Haitian Education & Leadership Program

What Haitian Education & Leadership Program does

The Haitian Education and Leadership Program (H.E.L.P.) is a U.S.-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers comprehensive higher-education scholarships to high-achieving Haitian youth. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in New York with operational offices in Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes, Haiti, HELP recruits roughly 50 students per year from a pool of 350–400 nationwide applicants through a multi-week campus orientation and interview process. Its core product is a fully-funded five-year university scholarship that bundles tuition, housing, books, stipends, academic advising, leadership development, and technology access — internally valued at $42 per student per day — delivered through partnerships with Quisqueya University, the University of Notre Dame of Haiti, the Information Science Institute, and, as of 2024, the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) in Les Cayes. HELP is licensed as a higher education institution by Haiti's Ministry of Education and is a beneficiary of the National Education Fund.

HELP's business model is donation-driven, not commercial. Revenue is generated through individual charitable contributions organized into standardized sponsorship tiers ($10,000/year for a standard scholarship, $15,000/year for a premium scholarship, each covering a full five-year degree), supplemented by monthly giving, legacy gifts, and memorial funds. Donor acquisition relies on direct website donations via a Blackbaud adaptive donor form, email/newsletter outreach, and content marketing featuring alumni stories; student acquisition is community-led, leveraging alumni referrals and the BAZLA civic platform. The organization has stated 2030 targets of enrolling 250 students, raising $25 million, growing its alumni network to 750 leaders, and completing 200 community service projects. There is no proprietary technology platform beyond standard donor CRM and web infrastructure; the organization's "product" is the scholarship and wraparound service bundle rather than a technology asset.

Current scale is modest: 150+ enrolled students across a multi-year program, with attrition of fewer than 1–2 students per year. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 range. The recent Les Cayes expansion is a defensive adaptation to escalating Port-au-Prince violence and simultaneously an offensive scale-up, accommodating 50 new first-year students at the AUC partner campus. No external funding rounds, M&A activity, or commercial investors are associated with the organization, consistent with its nonprofit status.

Name

Haitian Education & Leadership Program

Legal name

Haitian Education and Leadership Program

Website

https://uhelp.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Haitian Education & Leadership Program (H.E.L.P.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides fully-funded five-year university scholarships and wraparound support to high-achieving Haitian students, currently enrolling 150+ scholars across partner universities in Port-au-Prince and Les Cayes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Scholarship Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Higher education scholarships
• Nonprofit education
• Student sponsorship
• Leadership development
• Scholarship program

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct monetary donations from individuals supporting student scholarships. Two tiered sponsorship levels: $10,000/year for standard scholarship, $15,000/year for premium scholarship, both covering a student's full five-year degree. Donors receive semester progress reports and may have input in student selection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

HELP provides multi-year higher education scholarships and wraparound support services to high-achieving Haitian students, covering tuition, housing, meals, books, technology access, and academic/career mentoring. The organization selects candidates from Haitian high schools and guides them through university completion with the goal of building a pipeline of ethical Haitian leaders.

Product overview

Haitian Education & Leadership Program (H.E.L.P.) is a scholarship-based higher education nonprofit, not a technology product company. It operates a unified scholarship program that combines financial support (covering tuition, housing, books, stipends) with direct services including dormitory facilities, academic advising, and career orientation. Students are sent to partner universities (Quisqueya University, University of Notre Dame of Haiti, and Information Science Institute in Port-au-Prince), with recent expansion to Les Cayes via partnership with American University of the Caribbean. The organization focuses on increasing access to higher education for Haiti's most promising youth, with a 2030 goal of enrolling 250 students and growing alumni network to 750 leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• H.E.L.P. Scholarship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 1-2 student attrition per year out of 150+ enrolled
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American University of the Caribbean (AUC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AUC partnership established in Les Cayes to accommodate students during escalating violence in Port-au-Prince. HELP scholars integrate seamlessly with AUC students, accessing libraries, labs, and health services. The partnership represents a necessary adaptation and forward-looking investment in sustaining HELP's scholarship opportunities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• QuestBridge: Non-profit that connects high-achieving, low-income students to selective U.S. colleges via full scholarships and support. Comparable to HELP as a selective college-access scholarship organization that pairs financial aid with wraparound advising and community-building.
• Posse Foundation: Non-profit that identifies diverse student leaders and sends them in cohorts ("posses") to top colleges with full scholarships and leadership training. Mirrors HELP's cohort-based leadership-development scholarship model and selective funnel.
• Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO): Non-profit providing college access and career development programs for low-income students. Comparable to HELP in combining academic preparation, mentoring, and career orientation for high-potential youth.
• College Track: Non-profit delivering a 10-year college access and success pipeline for first-generation students. Comparable to HELP in its end-to-end wraparound model (academic, financial, advising) for high-achieving, underrepresented students.
• buildOn: Non-profit that combines youth education and service programs, primarily in the U.S. and internationally, including in Haiti. Comparable to HELP in pairing educational access with community service outcomes and operating directly in Haiti.

Regional players

• African Leadership University: Higher-education network training African leaders through scholarship-supported university programs and leadership development. Highly comparable operating model to HELP, applied to sub-Saharan Africa rather than Haiti/Caribbean.
• Fonkoze Foundation: Haiti-focused non-profit providing financial services and development programs to rural Haitians. Comparable to HELP as a major Haiti-focused non-profit addressing structural poverty, though operating in financial inclusion rather than higher education.

Broad incumbents

• Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program: Large-scale scholarship initiative supporting African students across multiple partner universities with full funding, advising, and leadership development. Comparable model to HELP at significantly greater scale, focused on a different geography.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): Long-standing U.S. non-profit providing scholarships and institutional support to Black students and HBCUs. Comparable to HELP as a large, established college-access scholarship organization, though operating in the U.S. rather than internationally.

Emerging players

• Schuler Scholar Program: Selective college-access non-profit providing multi-year wraparound support (academic, financial, advising) to high-achieving, low-income students. Comparable to HELP in cohort-based, selective scholarship model with intensive advising.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uhelpnet

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Haitian Education & Leadership Program