Creating Access to Pathways for Success...

An individualized and holistic approach, because everyone’s path is different and success does not always look the same.

to and through post secondary education to landing a career…

 

WHAT?

CAPS Scholarship supports students in continuum from their Junior year in High School, to and through their post secondary educational track, whether 4-year, 2-year, or vocational, until completing the first year in their career.

  • WHO?

  • Our Students

    are highly motivated individuals selected their Junior year of High School who face certain challenges to pursuing their desire to a post-secondary education such as financial need, personal or family hardships, grades not reflective of fortitude and/or being a first-generational student.

  • Our Mentors

    are advocates for the student. They are there to offer social-emotional and executive support as the student navigates any challenges along the journey to and through post-secondary education to landing on a desired career.

  • Our Partners

    are Carolina Youth Coalition in Charlotte, NC and College AIM in Atlanta, GA are two exemplary organizations working as a collaborative cohort to develop and administer the day to day program recruiting, training and managing the coaches, mentors and students.

  • Our Funders

    are the Merancas Foundation who together with an advisory committee of community members provided the original direction and the call to action for the CAPS Scholarship coupled with seed money. The foundation is so grateful to have found partners with such well aligned missions and similar resolve to develop the program in a collaborative manner. The Foundation will continue to provide ongoing funding and general support. The goal is to create a program that is both scaleable and replicable, with the potential for additional funders in the future.

HOW?

A comprehensive approach providing:

  • through gap and incidental emergency funding for post-secondary education.

  • through post secondary education access, career, financial and executive functioning counseling throughout the program

  • through one-to-one mentors who provide individualized support, hold students accountable and act as their advocates.

WHY?

“There is an urgent need to support students who may fall below the thresholds of other scholarship opportunities.”

 

“Without ongoing one-to-one wrap around support any extenuating circumstances can easily derail a student’s path forward.”

 

“Hundreds of thousands of young people transition to adulthood without the skills, experiences, and credentials needed to build careers and lives of their choosing.​”

“There are many viable paths to post secondary success, and they are often not linear.”

 

“Racial inequality is largely perpetuated by the generational wealth gap which can be partially eradicated by eliminating systemic barriers to post secondary education.”

 

“Funding rarely covers the entire cost of education leaving students with the burden of taking out loans.”