About Us |The SoLa Foundation

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About the SoLa Foundation

If you CAN see it, you CAN be it.

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

The SoLa Foundation, SoLa Impact affiliated 501(c)(3) works to end intergenerational poverty by opening new access to educational and economic opportunities in LA's under-resourced and under-invested communities. SoLa's marquee initiative, the state-of-the-art SoLa Technology and Entrepreneurship Center Powered by Riot Games (est. 2022), works to train and inspire a new generation of tech and entertainment professionals, leaders, and entrepreneurs. SoLa’s College Scholarship Program provides scholarships to primarily first-generation college students in LA and provides wrap-around support to ensure each student graduates.

Executive Director

Meet Sherri Francois

Born and raised in South LA, Sherri Francois is the visionary executive and founder of the SoLa Foundation. In this role, she works to build pathways to intergenerational
wealth creation, higher education and sustainable community development in LA's under-invested and under-resourced communities.

After establishing The SoLa Foundation in 2018, she created the SoLa College Scholarship Fund, which has awarded over $2M to first-generation college students from South Los Angeles. In 2022, she founded the SoLa Tech & Entrepreneurship Center in partnership with Riot Games. A one-of-a-kind institution on the national stage, the center offers STEAM programming, workforce training and fellowships to ages 8-24, The center has served 7,300+ students since January 2022. Sherri is opening the first expansion location of the SoLa Tech Centers in partnership with Live Nation Entertainment in Q1 2026.

Prior to joining SoLa, Sherri was an Emmy nominated television and news producer, traveling the world to report on pressing social Issues and current events. She is a proud UCLA Bruin and mom to two boys.

Board of Directors