Our Story
The Capital City Fund for Education was formed in 2005 to help children facing homelessness overcome several basic barriers they face in receiving a quality education. Also known as CapCityKids (CCK), the organization was founded by Joslyn and Sean Dobson, together with the partners at Amherst Holdings, LLC in Austin, TX, in response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the resulting influx of homeless youth into the city. Today, CCK is sponsored by the Amherst Foundation.
By partnering with the local public school student liaisons, CapCityKids has developed a model for addressing some of the specific physical and emotional needs of homeless youth. This pioneering, impactful approach can be replicated across the country.
CCK aims to work within the existing youth support infrastructure to fill the gaps in government resources and meet the specific needs of homeless students. From its modest beginnings providing backpacks and school supplies to Hurricane Katrina refugees, the organization has grown to offer psychological support, social services, tutoring, transportation, prom dresses, band uniforms, sports equipment, caps and gowns, and other support services to students experiencing homelessness.
In addition, CapCityKids provides grants to the Austin Independent School District (AISD) to develop and implement pilot programs aimed at helping homeless youth overcome the hurdles they face.
The administrative costs for our programs are absorbed by our Board (Dobson Foundation) and by leveraging existing infrastructure at Austin Independent School District. Thanks to this close partnership, our underwriters and endorsing sponsors, 100% of your donations go directly to the students.
Today, CCK serves vulnerable students in 28 states and 30 cities across the country. Since its inception, CCK has filled more than 20,000 backpacks, provided nearly 100,000 hours of counseling to at-risk students through CapCityKids' social work interns, put together 10,000-plus hygiene kits for students experiencing homelessness or going through a housing transition, and shared nearly 10,000 gift cards with unaccompanied youth around the holidays. This is in addition to the countless one-off requests that CCK fills—by providing band instruments, field trip fees, cap and gown and other specialized needs, CCK allows the student to enjoy their school experience.
CapCityKids operates with the belief that education is the great equalizer, and we seek to support homeless students by giving them tools they need to thrive on their journey through school.
KATRINA CATASTROPHE
Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005, flooding 80 percent of the city and leaving thousands of people homeless.
HOMELESS STUDENTS IN AUSTIN
The state of Texas helped evacuate people to cities like Austin, Houston and El Paso to settle.
CONNECTIONS
Joslyn and Sean Dobson connected with Cathy Requejo, who was the homeless school liaison for the Austin Independent School District.
BACKPACKS
Cathy shared that the most immediate need was for students to have backpacks and supplies to begin the school year.
QUALITY
The Dobsons focused on providing name-brand backpacks that contained quality supplies like Elmer’s glue and Crayola crayons.
QUANTITY
By the end of the week, the Dobsons and their team had packed 1,000 backpacks for homeless youth in grades Pre-K through 12.
A GREATER NEED
From this experience, the Dobsons forged a lasting relationship with Requejo, who shared the extent of the need for homeless students in Austin.
CAPCITYKIDS IS BORN
CapCityKids was formed to give children facing homelessness tools to receive a quality education. The non-profit works in partnership with homeless school liasons and existing community resources to help set students up for success.
A FAR-REACHING IMPACT
Today, CCK serves vulnerable students in 28 states and 30 cities across the country. Distributing backpacks has remained a cornerstone event; and in 2024, CCK supplied students with a total of 1,783 backpacks in Austin, Bastrop, Phoenix, Chandler, Tampa and Atlanta.