THERE IS NO STOPPING US A BETTER CHANCE 2014 ANNUAL REPORT The mission of A Better Chance is to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. A BETTER CHANCE 2014 ANNUAL REPORT LETTER FROM PRESIDENT & BOARD CHAIR At the 2014 A Better Chance Awards Luncheon on June 20, 2014 A Better Chance launched our first ever campaign—a $20 million transformative plan to expand student opportunity, ensure success in school, college and beyond, and build sustainability. By the year 2020, A Better Chance will EXPAND our programs to serve more students, deepen SUPPORT to students to ensure success, and SUSTAIN the pipeline of diverse leaders by engaging Alumni more fully and leveraging our Alumni network. To date we have raised more than $12 million towards our $20 million financial goal. The work towards achieving our programmatic goals is already underway. During the 2014 fiscal year we increased our capacity to reach Sandra E. Timmons more students and work with them in a more involved way through the first full-year implementation of an in-depth 18 month admissions process and an online application and student information system. In 2014, A Better Chance leveraged $7.8 million dollars in financial aid for newly placed Scholars through our long standing relationships with a network of 317 Member Schools—an 8% increase over the amount leveraged in 2013. Since 1963, A Better Chance has been a driving force in the effort to increase educational attainment among youth of color. Our record of success is evident in the more than 14,000 Alumni who have become leaders in their respective fields and their success is a direct result of the educational access they received through A Better Chance. Ronald R. Pressman Our accomplishments would have been impossible without the steadfast support of our many program partners, friends and Alumni. With your help, we are confident we will reach our goal of nearly doubling the number of Scholars served annually by 2020. Working together, we will continue to strengthen the pipeline of diverse leaders by helping talented, young people realize their leadership potential, and in doing so, position our society for great success in the future. Thank you for your continued belief in and support of our important mission to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. Sandra E. Timmons Ronald R. Pressman President Chair, National Board of Directors Program Update & Accomplishments ....2 Statement of Activities .........................10 College Partners .................................... 4 Supporters ............................................ 11 Member Schools ....................................5 National Board of Directors ................. 15 A Better Chance on the Map ..................8 National Staff .......................................16 PROGRAM UPDATE FINDING TALENT OFTEN OVERLOOKED • A Better Chance is the oldest and only national organization of its kind serving approximately 2,000 students chosen for their motivation, academic strength and potential who are enrolled in more than 300 of the nation’s most rigorous and prestigious boarding, day and public schools through its signature College Preparatory Schools Program (CPSP) • About half of our Scholars’ families make less than $54,000 — the average national household income 96% of A Better Chance • 44% of our Scholars live in single parent households graduating seniors enroll directly • We recruit and place approximately 500 students per year in college in outstanding educational opportunities TOTAL ENROLLMENT GENDER CURRENT SCHOLAR STATS for Academic Year 2013 – 2014 1,971 59% 41% SCHOLARS FEMALE MALE MEMBER SCHOOLS BY TYPE ETHINICITY 67% African American 193 Independent Day Schools 15% Hispanic/Latino 8% Mulitiracial/Biracial 102 Independent Boarding Schools 6% Asian 317 3% Other SCHOOLS 22 Community School Programs <1% Native American 2 | A Better Chance | 2014 Annual Report 2014 ACCOMPLISHMENTS EXPAND. SUPPORT. SUSTAIN. WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR PROGRAM BY: • Adding 11 new Member Schools resulting in 317 schools nationwide • Offering Spanish-language informational materials to extend our reach into Spanish-speaking communities nationwide WE WERE BETTER ABLE TO SUPPORT STUDENTS AND FAMILIES BY: • Developing a National Scholar Family Directory to make it easier for Scholars and families to make connections and expanded engagement opportunities to build affinity within the A Better Chance community • Expanding summer enrichment opportunities by adding new partners, for example Notre Dame, Student Diplomacy Corps, and i2 Camp • Adding test preparation, writing and math workshops and interview preparation for applicant cohorts WE SUSTAINED THE ORGANIZATION AND OUR ALUMNI NETWORKS BY: • Completing an Alumni Directory which will enable A Better Chance Alumni to connect and network with industry and regional peers • Growing our endowment, which will sustain the organization in good times and in lean ones A Better Chance | 2014 Annual Report | 3 2014 COLLEGE PARTNERS AFFILIATED COLLEGES We would like to thank our Affiliated Colleges program partners. These colleges and universities partnered with A Better Chance during the 2013–2014 academic year to demonstrate their co m m i t m e n t t o d i v e r si t y a n d e d u c a t i o n a l a c c e ss . T h e y p r o v i d e e ss e n t i a l r e s o u r c e s , l i ke a p p l i c a t i o n fee waivers and admissions workshops, to assist our Scholars throughout their application process and give further consideration to Scholar applicants, particularly in terms of financial aid. (List as of August 31, 2014) Amherst College (85) Denison University (39) St. Thomas Aquinas College (5) Arcadia University (4) Drexel University (63) Trinity College (18) Barnard College (83) Emory University (118) Tufts University (231) Bates College (21) Franklin & Marshall College (49) University of Chicago (56) Boston University (142) Harvey Mudd College (4) University of Delaware (29) Bowdoin College (39) Lafayette College (34) University of Richmond (11) Carleton College (63) Loyola Marymount (32) University of Rochester (80) Carnegie Mellon University (67) Northwestern University (134) University of Southern California (220) Claremont McKenna College (20) Notre Dame University (3) The University of Tampa (9) Colgate University (82) Occidental College (72) University of Virginia (150) Cornell University (192) Reed College (11) Vassar College (98) The College of William and Mary (17) Rice University (19) Wesleyan University (341) Dartmouth College (111) Smith College (54) Worcester Polytechnic Institute (9) Davidson College (12) Stanford University (226) Numbers in parenthesis indicate matriculated A Better Chance Alumni. A Better Chance Alumna Moriah Richardson St. Andrew’s School, 2014 Northwestern University, 2018 “Simply put, the person who I am today wouldn’t exist without A Better Chance.” 4 | A Better Chance | 2014 Annual Report 2014 MEMBER SCHOOLS MEMBER SCHOOLS Since 1963, A Better Chance has partnered with many of the most rigorous and prestigious college preparatory schools across the country. To date, we work with 317 such institutions across 27 states committed to educating young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. Approximately a third of our schools have been partners for more than 35 years. Further, 16 of our schools are founding schools and have partnered with us from the very beginning. Our Member Schools are the life blood of our work, steadfast in the idea that a better education leads to a better life, and exemplifying that commitment by accepting approximately 500 new A Better Chance Scholars each year. The list below reflects our top 100 partners nationwide. All Boys School | All Girls School | * 5-day Boarding School | Original Partner School | Over 35 Year History NORTHEAST REGION (NY, Northern Riverdale Country School, Bronx, NY St. Luke’s School, New Canaan, CT NJ, ME, CT, NH, MA, RI, VT) Rudolf Steiner School, New York, NY St. Sebastian’s School, Needham, MA Rye Country Day School, Rye, NY Thayer Academy, Braintree, MA NY & Northern NJ Day Schools: School of the Holy Child, Rye, NY Waring School, Beverly, MA The Brearley School, New York, NY The Spence School, New York, NY The Winsor School, Boston, MA Brooklyn Friends School, Brooklyn, NY St. Bernard’s School, New York, NY Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, Northeast Boarding Schools: St. David’s School, New York, NY Brooklyn, NY Avon Old Farms School, Avon, CT St. Luke’s School, New York, NY The Calhoun School, New York, NY Berkshire School, Sheffield, MA Staten Island Academy, Staten Island, NY The Cathedral School of St. John the Blair Academy, Blairstown, NJ The Town School, New York, NY Divine, New York, NY Brooks School, North Andover, MA Trevor Day School, New York, NY The Chapin School, New York, NY Buxton School, Williamstown, MA Village Community School, New York, NY City and Country School, New York, NY The Cambridge School of Weston, The Waldorf School of Garden City, Collegiate School, New York, NY Weston, MA Garden City, NY Convent of the Sacred Heart, Canterbury School, New Milford, CT New York, NY ME, CT, NH, MA, RI, VT Day Schools: Cardigan Mountain School, Canaan, NH The Dalton School, New York, NY Beaver Country