Student Partner Alliance

What Student Partner Alliance does

Student Partner Alliance (S/PA), legally Student/Partner Alliance, is a New Jersey-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1993 that provides need-based scholarships and structured mentoring to urban high school students from Northern New Jersey's Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. The organization partners with five private Catholic high schools — Hudson Catholic Regional High School, Roselle Catholic, St. Benedict's Preparatory School (including the Girls Division), St. Dominic Academy, and Saint Vincent Academy — to deliver $3,500 annual tuition scholarships for all four years of high school to students from households earning $75,000 or less with at least a 2.5 GPA. S/PA pairs financial support with one-on-one volunteer mentoring, achieving 100% high school graduation and 100% college/post-secondary enrollment for its students over the past ten academic years, with over 2,400 scholarships awarded cumulatively.

The operating model is a community-led, donation-funded nonprofit with no technology product. Revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate and foundation grants (notably Investors Foundation), and two recurring fundraising events — Bunk's Fun Run (since 1997) and Bunk's Golf Outing (since 2007). Sponsors and Partners commit $3,500 per year for four years to fund a specific student, with 100% of Partner contributions directed to tuition. Distribution of services occurs entirely through the partner schools' Financial Aid Offices, and mentors are recruited from the NJ/NY professional community, including an S/PA Professionals Network (SPN) sub-brand for young professionals and alumni mentors who return to their alma maters.

The organization is led by Executive Director Kristin Shannon (with Margaret Momber also identified in an Executive Director role in some sources) and a Board of Trustees including Board President Emmett Daly, with 1-10 employees and headquarters in Summit, NJ. There are no subsidiaries, parent entities, funding rounds, or M&A activity; the organization is independently governed and tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3). In 2026, S/PA received Candid's Platinum Seal of Transparency.

Name

Student Partner Alliance

Legal name

Student/Partner Alliance

Website

https://studentpartneralliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Student Partner Alliance is a New Jersey nonprofit that provides $3,500-per-year four-year scholarships and one-on-one mentoring to low-income urban high school students attending five partner Catholic high schools in Essex, Hudson, and Union counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

Keywords

• Private school scholarships
• Youth mentoring services
• Nonprofit education
• College preparatory support
• Tuition assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Summit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to the Annual Fund, Student Scholarship Fund, and other designated funds through the organization's website via credit/debit card (JustGiving), PayPal, or mail.
2. Event-Based Fundraising: Annual events including Bunk's Golf Outing and Bunk's Fun Run generate scholarship funds. The 20th Annual Golf Tournament has grown from 27 to over 125 golfers.
3. Corporate/Foundation Grants: Corporate partners and foundations provide funding, including Investors Foundation. The organization also receives funds through Donor Advised Funds at major financial institutions.
4. Four-Year Scholarship Commitments: Partners and Sponsors commit to $3,500 per year for four years, providing predictable revenue streams for student scholarships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Student Partner Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that pairs need-based tuition scholarships ($3,500 per year for four years) with one-on-one volunteer mentoring to support low-income urban high school students attending five partner private Catholic high schools in Northern New Jersey. The organization recruits Partners (funders + mentors), Sponsors (funders), and individual Mentors from the NY/NJ community, and routes scholarship funds directly to partner schools.

Product overview

Student Partner Alliance (S/PA) operates as a single, unified nonprofit program combining scholarship and mentoring services for urban high school students in Northern New Jersey. The core offering is the Scholarship Program ($3,500/year for 4 years) paired with a Mentoring Program that provides trained volunteer mentors. These are supported by the Partner Schools Network of five private Catholic high schools. The S/PA Professionals Network (SPN) is a sub-brand providing mentorship opportunities for young professionals. The organization does not offer technology products or software platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• S/PA Scholarship Program Need-based scholarship providing $3,500 per year for four years of high school, with funds sent directly to the partner private Catholic school. Available to students with household income of $75,000 or less and a minimum 2.5 GPA who have been accepted to one of S/PA's five partner Catholic high schools.
• S/PA Mentoring Program Four-year structured mentoring program connecting trained volunteer adult mentors with S/PA scholarship students to provide guidance, coaching, and personal support throughout the student's high school journey. Many mentors are S/PA alumni who return to support students at their alma mater.
• S/PA Professionals Network (SPN)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of S/PA students graduated from high school and gained admission to college, post-secondary school, or armed services over the past 10 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 and core.

• AtomicMindminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2025S/PA partnered with AtomicMind, an organization focused on educational support that complements S/PA's mission.
• Hudson Catholic Regional High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school in Jersey City receiving S/PA scholarship students. Students must first be accepted to the school before receiving the S/PA application link through the Financial Aid Office.
• Roselle Catholic High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school in Roselle receiving S/PA scholarship students. Part of the network of five private Catholic high schools in the program.
• St. Benedict's Preparatory SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school in Newark (includes Girls Division) receiving S/PA scholarship students. Many S/PA alumni return to mentor at this school.
• St. Dominic AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school in Jersey City receiving S/PA scholarship students as part of the five-school network.
• Saint Vincent AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school in Newark receiving S/PA scholarship students as part of the five-school network.
• Seton Hall UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeton Hall University hosts the S/PA Winter Party event for mentors, mentees, and parents.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Cristo Rey Network: National network of Catholic, college-prep high schools serving low-income urban students via corporate work-study, with embedded counseling and alumni support. Comparable in mission, target population, and Catholic-school channel, though funding model differs (work-study vs. tuition assistance).
• ACE Scholarships: National K-12 private school scholarship nonprofit serving low-income families, with wraparound family support including mentoring. Direct mission match with S/PA, though ACE operates across multiple states rather than one region.
• Big Shoulders Fund: Chicago-based nonprofit providing scholarships and supportive services to students attending Catholic schools, with a similar tuition-assistance-plus-support model. Closest structural analog to S/PA, though operating at a larger scale and confined to Chicago.

Regional players

• Hope for the Children: Funds private-school scholarships and wraparound support for low-income students, mirroring S/PA's combined tuition-plus-mentoring approach. Geographic overlap is partial but program mechanics are highly comparable.
• Foundation for Catholic Education (Diocese of Metuchen/Trenton): Diocesan scholarship funds supporting Catholic-school attendance for low-income New Jersey students. Closely aligned on faith-based school channel and NJ footprint, though typically without the one-on-one mentoring wraparound S/PA emphasizes.
• New Jersey SEEDS: New Jersey-based nonprofit providing scholarships and mentoring for high-achieving low-income students to access competitive high schools and colleges. Operates in the same NJ market as S/PA with nearly identical program design.

Broad incumbents

• Step Up For Students: Florida-based scholarship funding organization administering tax-credit and voucher scholarships at much greater scale. Comparable in the tuition-assistance function but operates a far larger and more institutionally complex model.

Emerging players

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties: Mentoring-focused nonprofit matching youth with adult mentors in the same Northern NJ counties S/PA serves. Highly comparable on the mentoring component and target geography, though not paired with a tuition-scholarship product.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/partner_student
• Facebookfacebook.com/StudentPartnerAlliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studentpartneralliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/studentpartneralliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Student Partner Alliance