Some programs are about helping students get into college. Others are about helping them stay there. The Posse Foundation is about changing the face of American leadership.
Urban youth are being systematically excluded from pursuing educational opportunities, often due to limited access to high-performing schools and college preparatory experiences. Those who do go on to college are more likely to drop out compared to their suburban peers. This unique nonprofit foundation makes a lifelong commitment to each student taken under its wing—and the members of Posse extend that same spirit of mentoring and giving back when they enter the workforce.
Founded in 1989, Posse started because of one student who said, “I never would have dropped out of college if I had my posse with me.” Each year, Posse serves thousands of nominated students by selecting and training hundreds of Posse Scholars and matching them with more than 50 partnering universities offering four-year, full-tuition scholarships. The foundation identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes, and embeds them in something between a family and a community, helping them succeed not only in college, but professionally, for a lifetime. As a result, the average graduation and persistence rate of Posse Scholars is over 90%.