Denver Scholarship Foundation

TO EMPOWER DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS TO ENROLL IN AND GRADUATE (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) (CONTINUED) FROM POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

SCHOLARSHIPS: DENVER SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION (DSF) AWARDS NEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS TO DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS (DPS) GRADUATES WHO ENROLL IN ANY ONE OF OUR 31 POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS IN COLORADO, INCLUDING UNIVERSITIES, COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES. DSF AWARDS APPROXIMATELY $5M IN SCHOLARSHIPS EACH YEAR TO ROUGHLY 1,800 DSF SCHOLARS (DPS GRADUATES RECEIVING A DSF SCHOLARSHIP). THESE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE PROMISE-BASED, MEANING THAT EVERY DPS GRADUATE WHO MEETS THE QUALIFICATIONS RECEIVES A SCHOLARSHIP FOR UP TO FOUR YEARS, DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF COLLEGE THEY ATTEND. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) (CONTINUED - SCHOLARSHIPS)THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF OUR DSF SCHOLARS ARE AMONG THE MOST UNDER-REPRESENTED IN COLLEGE. ALL DSF SCHOLARS DEMONSTRATE FINANCIAL NEED, 90% ARE STUDENTS OF COLOR, AND 88% ARE FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS.IMPACT: SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2006 DSF HAS AWARDED OVER $52.4M IN SCHOLARSHIPS, CHANGING THE LIFE TRAJECTORY FOR 8,272 DPS GRADUATES.

COLLEGE ACCESS: DSF PROVIDES FREE CAREER AND COLLEGE ADVISEMENT SERVICES FOR STUDENTS AT 22 DPS HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGH 15 DSF FUTURE CENTERS, WHICH ARE ON-SITE RESOURCE CENTERS. COLLEGE ACCESS SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO OVER 5,000 DPS STUDENTS EACH YEAR. THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS SERVED DEMONSTRATE FINANCIAL NEED AND IDENTIFY AS PEOPLE OF COLOR; COACHING THESE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH THE COMPLEXITIES OF PLANNING, APPLYING, ENROLLING AND PAYING FOR COLLEGE IS THE CORE FUNCTION OF THIS MUCH-NEEDED PROGRAM. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)(CONTINUED - COLLEGE ACCESS)DSF FUTURE CENTERS ARE STAFFED WITH DSF COLLEGE ADVISORS WHO WORK ONE-ON-ONE WITH STUDENTS, HELPING THEM SELECT THE COLLEGE PATHWAY THAT BEST FITS THEIR ACADEMIC, FINANCIAL AND PERSONAL GOALS, WHICH HELPS ENSURE THEIR SUCCESS IN COLLEGE PERSISTENCE AND GRADUATION. IMPACT: DPS HIGH SCHOOLS WITH AN ON-SITE DSF FUTURE CENTER SEND MORE GRADUATING SENIORS TO COLLEGE, COMPARED TO HIGH SCHOOLS WITHOUT A DSF FUTURE CENTER.

COLLEGE SUCCESS: DSF PROVIDES CRITICAL WRAPAROUND SERVICES TO ALL DSF SCHOLARS, ENSURING EACH RECEIVES ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL AID, ACADEMIC, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT TO HELP THEM PERSIST AND GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE. DSF'S EMBEDDED TEAM OF DSF CAMPUS ADVISORS PROVIDE COLLEGE SUCCESS SERVICES DIRECTLY TO OVER 1,000 DSF SCHOLARS ENROLLED ON ONE OF THREE COLLEGES LOCATED ON DENVER'S AURARIA CAMPUS; FOR EACH OF DSF'S OTHER 28 COLLEGE PARTNERS (LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE STATE), DSF HAS AGREEMENTS IN PLACE WHICH ENSURE DSF SCHOLARS RECEIVE COLLEGE SUCCESS SERVICES THROUGH DESIGNATED CAMPUS AND FINANCIAL AID CONTACTS AT EACH INSTITUTION. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)(CONTINUED - COLLEGE SUCCESS)WITH 90.7% OF TOP PAYING JOBS IN COLORADO (THOSE OFFERING A LIVING WAGE) REQUIRING SOME SORT OF POSTSECONDARY CREDENTIAL, SUPPORTING DSF SCHOLARS TO AND THROUGH COLLEGE COMPLETION IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.IMPACT: COLLEGE SUCCESS DIRECTLY IMPACTS THE SUCCESS OF DSF SCHOLARS. BECAUSE OF THESE CRITICAL SUPPORT SERVICES, 82% OF THE MOST RECENT SIX-YEAR COHORT OF DSF SCHOLARS HAVE GRADUATED OR CONTINUE TO PERSIST IN THEIR DRIVE TO ATTAIN A COLLEGE CERTIFICATE OR DEGREE. THE SUCCESS DEMONSTRATED BY DSF SCHOLARS ADDITIONALLY ALLOWS FOR PARTIAL REIMBURSEMENT BY THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER'S VOTER-PROVED PROSPERITY DENVER FUND, ENSURING EVEN GREATER STUDENT ACCESS TO A POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF A DEGREE OR CERTIFICATE.DSF LEADS A UNIQUE, OUTCOME-ORIENTED PROGRAMMATIC COLLABORATION AMONG DPS, COLORADO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, THE CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER, AND THE STATE OF COLORADO. THIS COLLABORATION SUPPORTS THE DRIVE AND RESILIENCY OF DENVER'S STUDENTS-IN-NEED TO MAKE COLLEGE POSSIBLE, BRINGS FORTH UNLIMITED STUDENT POTENTIAL, BUILDS ECONOMIC MOBILITY FOR FAMILIES, AND STRENGTHENS THE ECONOMIC VITALITY FOR THE STATE OF COLORADO.