Tri-County Scholarship Fund
Tri-County Scholarship Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides partial K-12 scholarships to financially disadvantaged children in Northern New Jersey so they can attend accredited, values-based independent schools through a three-way partnership with 62 partner schools and contributing families.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersMendham, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Tri-County Scholarship Fund does
Tri-County Scholarship Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1981 and headquartered in Mendham, New Jersey. It provides partial K-12 scholarships to financially disadvantaged children in Morris, Passaic, and Sussex Counties in Northern New Jersey so they can attend accredited, values-based independent schools including Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Ukrainian, and non-religious institutions. The organization operates three core programs: standard K-12 partial scholarships ($2,250/year for grades K-8 and $4,000/year for high school students), the enhanced Freedom Scholars Program ($5,000/year for academically gifted students maintaining a B average, with mentorship and college-prep support), and an Emergency Fund for families facing sudden crises.
The business model is donation-funded through a diversified mix of channels: signature events (Annual Awards Dinner, Women of Achievement Luncheon, Golf Invitational, Lawyers for Tri-County, Sporting Clays Classic), individual donations via website/mail/phone, corporate matching gifts, planned giving through the Legacy Society, the Fund-a-Student program, and appreciated stock contributions. A three-way partnership with 62 partner schools (which provide discounted tuition) and families (who contribute 20-30% of tuition) is the structural backbone of the model. The organization reports a 100% high school graduation rate among scholarship recipients and has awarded more than 34,000 scholarships totaling over $35 million since inception.
Operationally, Tri-County is small (1-10 employees), regionally constrained to three New Jersey counties, and technology-light, relying on FACTS for financial-aid assessment, GiveLively for online donations, and Vimeo for video storytelling. The co-founder Edward L. Hennessy, Jr. passed away in May 2026, introducing leadership-transition considerations. The organization maintains a Charity Navigator 4-star rating for six consecutive years and holds a Candid Gold Seal transparency certification.
Tri-County Scholarship Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tri-County Scholarship Fund
- Legal name
- Tri-County Scholarship Fund
- Website
- https://tcsfund.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1981
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tri-County Scholarship Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides partial K-12 scholarships to financially disadvantaged children in Northern New Jersey so they can attend accredited, values-based independent schools through a three-way partnership with 62 partner schools and contributing families.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tri-County Scholarship Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Education Scholarship Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)
Keywords
Where Tri-County Scholarship Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mendham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tri-County Scholarship Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals supporting scholarship programs. Donors can make one-time or recurring donations via the website, mail checks, or phone.
- Corporate Matching: Corporate matching gift programs where employers match employee donations to Tri-County Scholarship Fund.
- Event Fundraising: Revenue raised through signature events including the Annual Awards Dinner (which has raised $2.35 million in 2022), Women of Achievement Luncheon, Golf Invitational, Lawyers for Tri-County, and Sporting Clays Classic.
- Planned Giving: Legacy Society planned giving programs including bequests, estate gifts, and the Edward L. Hennessy, Jr. and Ruth S. Hennessy Foundation. The co-founder made a $1 million planned gift.
- Fund a Student Program: Donors can fund specific student scholarships at designated levels: $5,000 for Freedom Scholars, $4,000 for high school students, $2,000 for K-8 students.
- Tribute and Named Scholarships: Donors can create tribute scholarships or named scholarships in honor of individuals, providing multi-year support for students on the waiting list.
- Gifts of Appreciated Stock: Donors can contribute appreciated securities held longer than one year, deducting full fair market value and avoiding capital gains tax.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | K-8 Grade School Scholarship: $2,250/year |
| Subscription | Annual | High School Scholarship: $4,000/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Freedom Scholar Scholarship: $5,000/year |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Emergency Fund Scholarships |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
Tri-County Scholarship Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tri-County Scholarship Fund provides partial, need-based K-12 scholarships to financially disadvantaged children in Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties in Northern New Jersey, enabling them to attend partner private and parochial schools. The organization has been awarding scholarships since 1981, with an average award of approximately $4,300, and operates through a three-way partnership model involving partner schools, scholarship families, and donors.
Product overview
Tri-County Scholarship Fund is a nonprofit organization providing partial K-12th grade scholarships to financially disadvantaged children in Northern New Jersey. The core offering consists of need-based scholarships enabling students to attend accredited, values-based private and parochial schools. The organization operates three main programs: standard K-12 partial scholarships ($2,250-$4,000/year), the enhanced Freedom Scholars Program ($5,000/year for academically gifted high school students with mentorship and college prep support), and an Emergency Fund for families facing sudden crises. The Fund a Student program enables donors to directly support students at specific funding levels. The organization partners with 62 independent schools across Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties. Additional services include alumni support programs, planned giving options through the Legacy Society, and ongoing student mentorship through the Freedom Scholars initiative.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Freedom Scholar Program: An enhanced scholarship opportunity for academically gifted high school students who also qualify financially, awarding $5,000/year to students maintaining a B average throughout middle and high school.
- Emergency Fund
Products and services
- K-12 Partial Tuition Scholarships Need-based partial tuition scholarships awarded to financially disadvantaged K-12 students in Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties in Northern New Jersey, enabling attendance at partner private and parochial schools. Average award is approximately $4,300, with eligibility assessed through the FACTS grant and aid system.
- Casino Night Fundraiser An annual fundraising event that engages donors, sponsors, and community supporters to raise scholarship funds through ticket sales, sponsorships, and gaming activities.
- TCS Open Golf Tournament An annual golf tournament fundraiser that brings together donors, sponsors, and community members to raise scholarship funds through entry fees, sponsorships, and related activities.
- Trivia Bee Fundraiser A team-based trivia competition fundraiser that engages community groups, schools, and corporate teams to raise scholarship funds through entry fees and sponsorships.
- Honor and Memorial Gift Program A designated giving program that allows donors to make contributions to TCSF in honor or memory of specific individuals, with acknowledgment provided to honorees or their families.
- Stock Gift and IRA Distribution Program A planned giving program that enables donors to contribute appreciated stock securities or make qualified charitable distributions directly from their IRA accounts to support scholarship funding.
- Corporate Sponsorship Program A corporate giving and event sponsorship program offering businesses visibility, employee engagement, and community goodwill through support of TCSF fundraising events and scholarship programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% high school graduation rate
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Tri-County Scholarship Fund
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tri-County Scholarship Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Tri-County Scholarship Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Kushner AcademycoreKushner Academy is a Tri-County Partner School united by shared commitment to values-based education. Tri-County scholarships make this education accessible, particularly for Ukrainian refugee students fleeing war. The partnership helps students succeed academically and find belonging in their new home.
- St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic SchoolcorePartnership providing education for Ukrainian refugee children who arrived with their mothers from war-torn Ukraine since February 2022. Tri-County emergency scholarships support these students. Honored with Making A Difference Award at 2022 Annual Awards Dinner.
- 62 Partner SchoolscoreNetwork of values-based independent schools (Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Ukrainian, and non-religious) in Northern New Jersey that accept Tri-County scholarship recipients. Schools offer discounted tuition and provide safe, disciplined learning environments. Includes schools like DePaul Catholic High School, Mary Help of Christians Academy, Delbarton School, Morris Catholic High School, and others.
- FACTS (Tuition Management System)coreNation's leading Tuition Management and Financial Aid Assessment software company for private and faith-based schools. Families complete online applications analyzing income and expenses relative to family size to qualify for Tri-County scholarships.
- Chubb InsuranceminorCorporate sponsor of Annual Awards Dinner. Tri-County facilitates internship connections for alumni at Chubb, including summer data science internships for college students.
- Carlo's Bakery (Buddy Valastro)minorCake Boss Buddy Valastro has appeared at Tri-County events, creating special celebration cakes for student events and 40th anniversary celebration.
- Corporate SponsorsminorOver 65 corporate sponsors attended the 2022 Annual Awards Dinner. Major sponsors include KKR, Goldman Sachs, Chubb, MetLife, Aon, Crum & Forster, Everest Re Group, and many others supporting scholarship fundraising.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tri-County Scholarship Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Children's Scholarship Fund: National nonprofit providing partial K-8 tuition scholarships to low-income children to attend private schools, with a near-identical three-way (donor/school/family) cost-share model, making it the closest functional peer to Tri-County.
- ACE Scholarships: Colorado-based nonprofit providing K-12 private-school scholarships to low-income families in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico, with a comparable partial-tuition, partner-school model and similar student-outcome reporting.
- Black Student Fund: Washington DC-area nonprofit providing need-based tuition assistance for African American students to attend independent K-12 schools, with a comparable donor/school/family cost-share structure and alumni engagement focus.
- Latino Student Fund: DC-area nonprofit providing K-12 scholarships and educational support to low-income Latino students for private and parochial school tuition, operating a similar partial-scholarship model with school partnerships.
Regional players
- Inner-City Scholarship Fund: New York City-based Catholic nonprofit providing K-12 tuition scholarships and program support to inner-city youth attending Catholic schools, operating the same partial-tuition, partner-school scholarship model in an adjacent region.
- Foundation for Catholic Education (Diocese of Paterson): Diocesan foundation supporting Catholic K-12 education across Paterson-area schools in Tri-County's service geography, providing overlapping school-affiliation-based tuition assistance to a similar student population.
- Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children: Newark, NJ-based nonprofit providing partial-tuition scholarships to low-income students attending Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Newark, a close geographic and programmatic peer operating across more of New Jersey.
- Embrace Kids Foundation: New Jersey-based nonprofit supporting children with cancer and blood disorders through education and family services; a regional NJ peer in education-adjacent nonprofit work though with a different beneficiary focus.
Broad incumbents
- Step Up For Students: Florida's largest K-12 scholarship organization administering multiple statewide scholarship programs for low-income and special-needs students; broader and larger scale than Tri-County but operating in the same educational-choice category.
- New Jersey Scholarship Fund: New Jersey's state-level higher-education financial aid administrator; a broader incumbent providing overlapping education funding services, though at the post-secondary rather than K-12 level.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Tri-County Scholarship Fund social profiles
Digital presenceTri-County Scholarship Fund compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Tri-County Scholarship Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tri-County Scholarship Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Tri-County Scholarship Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tri-County Scholarship Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tri-County Scholarship Fund
What does Tri-County Scholarship Fund do?
Tri-County Scholarship Fund provides partial, need-based K-12 scholarships to financially disadvantaged children in Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties in Northern New Jersey, enabling them to attend partner private and parochial schools. The organization has been awarding scholarships since 1981, with an average award of approximately $4,300, and operates through a three-way partnership model involving partner schools, scholarship families, and donors.
Is Tri-County Scholarship Fund a public or private company?
Tri-County Scholarship Fund is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Tri-County Scholarship Fund founded?
Tri-County Scholarship Fund was founded in 1981. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tri-County Scholarship Fund based?
Tri-County Scholarship Fund is headquartered in Mendham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tri-County Scholarship Fund make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Matching, event Fundraising, planned Giving, fund a Student Program, tribute and Named Scholarships and gifts of Appreciated Stock.
Who are Tri-County Scholarship Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Children's Scholarship Fund, ACE Scholarships, Black Student Fund and Latino Student Fund. Regional players are Inner-City Scholarship Fund, Foundation for Catholic Education (Diocese of Paterson), Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children and Embrace Kids Foundation. Broad incumbents are Step Up For Students and New Jersey Scholarship Fund.
Does Tri-County Scholarship Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tri-County Scholarship Fund.
What industry is Tri-County Scholarship Fund in?
Tri-County Scholarship Fund's product category is K-12 Education Scholarship Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAK, Education Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of EDADAHAC, Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8200.