The Scholarship Academy
The Scholarship Academy is a 501(c)-style nonprofit that runs the Virtual Scholarship Center online platform plus in-person programs to help low-income, first-generation college students secure scholarships, serving students, school districts, and nonprofits primarily across Georgia, New York, DC, and Philadelphia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersAtlanta, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Scholarship Academy does
The Scholarship Academy (TSA) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit organization founded in 2006 by Jessica Johnson, a Howard University graduate who personally secured over $200,000 in scholarships. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, TSA operates a curriculum-based scholarship preparatory program that targets low-income, first-generation college students and their families, as well as the school districts and nonprofit organizations that serve them. Its core technology is the Virtual Scholarship Center (VSC), an online platform that delivers personalized scholarship matching, one-on-one essay writing support, college funding plan builders, deadline tracking, and progress dashboards visible to school staff and case managers. This platform is complemented by in-person service programs including Scholarship Boot Camps, Financial Aid Escape Rooms, Financial Aid Quiz Bowls, and the annual I AM College Bound Scholarship Fair (held with United Way of Greater Atlanta and featuring over $1 million in scholarship access).
TSA operates a hybrid revenue model with five distinct streams: individual donations and philanthropic contributions, corporate sponsorships (with brand access to its 2,500+ household network), Virtual Scholarship Center memberships (direct-to-consumer subscriptions), 3-year progressive school district and nonprofit partnership contracts (covering counselor training, curriculum implementation, and capacity building), and SASI professional development training for counselors (a 16-hour program with CEUs from Clayton State University, limited to 30 seats per cohort). The organization serves 1,500+ students annually across 12 Metro Atlanta counties and has cumulatively impacted 15,000+ families with students claiming $40 million+ in private scholarships. Geographic reach extends to Georgia, New York, Washington DC, and Philadelphia through institutional partnerships with entities including Atlanta Public Schools, NYC College Access for All Consortium, GEAR UP Georgia, and United Way of Greater Atlanta.
The Scholarship Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Scholarship Academy
- Legal name
- The Scholarship Academy
- Website
- https://scholarshipacademy.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Scholarship Academy is a 501(c)-style nonprofit that runs the Virtual Scholarship Center online platform plus in-person programs to help low-income, first-generation college students secure scholarships, serving students, school districts, and nonprofits primarily across Georgia, New York, DC, and Philadelphia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Scholarship Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- College Access and Scholarship Preparation Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Financial Aid, Scholarships & FAFSA/CSS Profile Support (EDANAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support (EDAMAKAF), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)
Keywords
Where The Scholarship Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Scholarship Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Philanthropic Contributions: As a nonprofit organization, The Scholarship Academy relies heavily on donations from individuals and organizations to fund operations. Donations help low-income students secure resources to pursue higher education without debt.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide funding in exchange for brand exposure and marketing opportunities to TSA's network of over 2,500 households. Sponsors can engage through Lunch & Learn presentations connecting directly with students.
- Virtual Scholarship Center Membership: Parents and students pay for membership to access the Virtual Scholarship Center platform with personalized scholarship matching, essay support, and college funding tools.
- School District and Nonprofit Partnerships: TSA generates revenue through partnership agreements with school districts and nonprofit organizations, offering curriculum implementation, counselor training, and financial aid programs under a 3-year progressive model.
- SASI Training Program: Professional development training for school counselors, college access advisors, and nonprofit staff. 16-hour intensive training with CEUs from Clayton State University, limited to 30 seats, with group discounts available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | SASI 2026 Professional Development Training |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels12 records
The Scholarship Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Scholarship Academy is a comprehensive scholarship preparatory program that teaches low-income, first-generation college students and their families to navigate the financial aid process. It delivers a cloud-based Virtual Scholarship Center with personalized scholarship matching, essay support, and college funding planning, alongside in-person services including Scholarship Boot Camps, Financial Aid Escape Rooms, Quiz Bowls, FAFSA Support, and SASI counselor training. Institutional clients access a 3-year Train the Trainer partnership model with curriculum implementation.
Product overview
The Scholarship Academy operates as a comprehensive scholarship preparatory organization offering a platform-plus-services model. The core product is the Virtual Scholarship Center (VSC), an online platform that provides personalized scholarship matching, essay writing support, college funding plan tools, and scholarship portfolio management. This is complemented by in-person and virtual service programs including Scholarship Boot Camps, Financial Aid Escape Rooms, and Financial Aid Quiz Bowls, which test students' knowledge across critical financial aid areas. The organization also offers professional development through SASI (Summer Advanced Scholarship Institute) training and a Train the Trainer Partnership Model for schools and organizations. Additional services include FAFSA Support, a Certified Scholarship Consultant program, and a Scholarship Provider Platform. The College Access Hub serves as the centralized entry point connecting students to all services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Virtual Scholarship Center (VSC): An online platform providing students with personalized scholarship matching, one-on-one essay writing support, FAFSA guidance, college funding plans, cost comparisons, scholarship deadline reminders, and resume reviews.
- SASI
- I AM College Bound Scholarship Fair
Products and services
- Virtual Scholarship Center (VSC)
Quantifiable outcome
- Students served annually: 1,500+
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use The Scholarship Academy
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Scholarship Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Scholarship Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Atlanta Public SchoolscoreLong-standing partnership with Atlanta Public Schools for scholarship prep programming and curriculum implementation, part of TSA's expansion from individual family services to institutional partnerships since 2010.
- New York College Access for All ConsortiumcorePartnership with NYC College Access for All Consortium extending TSA's reach to New York students as part of geographic expansion beyond initial DC and Atlanta markets.
- Clayton County Public SchoolscorePartnership with Clayton County Public Schools for financial aid culture development and counselor training programs.
- Dekalb County Public SchoolscorePartnership with Dekalb County Public Schools serving students across the Metro-Atlanta region.
- GEAR UP GeorgiacoreActive partnership with GEAR UP Georgia network, with Founder Jessica Johnson serving on the Georgia GEAR UP Leadership Team. TSA conducts 55-minute Power Hour sessions across 12 Metro-Atlanta counties through this partnership.
- United Way of Greater AtlantacorePartnership with United Way of Greater Atlanta's College Bound Initiative to host the I AM College Bound Fair, providing access to over $1 million in scholarships to metro Atlanta students.
- Georgia Student Finance CommissioncorePartner in I AM College Bound Fair providing access to state-level scholarship resources and supporting the Mayor of Atlanta's college access initiatives.
- Achieve AtlantaminorCommunity partner supporting the I AM College Bound Fair and regional scholarship access programs.
- Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCAminorHost site for college vision board sessions and student programming in the Atlanta community.
- BEST AcademyminorPartner school where TSA conducts in-person scholarship preparation sessions including competitive essay outline workshops.
- Clayton State UniversityminorProvides CEUs (Continuing Education Units) for SASI professional development training program through Clayton State University.
- Gates FoundationminorReferenced for statistic on 70% of students citing finances as primary obstacle to college completion, demonstrating alignment with foundation priorities.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Scholarship Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Fastweb: Long-established, large-scale scholarship database and college planning resource, serving as a broader incumbent in the same scholarship discovery category that TSA's VSC addresses.
Direct peers
- uAspire: Nonprofit focused on college affordability advising and financial aid navigation for low-income students, directly mirroring TSA's core mission of FAFSA support and scholarship/financial aid guidance.
- College Possible: National nonprofit providing college access coaching and near-peer mentoring to low-income and first-generation students, with a curriculum-driven model highly comparable to TSA's Learn-Do-Track approach and school district partnerships.
- Bottom Line: College access and success nonprofit serving first-generation students from low-income backgrounds through coaching and advising, with a district and direct-service model comparable to TSA's school partnership approach.
- Scholly (by Sallie): Scholarship matching app and platform that connects students to opportunities based on their profile, overlapping with TSA's personalized scholarship matching functionality in the VSC.
- Going Merry: Scholarship matching and application platform for students and counselors, directly competing with TSA's Virtual Scholarship Center on personalized scholarship matching and counselor workflows.
- OneGoal: Nonprofit delivering college and postsecondary success programming in high schools through a cohort-based curriculum, sharing TSA's school district integration model and first-generation student focus.
- Education Opens Doors: College access program that delivers video-based curriculum and advising inside high schools, comparable to TSA's curriculum-based and school-embedded approach to first-generation college guidance.
- College Advising Corps: Places recent college graduates as near-peer advisors in underserved high schools to support college access, comparable to TSA's school-embedded advising model and reliance on cohort-based service members.
Others
- National College Access Network (NCAN): Umbrella membership organization for the college access and success field, representing many of TSA's peers and providing policy and capacity-building support that frames TSA's competitive landscape.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Scholarship Academy social profiles
Digital presenceThe Scholarship Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Scholarship Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Scholarship Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Scholarship Academy 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 The Scholarship Academy
What does The Scholarship Academy do?
The Scholarship Academy is a comprehensive scholarship preparatory program that teaches low-income, first-generation college students and their families to navigate the financial aid process. It delivers a cloud-based Virtual Scholarship Center with personalized scholarship matching, essay support, and college funding planning, alongside in-person services including Scholarship Boot Camps, Financial Aid Escape Rooms, Quiz Bowls, FAFSA Support, and SASI counselor training. Institutional clients access a 3-year Train the Trainer partnership model with curriculum implementation.
Is The Scholarship Academy a public or private company?
The Scholarship Academy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Scholarship Academy founded?
The Scholarship Academy was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Scholarship Academy based?
The Scholarship Academy is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Scholarship Academy make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations and Philanthropic Contributions are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships, virtual Scholarship Center Membership, school District and Nonprofit Partnerships and SASI Training Program.
Who are The Scholarship Academy's main competitors?
Fastweb is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are uAspire, College Possible, Bottom Line, Scholly (by Sallie), Going Merry, OneGoal, Education Opens Doors and College Advising Corps. National College Access Network (NCAN) is listed as an others.
Does The Scholarship Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Scholarship Academy.
What industry is The Scholarship Academy in?
The Scholarship Academy's product category is College Access and Scholarship Preparation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDANAEAI, Financial Aid, Scholarships & FAFSA/CSS Profile Support, with a secondary code of EDAMAKAF, Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.