A city-wide scholarship and internship program for Birmingham school students is getting $1 million from a nonprofit philanthropic organization to support its mission, officials announced today.
The non-profit CAFE Group awarded the grant to Birmingham Promise Executive Director Samantha Williams.
Williams is among five winners of this year’s 1954 Project Luminary Award, which goes to leaders at organizations who are working to transform educational outcomes in Black communities.
“This is a testament to how powerfully our mission and students’ achievements resonate, reaching national donors who have hundreds of organizations and leaders to choose from,” Williams said. “I couldn’t be more excited for this partnership and the support and opportunities it will provide.”
Birmingham Promise covers up to four years of tuition in public Alabama colleges and universities for all Birmingham City Schools graduates.
To date, Promise has provided more than $15 million in tuition assistance to more than 1,600 graduates. The program has also provided internships to more than 350 high school seniors to help them to build career networks and enhance job skills.
Named for the year of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision which ended legally segregated schools, the 1954 Project is The CAFE Group’s flagship initiative dedicated to fulfilling the promise of equitable education throughout the country.
The Chicago-based CAFE Group gets its name from the home neighborhood of its founders. It was originally called the Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education.
Luminary Award winners receive $1 million in unrestricted funding for their programs and join a network of innovators transforming education.
“These leaders represent the breadth of innovation happening across the education ecosystem,” said Tiffany Thompson, Chief Impact Officer of The CAFE Group. “Together, this new class strengthens the infrastructure for lasting change and pushes us closer to a future where educational opportunity clears the way for every child to thrive.”
Williams said the significant investment will help Birmingham Promise increase the number of college graduates from Birmingham schools and bolster the organization’s aim to support students in achieving careers.
Today’s award announcement is the second recent major funding to the Birmingham Promise.
The group earlier this month was awarded a $112,500 three-year grant from the KPMG U.S. Foundation.
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