That opportunity became the reality of Raise The Barr.

Learning in Real Time: 

In 2016, Lori and Anthony had a platform, a story, and a heartfelt desire to act, but they didn’t have a roadmap. Raise The Barr originally began under the umbrella of the Anthony Barr Foundation. Neither Lori nor Anthony had prior experience building a public charity—they were largely self-taught, learning in real time.

Anthony was deeply involved from the beginning. Not just as a namesake, but as a true co-founder who wanted to understand how impact worked and how to use his platform thoughtfully. As they learned more, it became clear they needed to establish a distinct identity. They transitioned to Raise The Barr to ensure their branding clearly reflected that RTB was a public charity able to accept donations and support operations and programming.

When Raise The Barr launched, the Barrs felt it all at once—optimistic, scared, excited, and mostly resolute. They were deeply confident in the why, but far less certain about the how.

The Initial offering: 

Raise The Barr initially started as a way to provide direct financial support and encouragement to single-parent students, particularly those who reminded Lori of herself. At the time, scholarships and emergency assistance felt like the most immediate, tangible ways to help. Only a few were given in the first year.

Lori had this to say about her vision for Raise The Barr: “I did not envision housing developments, systems change, or public-private partnerships at the start. What I did envision was dignity, belief, and follow-through, with students knowing someone saw them, believed in them, and would walk alongside them.”

Lori continued about how Raise The Barr evolved through a feedback-led process, curated by the single-parent students with whom they were partnering. She shares, “Over time, as we listened to scholars and saw patterns repeat themselves - housing instability, childcare barriers, and bureaucratic silos; it became clear that scholarships alone weren’t enough. The Huddle model (the residential program in Sacramento) and our two-generation approach emerged organically from listening, learning, and refusing to accept partial solutions.” 

From the beginning, RTB has been grounded in a simple truth: education is one of the most powerful drivers of intergenerational economic mobility, but only when stability exists and basic needs are met. Talent, motivation, and effort aren't enough when housing and childcare are uncertain, systems are fragmented, and parents are forced to choose between surviving and thriving.

As the organization has evolved, the core has remained the same: single-parent students aren't problems to be solved—they're parents and scholars doing something extraordinary, whose success benefits themselves, their families, and entire communities.

Everything Raise The Barr has become traces back to that original belief: when we invest in parents pursuing education and create the conditions for them to succeed, we change outcomes for generations.