ST. LOUIS COLLEGE ACCESS COMMUNITY “BATTING 500”

St. Louis brought home two of four National College Access Network (NCAN) 2013 Awards of Excellence from the 2013 National Conference held in Nashville, Tennessee. College Bound and The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis were selected for this all-star honor from over 1,000 eligible organizations. College Bound received the 2013 College Access Organization Award of Excellence. Faith Sandler, Executive Director of The Scholarship Foundation, received the 2013 Executive Leadership Award of Excellence. USA Funds sponsored the awards.

The 2013 College Access Organization Award of Excellence recognizes the work of a college access/success program that is committed to college access and success so that all students, especially those underrepresented in postsecondary education, can achieve their educational dreams. Since 2006, College Bound has been operating with the belief that one student with a college degree can end the intergenerational cycle of poverty within a family line. College Bound provides promising students from under-resourced backgrounds with the academic enrichment, social supports, and life skills needed to succeed in college and careers with a comprehensive, year-round curriculum that starts in ninth grade and continues through college completion. With a focus on career exposure, community engagement, test preparation, social-emotional development and academic enrichment, College Bound’s “whole child approach” ensures that students not only get to college, they graduate.

College Bound’s programs serve a population of over 1,400 students in the St. Louis community. Nearly 100% of high school graduates who participate in College Bound earned admission to four-year colleges or universities. As a further testament to success, 60 to 75% of College Bound students will graduate from college within six years—the same rate as their highest income peers.

The 2013 Executive Leadership Award of Excellence recognizes the dedication and hard work of an individual serving as a college access program’s Executive Director, President, or as a member of its board of directors. Faith Sandler has been Executive Director of The Scholarship Foundation for almost 25 years. Under her visionary leadership, The Scholarship Foundation has tripled the funding for interest-free loans and grants for postsecondary education to $4 million dollars per year. Over 600 low-income and first-generation students are supported annually, with 88% of recipients on track to graduate in four years.  

The Scholarship Foundation exists to provide opportunity to underserved students, and Sandler has helped develop programs beyond postsecondary funding to further this mission. The Student Advocate and Advising Program helps over 2,500 students and families annually with financial aid literacy and college affordability advising through one-on-one sessions, public workshops, and clinics. Today, the Foundation is known as one of the leading community experts on the financial aid process. In 2012,  the Foundation has initiated and developed a Community Internship Program to provide students with paid internships in community organizations. 

Additionally, both the Foundation and College Bound are key members of St. Louis Graduates, a collaboration of community organizations that aims to increase the percent of adults in the St. Louis region with a degree to 50% by 2020; Sandler co-chairs St. Louis Graduates and Lisa Ordin Zarin, College Bound CEO, is a member of the steering committee.

About College Bound

Founded in 2006, College Bound is the only program in the St. Louis region with a year-round curriculum that includes career exposure, community engagement, test preparation, social-emotional development, and academic enrichment so that students not only get to college, but graduate from college. College Bound is fully funded by generous supporters who share in the belief of the transformative power of higher education. There is no cost to the students, families, and schools College Bounds serves. College Bound has been named a national “Blueprint for Success” by the Educational Policy Institute; among America's 100 top performing non-profits delivering "high-impact solutions to America's most pressing problems with proof of results and readiness to grow" by the Social Impact 100; and is a proud United Way member agency. For more information on College Bound, please visit www.collegeboundstl.org.

About The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis is a nonprofit organization based upon the conviction that an educated citizenry is essential to a democracy. The Foundation helps area students access postsecondary education through interest-free loans and grants, as well as programs designed to help students and families navigate the financial aid process and avoid excessive debt. Since 1920, more than 10,500 students have been awarded over $58 million in interest-free loans and $3.8 million in grants. For more information on The Scholarship Foundation, please visit www.sfstl.org.

About NCAN

NCAN’s mission is to build, strengthen, and empower communities committed to college access and success so that all students, especially those underrepresented in postsecondary education, can achieve their educational dreams. NCAN achieves this by uniting key organizations dedicated to increasing college access and success. With these members and partners, NCAN develops and supports programs and policy solutions that help more students enter and complete college and other postsecondary training.

About USA Funds

Established in 1960, USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that helps students prepare for, access, and achieve success in postsecondary education by providing and supporting them with financial and other valued services. Over the past 50 years, USA Funds has supported a total of $247 billion in financial aid for higher education and has served approximately 22.4 million students and parents, as well as thousands of educational and financial institutions.