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My name is Sherri Francois. I’m the Chief Impact Officer at SoLa Impact and the Executive Director of SoLa I CAN Foundation. I grew up in South Los Angeles and spent most of my childhood in Compton. When I learned what SoLa Impact was doing to prevent homelessness and end intergenerational poverty in South LA, I had to come on board. In 2017, I created SoLa I CAN to build access and opportunities for South LA families and children. Since then, our organization has grown into a robust 10-person social impact team. I love this community and this work because it’s not just a job, it’s deeply personal.

Sherri Francois

Executive Director

Chief Impact Officer

SoLa I CAN

SoLa Impact

Welcome. Come meet our team.

About SoLa I CAN

If you CAN see it, you CAN be it.

Working to end intergenerational poverty in South Los Angeles through community development, access to education, and economic opportunity.

The SoLa I CAN Foundation (est. 2017), the 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of SoLa Impact, is built on a simple premise: If you CAN see it, you CAN be it. SoLa aims to improve the lives of South LA residents through access to educational, technological, and economic opportunities. We work towards uplifting underserved Black and Latinx communities using our four pillars of change:

  1. Access to Career Development & Entrepreneurship 

  2. Access to Education & Tech Innovation

  3. Access to Financial Literacy & Economic Mobility

  4. Access to College Readiness & Scholarships

SoLa I CAN Team

About SoLa Impact

Doing well by doing good.

SoLa Impact is a family of social impact, real estate funds focused on high-quality affordable housing, catalyzing economic development, and providing access to educational opportunities in low-income communities. SoLa Impact was recently recognized as the nation’s leading Urban OZ fund by Forbes & the Sorenson Impact Center. We leverage robust, data-driven social impact strategies to not only improve the communities we invest in, but to deliver superior financial returns.

To connect the South LA community with 21st century opportunities, SoLa I CAN is developing the SURGE: Technology and Entrepreneurship Center. The first of its kind in South LA, SURGE launched virtually in Fall 2020 with a grand opening scheduled for Summer 2021. SURGE will teach skills in coding, video game development, esports, graphic design, robotics, video, music production, and entrepreneurship.