Steve Hildebrand - Founder, Promising Futures Fund

Name: Steve Hildebrand - Founder, Promising Futures Fund
Start: 2026-01-09T12:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-01-09T13:00:00-06:00
Location: 1737 S Cleveland Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57103-3245, United States

Schedule

Fri Jan 09 2026 at 12:00 pm to 01:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

1737 S Cleveland Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57103-3245, United States | Sioux Falls, SD

Democratic political strategist Steve Hildebrand is founder and chair of Promising Futures Fund, a fund of the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation used exclusively to support low-income students and schools with high rates of poverty in the Sioux Falls School District.
High rates of poverty and diversity have made the Sioux Falls School District a true urban center. Across the District, nearly 50% of students qualify for Free & Reduced Lunch – the best marker to understand poverty. Many Sioux Falls elementary and middle schools have poverty rates as high as 80%-100%. Diversity rates are also high.
In just 10 years, when our current 3rd graders become seniors, our School District will be a majority minority district. This is our new reality.
A child growing up in poverty will likely start kindergarten behind other students. They likely didn’t attend pre-school. Maybe they weren’t read to as a child or came from a home where children’s books weren’t plentiful. Some kids may not speak English or have parents who don’t.
This poverty disadvantage is exactly why Hildebrand started the Promising Futures Fund.
Bringing equity to their education and their experiences is PFF's top priority for kids living in poverty.
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