The Posse model works for both students and college campuses and is rooted in the belief that a small, diverse group of talented students—a Posse—carefully selected and trained, can serve as a catalyst for individual and community development. As the United States becomes an increasingly multicultural society, Posse believes that the leaders of the 21st century should reflect the country’s rich demographic mix. The key to a promising future for our nation rests on the ability of strong leaders from diverse backgrounds to develop consensus solutions to complex social problems. Posse’s primary aim is to train these leaders of tomorrow.

Since its founding, Posse has selected and trained more than 15,000 Posse Scholars. These young people have won $2.65 billion in full-tuition, merit-based scholarships from Posse’s partner colleges and universities and graduate at a rate of 90 percent. Posse currently has 81 partnerships with top-tier institutions of higher education and is supporting 4,200 Scholars in its high school to college program. To date, more than 10,000 Posse alumni are succeeding as leaders in every industry in the workforce and this number will continue to grow. Posse is developing a network of inclusive leaders who reflect the rich diversity of the American people and can help build a more just and equitable society.

Learn more by visiting possefoundation.org

Since 1997, SMART has supported students in overcoming systemic barriers on their journey to a college degree. SMART’s 12-year continuum of comprehensive support starts in 4th grade and continues through college. This includes school enrollment support, after-school enrichment, summer programming, college preparation, and college persistence. SMART identifies 4th grade students facing barriers to opportunity through a network of elementary schools and community-based organizations in San Francisco. More than 99% of SMART Scholars will be the first generation in their families to graduate from college, and four of every five SMART Scholars primarily speak a language other than English at home.

SMART’s unique model has proven that we can close the opportunity gap. SMART Scholars are 4.5x more likely to graduate from college than their low-income peers. Over the last decade, 100% of SMART Scholars have graduated high school and 95% have matriculated to college, compared to an 86% high school graduation rate in California and a nationwide 44% college matriculation rate for their low-income peers. 88% of SMART Scholars who entered college in the past six years have either graduated or are persisting in college.

Learn more by visiting thesmartprogram.org

Founded in 2019 by Stephen and Ayesha Curry, Eat. Learn. Play. is working to transform the public-school experience for a generation of Oakland kids. Within the Oakland Unified School District, our Whole Child, Whole School approach invests in four priorities: closing the literacy gap, creating incredible spaces within schools, providing nutritious food for kids and families, and ensuring access to the joy of sports. To date, Eat. Learn. Play. has provided more than 35 million meals to the community, placed over 1 million books in kids’ hands, transformed 25 Oakland schoolyards, and invested over $100 million to support Oakland students and families.

Learn more by visiting www.eatlearnplay.org