THE SCHOLARSHIP ACADEMY

Paying for College Shouldn't Be Hard.

Atlanta, GA   |  www.scholarshipacademy.org

Mission

The mission of The Scholarship Academy is to help low-income students secure resources to pursue higher education opportunities with minimum debt and thus, create a healthier financial aid culture.

Ruling year info

2006

Executive Director

Ms. Jessica Johnson

Main address

215 Lakewood Way Suite 108

Atlanta, GA 30315 USA

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EIN

20-3721836

NTEE code info

Youth Development Programs (O50)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

$35000- That's the average amount of debt facing recent college graduates. Last year, 30,000 Georgia students d We know that the average counselor spends 38 minutes per students exploring college options, and while many students can get into college, it is no surprise that 61% take out loans, and for many, gaps as small as $1500 send them home. Our curriculum is designed to help both students and counselors break free of the cookie-cutter approach to college funding by challenging them to create four-year college funding plans centered around untapped local funding resources as a college retention strategy.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

I Am College Material - In-School Program Model

The "I Am College Material" Program is our in-school program model which includes 16 core curriculum modules (55 minutes each) that connects three primary stakeholders-students, counselors and local scholarship providers in a way that is literally flipping the financial aid model upside down. Specifically we: 1) LEARN: equip counselors with the appropriate technology to help students build scholarship portfolios and create 4-year college funding plans, 2) DO: directly empower disconnected youth with leadership, civic engagement and entrepreneurial skills that will position them for scholarship success, and 3) TRACK: create on online community of "Scholarship Mentors" through strategic partnerships with local scholarship providers and young professionals to bridge critical funding gaps. Our niche is engaging students who do not typically engage with their counselors, students within GPA ranges of 2.5-3.3 who could benefit the most from individualized college funding planning supports.
Our program goals include: * A 60% increase in financial aid confidence, demonstrated via early college funding planning
* A 70% increase in the number of quality private scholarship applications and FAFSA applications submitted by 60% /Access to over $10 million in Georgia-specific scholarship resources
* A 50% increase in family engagement in the financial aid process/Families create a comprehensive 4- year college funding plan by the end of junior year in high school
* Increased ability for counselors to provide individualized scholarship supports (average increases of 3-5 hours/student in time/resources)
We are currently serving students in the following schools/counties (2019-2020 Schools Pending):
1. Fulton County - Carver High School and BEST Academy (250 students, grades 9 and12)
2. Clayton County - Stilwell School for the Performing Arts, North Clayton High School (500 students, grades 10-12)
3. Dekalb County - Arabia Mountain High School (100 Students grades 11 and 12)

Population(s) Served

he Virtual Scholarship Center is our online scholarship planning platform which allows students, parents, and college access professionals to track their overall scholarship application progress. The system offers comprehensive evaluation tools to manage student scholarship portfolios, match students to appropriate opportunities, and track their overall financial aid progress. Using our Virtual Scholarship Center, students and mentors also have access to wide-ranging debt-tracking functions that challenge them to create 4-year college funding action plans. The Scholarship Academy has customized this tool with County-specific financial aid resources. The platform is designed to serve as a financial aid tracking tool for high schools and nonprofit organizations, with The Scholarship Academy's customizable scholarship search engine tool. Our Program Goal for The Virtual Scholarship Center is to provide access to the tool to more than 20,000 Georgia students by December 2020, increasing their access to local/state-based college funding resources and enhancing positive financial aid planning behaviors.

Population(s) Served

In partnership with the Georgia Board of Regents, The Scholarship Academy is increasing the financial aid awareness of nearly 10,000 Georgia students across 12 counties via the GEAR UP GA program, an initiative, which follows students from 8th grade through the first year of college. Through our grade-specific curriculum content with activities such as Financial Aid Jeopardy, Scholarship Power Hours, College Funding Toolkits, Monthly Scholarship Lunches, and access to our curriculum and trainings for counselors via The Virtual Scholarship Center, The Scholarship Academy is helping to shape healthier financial aid cultures throughout Georgia. Our GEAR UP Counties include - Fulton, Clayton, Dekalb, Chatham, Muscogee, and Thomas. Our GEAR UP Program goal is to shift from increasing students' financial aid confidence (terms, processes, timelines) to increased positive financial aid behaviors (increased application submissions, proactive financial aid planning) and ultimately tangible financial aid outcomes such as measurable total private dollars awarded and overall loan debt reduction.

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The Scholarship Academy (TSA), the nation’s only curriculum-based scholarship preparatory program, trains low-income, first-generation students how to use the principles of leadership, entrepreneurship and civic engagement to enhance their eligibility for private college funding options.

Goal 1: Increase Financial Aid Confidence amongst low-income families by 60% by December 2020

Goal 2: Develop Training Series to Enhance Guidance Counselor Capacity to Support Student Debt Reduction by an Avg 10%
Strategies/Activities: Train the Trainer

Goal 3: Reduce 40% of incoming freshman participants' student loan debt by an average of $5000 by December 2020

Through a series of Scholarship Boot Camps, Pop-Up-Labs and an online scholarship planning platform, The Virtual Scholarship Center (VSC), TSA specializes in connecting students to local scholarship resources that enable them to pursue debt-free degrees.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

THE SCHOLARSHIP ACADEMY
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

THE SCHOLARSHIP ACADEMY

Board of directors
as of 07/07/2020
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Marc Hardy

CSM America


Board co-chair

Stacy Mitchener

GA Dept of Law

Term: 2017 - 2020

Yolanda Johnson

Education Advocacy Law Group

Stacey Mitchener

GA. Dept. of Law

Ellyn Cochran

United Way

Saamad Wes Keys

UNCF

Calvin Ward

BB&T

Necolle Robinson

BlackRock

David Brand

Market Strategies Group

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 7/7/2020
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data