You Can Bridge
the Opportunity Gap

Higher Education is
Life-Changing…
Don’t Let Low-Income
Students Miss Out

Higher education matters because it sets the standard of living. Postsecondary training has become essential. Those with postsecondary degrees are living longer, are healthier, are less likely to be unemployed, are more likely to own a home, are more likely to be civically engaged, and are more likely to have children who go to college. Yet only 10% of low-income students earn a degree by age 25. Helping a first-generation or low-income student attain higher education changes the trajectory of their life, as well as their family, their community, and our nation.

The Most Influential Person
in the Life of a 17-Year-Old…
Another 17-Year-Old

No other college access organization addresses the college access challenge by tapping a ready resource found in every high school in America: influential students. We were the pioneers and are the experts in capturing, structuring, and leveraging the power of positive peer influence. We have proof that harnessing and directing that influence in the most underserved schools can be an effective and scalable solution to our nation’s educational equity gap.

Multiply Resources Already Available in Every High School…

Today, there are numerous college access organizations, but few have an answer to finding the resources to lower the student-to-counselor ratio or increasing the time for postsecondary planning. By tapping an available resource found in every high school, PeerForward is not only effective, but efficient.

Invest in Peer Power

PeerForward engages corporations, foundations, and individuals in our urgent mission. The PeerForward model is designed to maximize philanthropic investments by scaling without significantly increasing costs.

We join forces with leading corporations to create solutions for the workforce challenges of tomorrow. Help us fortify low-income communities by advancing students’ career and higher learning opportunities.

We partner with outcomes-focused foundations seeking to boost the lifetime prospects of young Americans and to activate their capacity to influence peers toward achievement and fulfillment of their potential.

Philanthropic gifts large and small enable us to bring our unique model to more high school students, putting college and career success within their reach. To make a donation, click here.

An Effective and Efficient Solution

Our current five-year business plan ensures quality and continuous improvement as we seek to double the number of schools we work in from 110 to 220. The plan is expense efficient, built on economies of scale, and has diverse revenue streams. Over time, the cost per PeerForward team declines while philanthropy needs remain steady. Over the five-year period, PeerForward will serve 330,000 students, who will gain $235M in incremental grants to pay for college – a 9X return on investment!

“The Fossil Foundation is proud to be a supporter and an early investor in PeerForward. Their commitment to finding innovative solutions to help level the playing field for students is directly in line with our values. Like PeerForward, we believe in the power of the student voice and that unleashing the power of young people themselves is key to improving education.”

Janiece Evans-Page
Vice President – Fossil Global Philanthropy and Sustainability

Join These Supporters

Join PeerForward and our partners as we serve students from high schools in low-income communities, many the first in their family to seek higher learning, make it to and through college.

Leadership Level

The Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller Foundation

William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation

The Kapnick Foundation

Partner Level

Carnegie Corporation of New York

The Greenwald Foundation

Ford Foundation

The McCance Foundation

The Samberg Family Foundation

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Lutzker & Lutzker LLP

ECMC Foundation

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

Quest Foundation

Stupski Family Foundation

Supporter Level

Fei Family Foundation

Dodge & Cox

Volgenau Foundation

Johnny Carson Foundation

Wells Fargo

Jim Moran Foundation

Reinvent Stockton Foundation

ADP Foundation

Help Us Bridge the Gap Today

Thank you for considering an investment in PeerForward, a unique opportunity to support an unparalleled solution for improving college access in the nation’s neediest schools. The PeerForward method is proven effective and poised to grow in a way no other program can. Your investment can strengthen schools and communities and significantly improve the lives of students and their families in low-income communities for generations to come.

You Can Bridge
the Opportunity Gap