Daniel Trust Foundation

Daniel Trust Foundation is an an award-winning youth development nonprofit organization with offices in Bridgeport, Connecticut and New York City. The mission of the Foundation is to invest in and support low-income students with their educational and professional goals. The Foundation also honors teachers who are making a difference in the lives of their students and communities in which they teach.

Daniel Trust Foundation accomplishes its mission through 3-targeted programs towards the needs of the community. These programs are: (1) a high school mentoring program for juniors and seniors, (2) a college scholarship program for graduates of the mentoring program and (3) a teacher recognition program. High School Mentoring Program: The high school mentoring program is an intensive 30-week academic program. Enrolled students participate in a weekly class for 15 weeks in their junior year focusing on SAT prep and 15 weeks in their senior year focusing on College Readiness, Career Preparation and Financial Literacy. College Scholarship Program: Once students graduate from our high school mentoring program, they receive a $2,000 scholarship ($500 per year for 4 years) to help them pay for their college textbooks and other related college expenses. The Daniel Trust Foundation Scholarship, while significant, only covers 42% of the student's needs. We wish we could do more. Teacher Recognition Program: One of the things that makes Daniel Trust Foundation unique is that we ask our scholarship recipients to nominate and honor teachers who have made a big impact in their lives. Teachers who are nominated by our students receive an achievement award and a $250 honorarium to help them supplement out of pocket expenses.

In the Fall semester (October - November), Daniel Trust Foundation recruits 20 low-income high school juniors (10 in Bridgeport, Connecticut and 10 in New York City) for its mentoring program. The Foundation receives student recommendations for the program from program alumni, local organizations, guidance counselors and teachers at local high schools. Qualified students access the program application on the Foundation's website. The application opens on November 1st and closes on November 30th at 11:59pm EST each year. After the application closes, the Foundation staff reviews applications, interviews and selects qualified students in December.

Applicants for The Daniel Trust Foundation Mentoring Program must: 1) Be high school juniors in Bridgeport, CT and New York City with a 3.0 GPA or higher. 2) Be able to attend a 2-hour 15-week SAT prep class starting in January 2019. 3) Be able to attend a weekly 1-on-1 meeting with a mentor starting in September 2019. 4) Plan to attend a 2-year or 4-year college upon graduating from high school in June 2020. 5) Have a desire to develop leadership skills and be passionate about community service. 6) Demonstrate financial need by providing family income information on the application.

The 20 low-income students who are selected for The Daniel Trust Foundation Mentoring Program each Fall receive free SAT prep, mentorship and other academic support for 2 hours/week for 15 weeks in the Spring semester (January - April) of their junior year. Daniel Trust Foundation partners with Varsity Tutors, an award-winning national tutoring company, to provide high level tutoring experience to the students. In addition, Daniel Trust Foundation invites college admission and financial aid experts to conduct workshops and presentations for the students.

In the Fall semester (September - December) of their senior year, The Foundation staff helps the 20 low-income students apply to college and for financial aid, reviews their college essays, helps them create a resume, and provides other academic and emotional support the students might need. Once students successfully complete all stages of The Daniel Trust Foundation High School Mentoring Program, the Foundation awards them a 4-year $2,000 scholarship (students receive $500 per year) to help them pay for the costs of their college textbooks and supplies. Even though the mentoring program ends when students graduate from high school, the Foundation continues to mentor and support the students throughout their college journey.

Program Success: Daniel Trust Foundation makes sure 100% of the students who participate in The Daniel Trust Foundation Mentoring Program graduate from high school, attends college, stays in college and graduates from college. We make sure this happens by providing our students on going mentorship and financial support through The Daniel Trust Foundation Scholarship Program, which provides graduates of the mentoring program a scholarship to help them cover the costs of textbooks and other school supplies. To renew their scholarship in June of every year, Scholars in The Daniel Trust Foundation Scholarship Program are asked to write and submit a one-page essay detailing their college experiences in the Fall and Spring semesters. Scholars are asked to share their successes, some of the challenges they faced in the year and how they overcame those challenges. In addition to the one-page essay, the Foundation requires the Scholars to submit their Fall and Spring semester grades.

Since 2014, Daniel Trust Foundation has awarded $69,000 in scholarships to 53 low-income students and $13,500 to 41 teachers. 95% of the Scholars who have received our college scholarship have stayed in college and are scheduled to graduate within 4-5 years. Just this past May, six (6) of the Scholars who joined the program when it launched in 2014 graduated from American University, Fairfield University, Mercer University, North Carolina Wesleyan College, University of Bridgeport and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. All 6 alumni have either secured full-time employment and/or have plans to attend graduate school this Fall.

Fundraising Success: When it comes to fundraising, 2017 was a great year for Daniel Trust Foundation. Our goal was to raise over $100,000 for the first time in our history and we ended the year with revenues totaling $102,939, a 44% increase from 2016 revenues of $71,642. Majority of our 2017 income came from individuals (65%), followed by Foundations (24%) and then corporations (11%). This year, 2018, Daniel Trust Foundation is on track to raise over $100,000 again.