Fund Initiatives

The Posse Foundation

Posse scholars at the University of Wisconsin Posse scholars at the University of Wisconsin

The Posse Foundation identifies, recruits, and trains an ethnic mix of student leaders from public high schools to form multicultural teams called "Posses." It selects students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who are ambitious, motivated, and smart, yet may be overlooked by the traditional college selection process.

These teams are prepared, through an eight-month intensive pre-collegiate training program, for enrollment at top-tier universities nationwide to pursue their academics and to help promote cross-cultural communication on campus.

Posse has sites in six major cities across the United States: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. The program has seen significant success in its urban Posse Centers—with 90% of Posse scholars either graduating from college or working toward a degree. Posse relies on donors.

DC Posse

In 2004, The Sallie Mae Fund provided funding to establish a DC Posse Center to serve students throughout the metro D.C. area. Posse partner universities provide full four-year college scholarships to Posse students. DC Posse partners include:

  • Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
  • Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pa.
  • Lafayette College, Lafayette, La.
  • Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.

The Sallie Mae Fund also pledged a $5 million challenge grant to the Posse Foundation National Endowment.