NSPA Member Highlights Archive
The following organizations have recently been featured on the NSPA home page. If your organization would like to be featured in the NSPA Member Highlights section on the home page, contact Diana at dhunter@scholarshipproviders.org.
10,000 Degrees. That’s our goal.
To introduce the dream of college to 10,000 kids each year. Mentor 10,000 kids. Provide scholarships to 10,000. Deliver financial and emotional support. Put 10,000 kids each year on the path to college degrees, and so dramatically change the world.
How we do it.
We’ve been helping deserving students earn their college degrees since 1981. View our new short film “Huge Need. Huge Promise.” at www.10000degrees.org.
The mission of the Magic Johnson Foundation is to develop programs and services that address the broader educational, health and social needs of ethnically diverse, urban communities throughout the nation. The Foundation’s vision is: through collaborations between businesses and community-based organizations, we can continue to make our communities a better place in which to live. The motto is: “We are the communities we serve”.
HIV/AIDS Initiative
The Magic Johnson Foundation’s HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, testing, and treatment programs are designed to help stop the spread of the disease, and improve the quality of life for individuals and families who are affected.
Community Empowerment Centers
The Magic Johnson Foundation currently has 18 fully-equipped Community Empowerment Centers in low-income, underserved communities throughout the nation, strategically located in 15 urban communities, and one rural community.
Taylor Michaels Scholarship Program
The Magic Johnson Foundation is an active participant in solving the problem of low college completion rates amongst minorities. Over the past 12 years, the Taylor Michaels Scholarship Program has provided financial assistance and overall support to 350 students.
Central Scholarship Bureau (CSB) was created 1924, when the Hebrew Orphan Asylum closed and our progressive founders, Moses Rothschild and Lillie Straus, along with other community leaders, elected to start a program that would fund postsecondary education for Baltimore students. Over the years, other generous donors have continued to add funds to CSB to help the organization grow. Throughout most of the twentieth century, CSB provided financial assistance to those students who aspired to continue their education beyond high school, but who did not have the financial means. Thousands of individuals from Maryland in all professions have received help from CSB.
Moving forward into the twenty-first century, in 2007, we expanded our service area to include the entire state of Maryland, upgraded our technology and developed an online application process. We added new scholarship programs and tripled our applications.
CSB offers students scholarships and interest-free loans. We currently have about 30 innovative programs that provide funding for undergraduate studies, graduate and professional degrees, as well as vocational training. Our awards are based on financial need, and for many of our students, CSB funding is the difference between attending school or not because of their financial constraints.
CSB is committed to promoting financial literacy by providing information in person and on our website about ways to fund college and the difference between various forms of financial aid. This summer we are partnering with the Maryland Association of CPAs to give a no-cost financial literacy seminar to our award recipients and their families.
In spite of the challenging economy in 2009, we were able to commit $1 million to more than 200 students from Maryland, with the majority of that funding going to the greater Baltimore area. As we move forward in 2010 we have received almost 2,800 applications, a record number, and we plan to award over $1 million this year.
Read the CSB Blog
WizeHive
WizeHive’s Applicant Manager is a web service that provides administrators, reviewers and applicants with a quick and easy solution for submitting, receiving, and qualifying applications. The service provides candidates with an on-line application portal, administrators with a flexible qualification structure that can be easily tailored to specific programs requirements and reviewers and organization stakeholders with a real time way to review and qualify from anywhere. A short video tour of Applicant Manager product features can be found at http://vimeo.com/9299216
Applicant Manager is based on a web Software as a Service [SaaS] platform that includes on-line forms for application submissions, a secure workspace for ranking and reviewing submissions, and a powerful report writer for historic analysis. The system included modules for managing letters of recommendation and a post approval tracking feature which monitors approved candidate status and results.
Early versions of Applicant Manager were used in 2009 by DreamIt Ventures and Chicago Scholars .
DreamIt founder David Bookspan said, “The first year we had hundreds of applications being reviewed by multiple people and collecting and collating the data and dealing with all of the associated e-mails was very difficult. The WizeHive Applicant Manager slashed our administrative time and helped us quickly narrow in on the best candidates.”
Karen Foley of Chicago Scholars said, "Applicant Manager really made a difference for us this year. Our ability to easily collect application, organize ratings, and consolidate notes was fantastic. It saved us a great amount of time and improved the accuracy of our awards."
Form more information go to http://applicants.wizehive.com.
Founded in 1996, the Chicago Scholars Foundation serves first-generation and low-income youth from neighborhoods across the Chicagoland area. Since its inception, Chicago Scholars has worked with more than 2,000 students and provided over $2.5 million of direct financial aid for students to attend and graduate from college. Furthermore, through its unique collaborations with university partners, Chicago Scholars’ students have received more than $25 million of higher-education scholarship support.
Though these financial resources have substantially aided our students, it is Chicago Scholars’ best practice programming which separates it from other scholarship providers. The Chicago Scholars Program provides five years of programmatic support—from students’ senior year of high school through their senior year of college—to ensure that students both access and succeed in college.
Matching students with good-fit colleges significantly improves their chances of earning a degree. With best practice workshops, mentoring models, and an Annual Onsite Admissions Forum . Chicago Scholars’ students are provided with individualized support that results in a four-year graduation rate of 95%—a statistic that shatters current state and national averages.
By 2016, Chicago Scholars seeks to impact 10,000 students through its Campaign for Chicago Scholars—an initiative that seeks to combine the organization’s best practice programming with strategic partnerships across Illinois. For more information, please visit www.chicagoscholars.org.
The Hispanic College Fund was founded in 1993 as a scholarship organization designed to support Hispanic students pursuing higher education and a professional career in business. Since then, the organization has expanded to develop an educational pipeline that provides emotional, academic and financial support to Latino students from high school through their early professional careers. The organization has a particular focus on students who are interested in STEM and business careers.
2009 was a banner year for the Hispanic College Fund. The organization hosted six Hispanic Youth Symposia across the country to motivate high school students to pursue higher education, awarded over $2 million in scholarships to 592 students, and brought 35 of its top scholars to Washington, DC to participate in the Karen Márquez Institute, a 4-day professional development workshop. This year, the Hispanic College Fund will expand its programs even further, launching new Hispanic Youth Symposia in Arizona and the Silicon Valley. HCF expects to award between 500 and 600 scholarships to deserving students, and will serve over 1,200 high school students with its Hispanic Youth Symposia.
Our Family for Families First
The Our Family for Families First Foundation has been helping Army families reach their educational goals through scholarship and grant programs since 2006. The Foundation’s mission of supporting military families through the pursuit of higher education, a tradition of community service and professional development is the driving force behind all of the Foundation programs. Foundation founder John G. Picerne, its board of directors and staff are passionate about supporting the educational goals of Army families who selflessly give of themselves in defense of our nation.
Each year, the Our Future Scholarship Program offers $40,000 scholarships to ten graduating high school seniors of active-duty Soldiers stationed across the country. The Educational Grant Program offers $5,000 one-time awards to 20 spouses of active-duty Soldiers. While Our Family for Families First Foundation scholars are selected based on merit and need, careful consideration is also given to the student’s passion to go above and beyond in service to others and community.
Once a scholar is selected, he or she becomes a part of a network of “family members” who share the experience of being the child or spouse of an active-duty service member. Foundation staff works closely with students in a “hands on” approach to ensure success in the academic world while facing Army-specific challenges like deployments overseas and long separations.
Since 2006, Our Family for Families First Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships and grants to the children and spouses of active-duty Army Soldiers. The first class of the Foundation to graduate will complete their senior year of college in 2011. Several grant recipients have already gone on to graduate from academic and technical programs.
As the Foundation grows and continues to serve more great Americans from the Army community, we only hope that our commitment to this mission brings an added appreciation for the sacrifices our military men and women, and their families, make every day and the impact that a few people can make through community service. For more information about Our Family for Families First Foundation, please visit the website at www.ourfamilyfoundation.org.
Pride Foundation is the primary resource for supporting the Northwest’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Ever year, Pride Foundation funds hundreds of non-profit organizations strengthening the LGBT community, provides educational scholarships to students and trains leaders securing our rights in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
In 1993 Pride Foundation started our scholarship program, giving $3,680 that first year. Since then, the program has become one of the nation’s largest and longest running LGBT scholarship funds. We have awarded $1.65 million to nearly 900 scholars. Pride Foundation offers over 50 different types of scholarships. Most of our scholarships cover any accredited post-secondary education. This year will be the first year our scholarship application is web-based. For more information, visit www.PrideFoundation.org.
The KFC Colonel’s Scholars Scholarship currently has 275 scholars across the country attending public in-state colleges or universities since the scholarship began in 2006. The goal of the scholarship is to assist these students to achieve a bachelor’s degree with funding over 4 years or up to $20,000. The KFC Colonel’s Scholars Program is about you, your dreams and aspirations, and the perseverance to succeed. This program is offered to high school seniors planning to attend a public in-state college or university. Students who meet the criteria may apply online to become a KFC’s Colonel’s Scholar.
Click here for a KFC Colonel's Scholars Program flyer.
Cappex.com
Cappex.com - College search made simple - is a comprehensive college search and scholarship website that helps students and parents make college decisions. In addition to easy-to-navigate college profiles, college matching, and counselor tools like the College Fit Kit, Cappex.com allows parents and students to search 78,000 merit aid scholarships worth $11 billion from colleges across the U.S. Cappex also provides thousands of dollars in unique scholarships such as the "GPA Isn't Everything Scholarship" and "Cutting Edge Careers Scholarship" each year.
Since its launch in February 2007, Cappex has gone from a startup to having more than 1.2 million student users who trust Cappex to help them find their ideal college fit.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program is one of the most recognized and respected corporate-sponsored scholarships in America. The program was created in 1986, as a joint effort of Coca-Cola Bottlers and The Coca-Cola Company, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Coca Cola, establishing a lasting legacy for the education of tomorrow's leaders through college scholarships.
Coca-Cola Scholars come from all 50 states and nearly fifty percent are minorities. The Scholars represent a cross-section of outstanding young people, characterized by their educational excellence, leadership in their schools and commitment to their communities. They share a special ‘something else,’ giving back in unselfish ways -- embodying service over self-- and are already making a difference in society.
Each year 250 new Coca Cola Scholars are designated and invited to Atlanta for personal interviews. The Scholars are interviewed by a National Selection Committee representing outstanding leaders in business, government, education and the arts. 50 students are then designated as National Scholars and receive awards of $20,000 for college; 200 students are designated as Regional Scholars and receive awards of $10,000 for college, thus bringing The Coca-Cola Company’s commitment to education to more than $3 million a year.
The “Four Year Award for Seniors” is open to all high school seniors in the United States. The application is available on the website for the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, www.coca-colascholars.org, between August 1st and October 31st of the applicant’s senior year.
Each Coca-Cola Scholar elects an Educator of Distinction. This individual (a teacher, principal, coach, band leader, etc.) is someone who has made a substantial impact in their life. Educators of Distinction are recognized in their local communities.
With the designation of the 2009 class of Coca-Cola Scholars, there are more than 4,250 Coca Cola Scholars who have benefited from more than $38 million in scholarship awards.
In addition, the Coca-Cola system awards $400,000 in scholarships to students at Two-Year Colleges through the Coca-Cola All-State Academic Team Scholarship Program administered through Phi Theta Kappa. Information regarding this scholarship can be found at www.ptk.org
As of June 2009, there are approximately 3,950 two-year students who have benefited from $4 million in scholarship awards. EQ-i Certification.
The McKelvey Foundation was created to offer young people the benefits of a college education without the burden of debt many students face after graduation. In 20205, the Foundation introduced its Entrepreneurial Scholarship program for high school students who own their own businesses and employ at least 1 other person. They currently have 160 young business owners enjoying the benefit of $10,000 annually and the networking resources of the Foundation. We offer a 3-day summer program, e-Venture, where they have the opportunity to meet other scholars and meet accomplished entrepreneurs. The resources that the Foundation provides helps our scholars take their thriving businesses to college and grow them.
Click here to view a video about the MCKelvey Foundation's e-Venture Program.
Every cancer survivor deserves the chance to receive a college education. Yet the burden of medical debt, side effects of treatment, and limited access to financial and informational resources leaves many young adult cancer survivors with little hope of attending college.
CCC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for young adult cancer survivors by increasing opportunity for college access and success through the following initiatives:
An annual college scholarship program that recognizes survivors who demonstrate leadership, commitment to education, and betterment of their community
An online community that connects, supports and empowers survivors in pursuit of higher education
Informational resources, including CCC Pedia, an online database that contains information on thousands of national scholarships for young adult cancer survivors
CCC seeks to ease the financial barriers that prevent many young adult cancer survivors from attending college. Scholarships are awarded annually to recipients chosen by the Scholarship Committee, comprised of leading researchers, professors, psychologists, and medical professionals. Their expertise enables CCC to maintain the highest standards in the selection process.
CCC connects, empowers, and supports young adult cancer survivors through its online community and networks. CC’s weekly blog series features relevant topics and issues pertaining to college-bound young adult cancer survivors, such as scholarship application workshops, health and wellness, and College Knowledge. CCC’s social networking sites allow survivors to share information and peer-support, a key component to postsecondary success.
CCC’s online database, CCC Pedia, contains centralized information on over 3,000 national college scholarships specifically for young adult cancer survivors, totally $5.8 million in financial aid. CCC’s staff and volunteers are experts on resources contained within CCC Pedia, offering personalized guidance to survivors navigating the financial road to college.
Since its founding in 1998, Scholarships.com has had one goal: to help students find the money they need to complete a college education. In the past few years, we've become the largest independent online source for free college scholarship searches and financial aid information. Our mission is to assist students and their families in obtaining college scholarships and to help them explore a variety of valuable financial aid opportunities.
Scholarships.com, the Internet's leading scholarship search service and financial aid resource, helps students make the decisions that shape their lives: researching and finding college financial aid, choosing a college and paying for college. And it's all free.
The Scholarships.com difference lies in our database and our proprietary scholarship search engine which uses a personal profile to identify and match the scholarships that are most relevant to each student. Our regularly updated proprietary database allows students to search 2.7 million scholarships and grants worth over $19 billion in aid.
Each Scholarships.com user answers a detailed questionnaire about themselves. The site then uses this data to generate a personalized suite of information of scholarships, colleges, internships, jobs, and more. At the heart is Scholarships.com's industry-leading scholarship database — the most comprehensive and accurate compilation of national, community, and college-specific scholarships available anywhere. Updated continuously by the company's own dedicated research team, Scholarships.com's database contains over 2.7 million scholarships worth over $19 billion.
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