What Scholarship Plus does

Scholarship Plus is a New York City-based nonprofit scholarship program operating under the 501(c)(3) umbrella of The Fund for the City of New York. Founded in 2010, the organization serves NYC high school graduates from low-income households (average household income $21,617, below NYC and federal poverty thresholds) by providing four-year renewable scholarships of up to $8,000 annually to support tuition, room and board, fees, and educational expenses. The core "PLUS" offering extends beyond financial aid to include college readiness programming, personalized academic advocacy and mentorship, paid summer internships, career coaching, mental health services, and ongoing support through college graduation and into alumni engagement.

The business model is structured around philanthropic revenue rather than commercial sales, with funding sourced from individual donations, structured giving circles (pods of up to 10 members contributing $1,000-$5,000 annually for four years), full scholarship sponsorships at $10,000/year, and corporate partnerships that combine financial support with internship hosting, employee mentorship, and professional development. The organization reports a 98% college graduation rate among its scholars versus an 11% national average for low-income students, with 96% being first in their families to earn a college degree. Since inception, Scholarship Plus has supported 200+ scholars with annual cohort sizes growing from 5-7 in early years to 20+ in recent cohorts.

The go-to-market model is bifurcated by audience: scholar acquisition runs through partnerships with NYC public, parochial, and private high schools across all five boroughs, virtual information sessions, and an annual application cycle opening in October, while donor acquisition relies on direct engagement, giving circles, corporate partnerships, and earned media through Grammy-winning ambassador Anthony Ramos. Operations are supported by a network of 40+ internship partner organizations including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Sony Music Entertainment, Partners Group, and New York Public Radio (the inaugural partner since 2010). The organization is led by Executive Director Kate Fenneman Stokes and Senior Director Anna Antoniak, with 17 total employees, and is governed by a Board of Directors alongside an Associate Board for younger supporters.

Name

Scholarship Plus

Legal name

Fund for the City of New York

Website

https://scholarshipplus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scholarship Plus is a NYC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing four-year scholarships (up to $8,000 annually) plus wraparound mentorship, paid internships, and career support to low-income, first-generation high school graduates, reporting a 98% college graduation rate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Scholarship and Education Access Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• College scholarship program
• Nonprofit education funding
• Paid internship placement
• Scholar mentorship services
• First-generation college support

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: General donations from individuals supporting the scholarship program. Donations are tax-deductible through the Fund for the City of New York.
2. Giving Circles (Pods): Groups of up to 10 individuals contributing $1,000 per year each to support a scholar through four years of college. Pod members receive regular updates from their sponsored student.
3. Full Scholarship Sponsorship: Individual sponsors commit $10,000 annually for four years, covering both the scholarship award and wraparound program costs including mentorship, advising, and paid internships.
4. Corporate Sponsorship: Companies sponsor scholarships, host interns, or invest in capacity-building. Corporate partners provide paid summer internships, employee mentors, and professional development sessions.
5. Internship Hosting: Corporate partners provide paid summer internships to scholars. Partners include organizations like Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Sony Music Entertainment, Partners Group, and New York Public Radio.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Scholarship Plus provides a four-year college scholarship (up to $8,000 per year) to New York City high school graduates from low-income households, paired with wraparound services including college readiness support, personal advocacy and academic mentorship, paid summer internships, career coaching, and an alumni network. The program is operated under the Fund for the City of New York as a 501(c)(3) initiative and engages individual donors, corporate sponsors, and giving circles as funders.

Product overview

Scholarship Plus is a nonprofit scholarship program for NYC high school graduates from low-income households. The organization offers a four-year scholarship (up to $8,000 annually) combined with wraparound support services including college readiness, personal advocacy, academic mentorship, paid internships, and professional development programs. The core 'PLUS' program elements include the Summer Masterclass Series, Career Coaching, and the new Adulting Foundations and Brilliant Minds Series wellness initiatives. Donors can participate through Giving Circles (Pods) or full scholarship sponsorship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Four-Year Scholarship Program A multi-year scholarship of up to $8,000 per year awarded to selected New York City high school graduates from low-income households pursuing a four-year college degree, combined with structured wraparound support.
• Wraparound Scholar Support Program An integrated non-financial support package for scholars covering college readiness, personal advocacy and academic mentorship, paid summer internship placement, career coaching, and alumni network engagement throughout the four-year college journey.
• Summer Masterclass Series on Professional Development An annual summer professional development program featuring speaker-led masterclasses designed to build scholars' career and professional skills outside the regular academic year.
• Paid Internship and Career Coaching Program A career-launch service that places scholars in paid summer internships through the corporate partner network and provides structured career coaching to prepare them for post-college employment.
• Adulting Foundations Life Skills Program A life-skills program offering practical, real-world training to help scholars navigate adult responsibilities alongside their college experience.
• Brilliant Minds Series Wellness Program A wellness-focused event series supporting scholars' mental and emotional well-being during their college years.
• Giving Circles (Pods) Recurring Donor Program A community-based recurring giving program that organizes individual donors into giving circles (Pods) to provide sustained annual support to the scholarship fund.
• Full Scholarship Sponsorship Donor Commitment A premium donor commitment in which an individual or group fully funds one or more scholars' four-year scholarships through a single, multi-year gift.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of scholars graduate college
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Brooks RunningminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Partnered with Anthony Ramos for the 2025 NYC Marathon to support Scholarship Plus. Ramos ran to raise awareness and funds for the organization.
• New York Public RadioflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010The inaugural internship partner since 2010, providing paid summer internship opportunities to Scholarship Plus scholars. Part of the 40+ internship partner network.
• Fund for the City of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fund for the City of New York is Scholarship Plus's sponsoring 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible through this organization. The Fund provides administrative infrastructure and organizational support.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 40+ internship partners providing paid summer internship opportunities to Scholarship Plus scholars.
• Sony Music EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 40+ internship partners providing paid summer internship opportunities to Scholarship Plus scholars.
• Partners GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 40+ internship partners providing paid summer internship opportunities to Scholarship Plus scholars.
• Anthony RamosflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGrammy Award-winning artist and Scholarship Plus Ambassador. Running the 2025 NYC Marathon to support scholars. Provides visibility and celebrity endorsement for the organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: Nation's largest not-for-profit organization supporting Hispanic Americans in higher education, providing scholarships, mentorship, and career services. Comparable in serving first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds with scholarship + wraparound support, though operating nationally with a specific demographic focus.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Provides substantial multi-year scholarships (up to $55,000/year) and wraparound support to high-achieving students with financial need. Comparable in scholarship-plus-support philosophy, though its scholarship amounts are materially larger and its scope is national.
• Say Yes to Education: Nonprofit providing comprehensive supports (scholarships, tutoring, mentoring) to help underrepresented students graduate from high school and college. Operates in select cities with scholarship-plus-support model closely paralleling Scholarship Plus's NYC approach.
• Horatio Alger Association: National scholarship organization serving students who have faced and overcome adversity, with multi-year awards and ongoing support services. Comparable in targeting low-income, first-generation students and providing scholarship-plus-programmatic-support, though with national reach and larger scholarship amounts.
• The Posse Foundation: Identifies, trains, and sends diverse teams of public high school students ('posses') to top colleges as leadership scholarships. Highly comparable wraparound support model (mentorship, career support, cohort-based programming) targeting similar first-generation urban student populations.
• QuestBridge: National nonprofit that connects high-achieving low-income students with college scholarships and full-ride awards. Directly comparable to Scholarship Plus in mission (first-generation/low-income college access), scholarship-plus-support model, and four-year commitment structure, but operates nationally with substantially larger scale.
• SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity): NYC-based nonprofit providing educational and career programs for underserved students, including a Scholars program with paid internships and mentorship. Highly comparable on geography (NYC), demographic focus (first-generation, low-income), and the scholarship-plus-paid-internship model.

Broad incumbents

• College Board - BigFuture: College Board's college access and scholarship program that helps low-income students find and pay for college. Comparable in mission of expanding college access for underserved students, though embedded in a much larger, established organization with broader programmatic reach.
• UNCF (United Negro College Fund): One of the largest minority education nonprofits, administering scholarships, fellowships, and institutional support across a national network. Comparable in scholarship administration and wraparound support, but with a broader scope (HBCU institutional support, multiple scholarship programs) and much larger scale.

Others

• Fund for the City of New York: The parent 501(c)(3) sponsor of Scholarship Plus. A NYC-based intermediary that incubates and supports innovative programs addressing urban challenges. Directly related as the organizational home and fiscal sponsor, but operates a much broader portfolio of programs beyond education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/scholarshipplus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scholarship-plus
• Instagraminstagram.com:443/scholarshipplus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Scholarship Plus