6 March 2009
Greetings:
This is our monthly email discussing news relating to The Detroit College
Promise. Our charity provides undergraduate tuition scholarships for high
school graduates in the Detroit Public Schools (DPS). At the high schools
where the program is in place, almost all students are eligible for our
scholarships. Based on the similar Kalamazoo Promise, we believe these
scholarships will transform Detroit into a center of innovation and brainpower,
as the motivation of college scholarships changes the education culture in Detroit, and as young professionals with college aspirations for their children move into Detroit and bring new businesses with them.
Scholarship applications are in: We now have 130 scholarship applicants from Cody High School in Detroit, our pilot high school, who are eligible for our undergraduate scholarship. We are paying $250 per semester or $500 per year towards the balance due for tuition and mandatory fees, after application of Federal, State and college grants based on the federal financial aid form (FAFSA). The award is only for Michigan public colleges or universities. Some students will not receive an award the first year, because (a) they don't attend college immediately, (b) they attend a non-Michigan or private school, or (c) their FAFSA related grants pay their entire tuition. However, if their circumstances change within 10 years of graduation, they can still receive money from us.
Future plans: We plan to expand the program each year until it covers all
DPS high schools. We currently are meeting with interested principals and
other support groups for particular high schools.
We also plan to build our endowment, and to increase the scholarship amount as
funds are available.
We've simplified: Our "two minute" application form is now even easier to
complete, as we don't require a social security number or submission of
transcripts. However, since we communicate primarily by email, we do
require email addresses for the student and a "concerned adult" who
will get copies of the student emails. We also plan to start online
applications in the fall.
Our eligibility criteria are also simple. For the graduating classes of
2009 to 2012, the criteria are merely that students enroll at Cody High School and reside in Detroit continuously from the target date of December 1, 2008
through graduation. For graduating classes of 2013 and forward, the
target date is the first day of ninth grade.
Donations: We received a new donation of $5,000 from the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and have received donations from other businesses and
individuals, as indicated on our Donors page (click here).
We have now received our 501(c)(3) tax exempt designation from the Internal
Revenue Service (click here
for the letter).
Fundraising: Now that we have our 501(c)(3) status, we are applying for grants
from non-profits and businesses. Although we previously used another
non-profit, the Youth Development Commission, to process our donations, many
foundations are reluctant to give to an organization without its own tax exempt
status.
We are also participating in parlor meetings, in which our supporters invite
friends to an informal meeting to learn about our program. Contact us if
you might be interested in holding a parlor meeting for The Detroit College
Promise.
Contribute
now! Every donation tells the
world that another Detroiter is committed to the region and believes in the
value of education. We hope that you, your friends and your colleagues
will contribute. Click here
to go directly to the Contribute page. You can pay online by clicking on
our new Donate button, or pay by check by printing out our contribution
forms. For businesses that contribute $100 or more, we also post a link
to their website.
Don't forget - 100% of all contributions is paid to Michigan public
colleges and universities for scholarships, or used to build our endowment for
future scholarships. No money is paid to DPS, students, parents or any
other individual or entity. We pay no administrative costs,
because they are entirely paid by our sponsoring business,
PathologyOutlines.com.
Presentations: We recently made presentations at the
Cody 9th grade award ceremony and to their staff. We also made
presentations to staff at the Cody upper school (10th to 12th grades) and at a
Cody financial aid seminar for parents and students. The attached photo
is of Nat Pernick, Executive Director, and Johnathon Matthews, Principal at the
Cody upper school.
Contact us: Please contact us with any
comments or suggestions.
Nat Pernick, M.D.
Executive Director
The Detroit College Promise
Telephone: 248/646-3269
Fax: 248/646-3119
Email: NatPernick@Hotmail.com