Level Up in 90 helps lived-experience leaders build stronger nonprofits
Nationwide — After losing her husband, Ronnie Senegal, a 43-year-old African American man, to gun violence, Shirin Senegal has turned personal pain into impact by building a strategy for community change one centered on strengthening the people closest to the solutions. Through Ronnie’s House, Shirin supports justice-impacted leaders and people who were in foster care and are building nonprofit organizations based on firsthand knowledge of what their communities need. That mission is driving the next Level Up in 90 cohort, beginning in September 2026.
Level Up in 90 is a 90-day nonprofit capacity-building program that gives nonprofit leaders practical tools, coaching, and support to build stronger organizations. Through workshops and one-on-one coaching, participants strengthen grant writing, governance, compliance, branding, strategic planning, impact measurement, funding readiness, and the use of AI tools for organizational growth. The goal is to help leaders build organizations that can compete for grants and contracts, demonstrate results, and serve their communities sustainably. For Shirin, lived experience is not just a personal story. It is expertise.
“People who have lived through these systems know where the gaps are because they have experienced them,” she said. “They understand what people need in a way that cannot always be learned from a report. Level Up in 90 gives those leaders the structure, tools, and relationships to turn that knowledge into stronger organizations.” The need for this work is especially urgent in communities that have experienced generations of violence and unequal access to resources. Federal justice data show that firearm homicide has been the leading cause of death for African American males ages 15 to 19 since 1969, underscoring the long-standing impact of violence on Black families and communities.
That reality is part of why she believes solutions should be led by people who understand these challenges firsthand. That belief also shapes Ronnie’s House’s approach to reentry.
Whenever possible, she believes support should begin before a person comes home. In April 2025, Shirin Senegal and her team at the California Institution for Men in Chino, California, hosted a two-day Reentry Summit inside a correctional institution, bringing information, resources and community relationships directly to incarcerated people. “I believe in starting from the inside when we can,” Shirin said. “If we can give people tools, information, relationships and hope before they come home, they have something stronger to build from, and ultimately we can decrease recidivism.”
Ronnie’s House continues that bridge-building through annua their Reentry Keys Reentry Summits held in person, virtually, and inside correctional institutions. At its April 2026 virtual summit, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary Jeff Macomber joined nonprofit leaders for a fireside conversation and answered questions from participants, including people who were themselves justice-impacted.
The September Level Up in 90 cohort also comes at a time when nonprofit stability is more important than ever. Budget cuts and funding uncertainty nationwide are creating greater pressure on community-based organizations at the same time that the need for their services continues to grow. As resources become more competitive, nonprofits need strong systems, diversified funding strategies, and the ability to clearly demonstrate their impact.
“When budgets are cut, the need doesn’t get cut,” she said. “If nonprofits are being asked to do more, we have to make sure they are strong enough to survive, compete for funding, and diversify how they fund the work to continue serving people.”
Black Americans make up roughly 12% of the U.S. population, yet they account for about 33% of people sentenced to state and federal prison, an example of the deep disparities experienced by the communities many Level Up in 90 leaders are working to serve.
Shirin brings more than 30 years of marketing and business development experience to this work. In 2019, the City of Long Beach Economic Development Department partnered with Ronnie’s House to open a community-based business accelerator, bringing technical assistance and funding resources directly into the community. Through collaborations and support, including Living Cities and Citi, Ronnie’s House has reached thousands of entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and community members and advocated funding for small businesses.
Ronnie’s House also integrates trauma-informed care through its collaboration with The Emmada Institute of Behavioral Health & Wellness and Dr. Rick Williamson, recognizing that leaders may be building organizations while also carrying the effects of incarceration, violence, foster care, and other trauma. For Shirin, strengthening communities means strengthening the people already doing the work.
Applications are now open for the September 2026 Level Up in 90 cohort for justice-impacted leaders and people who were in foster care who are building or growing nonprofit organizations.
To sign up or learn more, visit LeveUpIn90.com or call 562-366-0099.
For press inquiries, contact reentrykeys@gmail.com
