Achieve Atlanta scholarships empower students

By Jami Edwards, grants assistant, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has a robust scholarship program that helps students in our region accomplish their dream of post-secondary education. These scholarships were established by the Foundation’s philanthropic donors and during the 2016-2017 school year alone provided more than $2.5 million in funds for students in the region.

One such scholarship is Achieve Atlanta, a needs-based scholarship that supports Atlanta Public School (APS) students. For APS graduates attending a four-year college, Achieve Atlanta will award up to $5,000 per year, renewable for up to four years of school. For students attending a two-year college or technical credential program, the award is up to $1,500 per year, renewable for up to two years of school.

The APS class of 2016 was the first cohort of students to graduate with access the Achieve Atlanta scholarship. Over $2.3 million dollars in scholarships were awarded to over 600 students for the 2016-2017 academic year. The onboarding of the Achieve Atlanta scholarship has doubled the amount of scholarship funds awarded by the Community Foundation to students in the region. We expect to see a continued growth in aid awarded as our scholarship funds continue to expand. Georgia State University had the highest enrollment of Achieve Atlanta scholars, indicating that investing in the future of our youth is investing in the future of our metro-Atlanta community.

The deadline for APS student so apply for an Achieve Atlanta scholarship is May 31. Students can click here for more information and application materials.

This story originally appeared in the Saporta Report.