pasos:
- Open opportunities for at least 10 additional students currently limited by program capacity.
- Provide academic enrichment in literacy and math.
- Fund college visits, workplace tours, and career-readiness experiences.
- Purchase technology and materials for creative workforce workshops.
- Provide meals and transportation assistance so financial circumstances don't prevent students from participating.
For a young person, access to the right opportunity at the right time can change the trajectory of their future.
Your North Texas Giving Day gift isn't simply paying for a workshop or a piece of art equipment. You're helping a student strengthen an academic skill, discover a career, step onto a college campus, meet a professional who looks like them, build something they're proud of, and imagine a future they may not have thought was possible.
Help us raise $20,000 and ensure more Oak Cliff students have access to the opportunities they deserve.
Invest in a student. Expand an opportunity. Help mold the future of Dallas.
Pasos for Oak Cliff embraces diversity, equality, and equity. We are committed and intentional about building a team with diverse backgrounds, skills, and point of views. We value serving students and families regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, disabilities, and nationality.
Organization name
Pasos for Oak Cliff
Tax id (EIN)
85-2833384
Causes
Arts & Humanities, Education - K-12
Operating Budget
$100,000 - $249,999
Counties Served
Dallas
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Other
BIPOC Leadership
Executive Director/CEO
Address
2915 s Polk st