What The Renaissance Foundation does

The Renaissance Foundation is a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit, founded in 2005 by Irving Levin and Stephanie Fowler, that supports first-generation college students through its flagship Renaissance Scholars Program and affiliated scholarship tracks. The foundation provides direct scholarship funding alongside wraparound services such as mentorship, career readiness, and community engagement, partnering with organizations including Stand for Children Arizona, Stand for Children Oregon, College Possible, CareerSpring, Carpe Mundi, and the National Scholarship Providers Association. In the 2024-25 academic year, it disbursed approximately $4 million in scholarship support to 796 enrolled scholars attending 151 unique colleges and reported an 85% six-year graduation rate.

Programmatic offerings are structured by geography and partnership: the main Renaissance Scholars Program anchors Oregon operations, the Beat the Odds Scholarship operates jointly with Stand for Children Oregon, and the Stand Arizona Renaissance Scholars program delivers $20,000 scholarships targeted at Hispanic and Native American students in Arizona. The foundation also maintains an Illinois operating footprint.

The business model is donation- and sponsorship-driven rather than commercial: revenue is sourced from individual donors, institutional funders, corporate sponsors, and partnerships, and is deployed toward scholar stipends, programming, and a small internal operating team of 1-10 employees. In 2025 the foundation crossed a cumulative milestone of 1,000 alumni, added 215 new scholars, and celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Name

The Renaissance Foundation

Legal name

The Renaissance Foundation

Website

https://trfwebsite.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Renaissance Foundation is a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit founded in 2005 that provides scholarships, mentorship, and wraparound services to first-generation college students across Oregon, Arizona, and Illinois. Its Renaissance Scholars Program served 796 enrolled scholars at 151 colleges in 2024-25 with an 85% six-year graduation rate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Scholarship Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Scholarship foundation
• First-generation students
• College scholarship support
• Nonprofit education grants
• Scholar mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Scholarship Funding: The foundation provides scholarship support to first-generation college students. In 2024-25, they provided $4 million in scholarship support. Revenue comes from donations, sponsorships, and partnerships rather than traditional product/service revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Renaissance Foundation runs the Renaissance Scholars Program, a scholarship program that provides financial awards, mentorship, and community support to first-generation college students. In 2024–25, the foundation disbursed $4 million in scholarship support to 796 scholars attending 151 colleges, reporting an 85% six-year graduation rate. Related offerings include the Stand Arizona Renaissance Scholars ($20,000 scholarship in partnership with Stand for Children Arizona), Scholar Resources, an Alumni Program, and an Annual Program Review.

Product overview

The Renaissance Foundation operates the Renaissance Scholars Program as its core offering—a scholarship program for first-generation college students. The program provides financial support ($4M in 2024-25) alongside mentorship and community resources. Related offerings include the Stand Arizona Renaissance Scholars sub-program for Arizona students, Scholar Resources for current recipients, an Alumni Program for graduates, and Annual Program Reviews for impact reporting. The organization is not a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Renaissance Scholars Program A scholarship program providing financial support and mentorship to first-generation college students, with 796 enrolled scholars attending 151 unique colleges and an 85% six-year graduation rate.
• Stand Arizona Renaissance Scholars A $20,000 scholarship ($5,000/year for four years) for first-generation college students in Arizona who are Hispanic or Native American, offered in partnership with Stand for Children Arizona.
• Scholar Resources Comprehensive resources for current scholars including a resource library, college-specific resources, current scholar updates, and other scholarship opportunities.
• Alumni Program Support and community for Renaissance Scholars alumni, including alumni newsletter, alumni profiles, and ongoing connection opportunities.
• Annual Program Review Annual reporting on program outcomes including scholar enrollment, graduation rates, and scholarship distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% six-year graduation rate for supported scholars
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stand for Children ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint scholarship initiative offering $20,000 scholarships ($5,000/year for 4 years) to first-generation Hispanic or Native American college students in Arizona. The partnership addresses Arizona's workforce gap by supporting underrepresented students in obtaining college degrees.
• Stand for Children OregoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsors the Beat the Odds Scholarship for Oregon students who have overcome significant challenges. The foundation supports this scholarship program through annual sponsorship of the fundraising luncheon.
• National Scholarship Providers AssociationminorOthersMembership organization for scholarship providers. TRF is a member as indicated by the NSPA+ Member logo displayed on their website.
• College PossiblecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollege Possible coaches refer students to Renaissance Scholars Program and provide guidance through the college application process. Multiple scholar stories mention College Possible coaches as key mentors.
• Carpe MundiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit providing low-income, first-generation Portland college students with mentorship and study abroad scholarships. Partner scholar Grace Howard studied abroad in India through this program.
• CareerSpringminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCareer support organization that helps first-generation, low-income students find internships and jobs. TRF scholars are referred for career support services.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Questbridge: National nonprofit connecting high-achieving, low-income (predominantly first-generation) students with full scholarships at top colleges. Most directly comparable to TRF on target population and scholarship model, but at significantly larger scale.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): Manages scholarships and institutional support for students attending HBCUs — directly overlapping with TRF's HBCU applicant pathway. Operates at meaningfully greater scale with member institutions.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Provides large multi-year scholarships to high-achieving students with financial need, including a dedicated first-generation and low-income focus. Comparable mission and scholar cohort, with substantially larger individual award sizes.
• Dell Scholars: Michael & Susan Dell Foundation scholarship program targeting low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented college students. Comparable on scholar profile, multi-year award structure, and wraparound support.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: Largest nonprofit scholarship provider supporting Hispanic American students, including first-generation college students. Highly comparable on demographic focus, scholarship delivery, and partnership-driven outreach.
• American Indian College Fund: Provides scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native students, including first-generation learners. Comparable on scholarship focus and on serving Native American students — directly overlapping with TRF's Stand Arizona pathway.
• American Indian Graduate Center: Scholarship administrator supporting American Indian and Alaska Native graduate and undergraduate students. Overlaps with TRF's Native American-focused Arizona initiative and shares a foundation-funded grantmaking model.

Broad incumbents

• Coca-Cola Scholars Program: Large corporate-funded merit scholarship program reaching high-achieving high school seniors nationally. Broader in eligibility but comparable as a nonprofit scholarship administrator competing for the same pool of high-achieving, often first-generation applicants.

Emerging players

• Stand for Children: Education advocacy nonprofit that co-funds the Stand Arizona Renaissance Scholars program with TRF. Comparable on education equity mission; serves as a partner rather than a competitor, but represents a related outreach and scholarship funding channel.
• College Possible: Nonprofit providing near-peer coaching to low-income and first-generation students from college application through graduation. Already a referral partner of TRF; comparable in target population but differs in offering coaching rather than direct scholarships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-renaissance-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Renaissance Foundation