$1.9M College Access Challenge Grant Awarded to On Point for College to Help At-Risk Students Access College

ALBANY, NY (05/24/2012)(readMedia)-- The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) today announced a $1.9 million New York State College Access Challenge Grant (CACG) award to On Point for College, a highly successful non-profit organization whose mission is to break down barriers that hinder at-risk, inner-city youth from entering college and provide the support that empowers them to succeed.

Staff and 200 volunteers including mentors support students who are low income, homeless or living in other at-risk situations, On Point provides a full range of support, including college visits, basic college supplies, transportation, and retention services. Through this award, On Point will replicate its Syracuse-based model in two additional cities to provide college success services and interventions to more than 1,800 students annually.

"On Point for College offers a one-of-a-kind program that removes the roadblocks to college one student at a time," said Elsa Magee, HESC Acting President. "Their success in helping at-risk students complete college stems from the full range of services offered to their students once they enter college. I am pleased that we were able to include the replication of this truly unique model in our State's 2011 CACG application so that these services can be extended to assist an even greater number of students facing similar circumstances in other regions of our State."

"We are very grateful for this critical funding and for our partnership with New York State and the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation," said Ginny Donohue, On Point's executive director. "On Point for College works in inner city community centers and finds students who would otherwise fall through the cracks. These talented young adults never thought college was possible. By supporting all of them from application through college graduation we are helping to change lives degree by degree. This opportunity allows us to take this program, founded and nurtured in Syracuse, and share it with others in the State."

Funding for this project was made possible through a $7.05 million College Access Challenge Grant (CACG) awarded to the State by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in September 2011. The overall goal of the CACG Program is to increase the rate of low-income, minority, and underserved New York State students who are prepared to apply for and succeed in college, with a focus on students living below the poverty level. HESC has been the administrator of New York's CACG funding since receiving the Program's inception in 2008.

On Point will partner with Goddard Riverside Community Center in New York City to bring college success and retention services to their college students, along with a second yet-to-be determined upstate location.

###

About HESC: HESC is New York State's student financial aid agency that helps people pay for college and a national leader in providing need-based grant and scholarship award money to college-going students. At HESC's core are programs like the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), numerous state scholarships, federal college access grants and a highly successful College Savings program. HESC puts college within the reach of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers each year through programs like these and through the guidance it provides to students, families and counselors. In 2010-11, HESC helped more than 413,000 students achieve their college dreams by providing $991 million in grants, scholarships and federal student loan guarantees, including $855 million awarded through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).

About On Point for College: On Point for College's mission is to open the door to higher education for the inner city youth; to break down the barriers that hinder potential students from entering college; and to provide support that empowers them to succeed. For more than 13 years, On Point for College has helped over 3,300 first-generation youth to enroll in college, stay there, and succeed afterwards. On Point for College Inc. is funded through private donations and grants. Contributions may be made with direct individual support, bequests, employers, organizations, mentoring, and in-kind services. Financial contributions are tax-deductible. On Point for College Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Posted Thursday May 24, 2012 at 06:02 am by New York State Higher Education Services Corporation
Last Updated Wednesday June 06, 2012 at 02:19 pm