The Promise Scholar Program recognizes that resilience and determination come in many forms. The program provides enhanced support and wraparound services to a smaller cohort of Mitchell Scholars who have demonstrated remarkable resilience in overcoming significant challenges such as homelessness, involvement in the foster care system, or family instability.

Promise Scholars receive the $10,000 Mitchell Scholarship along with specialized support: a weekend to build community with fellow Promise Scholars as they prepare for college, personalized one-on-one guidance from staff, a care package at the start of the first year, and access to emergency funds for unexpected expenses that might otherwise prevent graduation.

History & Funding

In 2013, the John T. Gorman Foundation made a generous pilot commitment to create and support an additional cohort of Mitchell Scholars from at-risk and vulnerable populations, beginning with the Class of 2014. With the success of the initial cohorts, the Foundation provided continued long-term support for the Promise Scholar Program until 2022, before providing one final $500,000 grant to fund the program through 2025.

Since then, additional donors, including the Davis Family Foundation, have stepped forward to ensure that this essential work continues.

“Thanks to the JTG Foundation’s belief in the Promise Program, we were able to take on our deepest and most impactful equity-driven work. The Promise Program has shown us the powerful transformation that can occur from a high-touch program rooted in trust and community. Our Scholars have a 90% graduation rate, and the Promise Program continues to show the importance of individual care and community support in helping students achieve their goals.”