Potential Scholars participate in a holistic application process where we review their academic records, personal financial data, and references from individuals in their communities. We specifically look for students for whom our program is most likely to make a determinative impact on whether they complete college.
Graduate Gateway administers scholarships through the scholars program which provides college scholarships to students coming from poverty and/or homelessness. Each Graduate Gateway Scholar receives a scholarship each semester for up to eight semesters or until they graduate. We provide payments directly to the academic institutions to ensure that the funds are used for educational expenses.
Our scholarships are transferrable. Many low- income students are not able to continue at the schools that they first enroll in. As long as a student stays in good academic standing, they can take their scholarship with them if they transfer.
Most scholarships are open only to incoming freshman. Often the financial strain of paying for college increases as a student gets closer to graduation. As such, our program is open to college students at any point in their college career. We also accept applications from returning students and students transferring from community colleges.
We work hard to keep our overhead and administrative costs low so that every dollar donated has the maximum possible impact. We work closely with community partners who donate office space, computer equipment, and other valuable in-kind gifts which allow us to commit our funds directly to Graduate Gateway Scholars.
We received a prestigious 3-year federal grant through the AmeriCorps VISTA program which will allow us to expand our staffing and programming while keeping costs to a minimum. Through this grant we are able to add up to three full-time employees for a relatively small monthly fee. The overall goal of Graduate Gateway VISTAs is to increase the organization’s capacity to bring more individuals out of poverty through education. We also receive support and accountability to our goals through participation in the VISTA program.
We are partnering with Cornerstone Assistance Network which administers the AmeriCorps VISTA Grant and provides us with qualified staff at very little cost. Cornerstone Assistance Network is a 501 (c)(3), non-profit organization committed to helping churches, organizations, and volunteers become involved in the lives of the people in their community.
