Minority Scholars Program

What Minority Scholars Program does

The Minority Scholars Program (MSP) is a student-led, student-powered, and student-run non-profit organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. The organization advances equitable education through youth activism, student voice, and leadership development, serving minority youth students as its primary constituency. It positions itself as both a vehicle and a blueprint for educational change, with activities spanning events, news, student storytelling (including a "Stories of Self" platform), and leadership programs that empower students to advocate for education policy reform. A board governance structure is in place, and the organization operates with a small team of approximately six employees.

MSP does not develop or sell technology products. Its core offerings are programmatic — events, student stories, leadership development frameworks, and a "Start an MSP" chapter initiative that allows communities to establish local affiliates. Distribution is community-led and event-driven: the Squarespace-hosted website functions as the information and engagement hub, supplemented by an email newsletter, student storytelling content, in-person events, and grassroots partnerships with educational institutions and community organizations. Geographic scope is regional, with no global footprint claims.

The revenue model is donation-based. All programs are offered free of charge to participants, and the organization relies on financial contributions from donors and sponsors, volunteer labor, and community partnerships to sustain operations. Donations are processed through Givecloud's fundraising platform. There is no pricing model, no paid customer segment, and no disclosed financial reporting. As of 2026, MSP self-describes as having empowered youth for over 20 years.

Name

Minority Scholars Program

Legal name

Minority Scholars Program

Website

https://minorityscholars.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Minority Scholars Program is a student-led non-profit founded in 2005 that empowers minority youth through activism, leadership development, and equitable education advocacy, operating via community events, student storytelling, and donation-funded programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education Advocacy

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family-School Collaboration & Inclusion Planning Support (EDAKABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD)

Keywords

• Youth education advocacy
• Student leadership development
• Equitable education initiatives
• Nonprofit youth empowerment
• Education equity activism

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization generates revenue through donations from supporters. The website features a dedicated donation portal (the-minority-scholars-program.givecloud.co) for supporters to contribute financially.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Minority Scholars Program (MSP) is a student-led, student-powered, and student-run nonprofit organization founded in 2005 that empowers minority youth through activism, student voice, and leadership development. It runs education equity programs, hosts events, publishes student stories, and enables community members to start local MSP chapters to advocate for equitable education.

Product overview

The Minority Scholars Program (MSP) is a single, unified nonprofit program focused on youth empowerment and educational equity. The organization operates through student-led initiatives, activism, and leadership development, serving as a blueprint for creating change in education. The program encompasses events, student stories, and various engagement opportunities for youth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Minority Scholars Program (MSP) A student-led nonprofit program that empowers minority youth through activism, leadership development, and advocacy to advance equitable education. It serves as both a vehicle and a blueprint for creating change in education.
• Start an MSP (Chapter Program) An initiative that enables communities, students, and supporters to establish local MSP chapters, extending the student-led education equity framework to new geographies and constituencies.

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.

• GivecloudminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMSP uses Givecloud's donation platform (the-minority-scholars-program.givecloud.co) to process donations from supporters. Givecloud provides the technology infrastructure for fundraising and donation management.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• DoSomething.org: DoSomething.org is a youth-driven social-change nonprofit that mobilizes young people around social causes. It overlaps with MSP's youth-led, activism-driven GTM motion, though its cause areas are broader than education equity.

Broad incumbents

• Scholastic: Scholastic is a large, established education and youth-publishing organization with significant reach into K-12 schools and equity-related literacy initiatives. While not a direct competitor, it is comparable as a broad incumbent in the youth education ecosystem that MSP operates within.
• Teach For America: TFA is a much larger, nationally established organization addressing educational inequity through corps member placement and alumni leadership. It competes for the same donor pool and policy attention as MSP, with overlapping messaging around educational equity, though it operates through a professionalized corps rather than a student-led model.
• NAACP: NAACP is a broad civil rights organization that includes educational equity as a core programmatic pillar, including advocacy on behalf of minority students. It is comparable in mission (education equity advocacy for minorities) but operates at significantly greater scale and broader scope than MSP.

Regional players

• CollegeSpring: CollegeSpring focuses on college-readiness and equity programming for underrepresented students, primarily in specific regions. It shares MSP's donor-funded, minority-youth education-equity mission, though its geographic and programmatic footprint is narrower.

Direct peers

• Facing History & Ourselves: Facing History provides educator resources and student programs that address equity, identity, and civic participation. Its student-empowerment, equity-focused nonprofit model parallels MSP's approach to youth-driven educational change.
• National Urban League: NUL advances economic empowerment and educational equity for African Americans and other underserved communities through direct programs and policy advocacy. MSP's mission of minority student empowerment through activism and student voice maps closely onto NUL's education-equity programming.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): UNCF is the largest education-equity nonprofit supporting minority students through scholarships, capacity building, and advocacy. Like MSP, it advances equitable education outcomes for minority youth and operates through donor-supported programs, making it the closest direct peer in mission and donor model.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: HSF empowers Latino students to complete higher education through scholarships, support services, and advocacy. It overlaps with MSP's minority-youth education-equity focus and uses a similar donor-funded nonprofit model with student leadership development components.
• Student Leadership Network: Student Leadership Network runs college-access and leadership programs for underserved youth, including The Young Women's Leadership Schools. It shares MSP's focus on youth empowerment, leadership development, and equitable education access for minority students.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minority-scholars-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Minority Scholars Program