Capital Area Promise Scholars

Join us to increase the number of local students who achieve their college dreams

We value the opportunities that education makes possible and are committed to helping local students attain them, particularly those students who are too often left behind due to financial and academic barriers. Our Capital Area Promise (CAP) Scholars program aims to increase college completion rates among local students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education by pairing public financial aid awards with private scholarships and wraparound services that promote college attainment and completion.

The Capital Area Promise Scholars program pairs strategic, need-based scholarships with comprehensive advising services and support — ensuring Scholars have the tools to succeed in college.

Learn about the initiative that inspired this program

WHY FOCUS ON DEGREE COMPLETION?

Investing in our community's young people will make our region's civic and economic future more vibrant. Every local student who aspires to go to college should have the opportunity to complete a four-year degree. We invite you to join us and support our region's students' dreams and build a better future for our community.

Since the program launched in 2016, we have awarded over 650 need-based scholarships of up to $2,500 to Scholars. One hundred percent of the Scholars in the latest cohort are from low-income households, and 95% are students of color. Over half are young men of color, the students who have historically encountered the greatest barriers to college success. Through our partnerships, and with the support of this community, we are working to help ameliorate those barriers.

We need more students, from all segments of our community, to achieve college degrees. Learn why — and how the CAP Scholars program will help — in our brochure.

View the brochure

WHO'S BEHIND THE PROGRAM?

To launch this innovative program as part of our initiative to expand educational opportunities for local students, Preparing Students to Succeed in the New Economy, the Foundation was awarded three substantial grants from College Futures Foundation, a statewide philanthropic organization that has studied the experiences and achievements of 20,000 low-income California students who have received scholarship funds. 

In addition to our own direct investments in CAP Scholars, we have also received funding from the Frank H. and Eva B. Buck Foundation, the Central Valley Foundation, and many generous individual donors. As part of the program, we have partnered with local nonprofit organizations that use methods proven to increase college completion rates among traditionally represented students.