As high school seniors anticipate college acceptance season, a Richmond nonprofit is working overtime to ensure the city’s students have the funding and guidance they need to succeed at whichever campus they end up.
The Richmond Promise provides high school seniors from Richmond and North Richmond up to $1,500 annually (over four years) to help them obtain a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree or Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificate from an accredited four-year university or community college. The free program, launched in 2014 thanks to a $35 million, 10-year investment by the Chevron Richmond Refinery, also provides guidance in obtaining other financial aid and grants and offers workshops and resources to assist students with the application process and transition to college.
The Richmond Promise scholarship application period opened Dec. 1. Click here to apply by the March 14 deadline. To receive the scholarship, all eligible students must complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application, which are due by March 2.
Need help filling out these forms? The Promise hosts financial aid workshops at various community and school locations for both students and their families. For information on workshops, office hours and community outreach presentations, contact the Richmond Promise at [email protected] or 510-230-0422.
For those interested in learning about other scholarships offered locally and nationally, the Promise offers a wealth of resources on this website page.
Also, make certain to follow the Promise Facebook and Twitter sites for updates.
Currently, over 780 students benefiting from the Promise program are representing Richmond at 96 colleges and universities. Seventy-percent of the students come from low-income families, and 72-percent are the first in their family to attend college, program officials say.
