Our History

2004-2006

In 2004, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation convened college access programs in Los Angeles for a series of trainings. During the convenings, college access professions had the opportunity to share their varied approaches to promoting college-going, explore issues of common concern and identify opportunities for collaboration. Convinced that by joining forces their outcomes would far exceed what any single organization could achieve alone, the group formalized their relationship with another. The Southern California Collaborative for College Access was formed in 2005. The collaborative later changed its name to the Southern California College Access Network (SoCal CAN).

2007-2009

In 2007, SoCal CAN propelled itself onto the forefront of college access work by joining the KnowHow2Go campaign, a nationwide multimedia effort that uses television, radio and outdoor public service advertisements to encourage 8th through 12th graders to prepare for college. SoCal CAN's involvement in the campaign has resulted in strong partnerships with the higher education, business and media communities. Network members have developed thoughtful and creative ways to deepen KnowHow2Go’s ground campaign in the region. Over the course of the last three years, our efforts have reached more than 300,000 students and families in California.