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Students at a Paying for College Bus Tour stop, Reading, PA

$122 Million Grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Benefit D.C. Kids

A $122 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will enable the D.C. College Success Foundation and the D.C. College Access Program (DC-CAP) to provide “D.C. Achievers” scholarships and additional support over the next 10 years to students in Washington, D.C.

Specifically, the grant will target more than 2,000 low-income students in Wards 7 and 8, areas where only one in three students finishes high school within five years and only one in 20 high-school graduates earns a college degree within five years.

The D.C. College Success Foundation will award the first “D.C. Achievers” scholarships to approximately 175 juniors this spring at six D.C. high schools: Anacostia Senior High School, Ballou Senior High School, H.D. Woodson Senior High School, Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School, Maya Angelou Public Charter School – Evans Campus, and Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School.

A long-time supporter of DC-CAP, The Sallie Mae Fund hosted the 24th Annual Sallie Mae 10K Race on Sunday, May 6 in Washington, D.C. to benefit the organization’s efforts. Since 2000, The Sallie Mae Fund has provided nearly $1.6 million — from event proceeds, sponsorships, and grants — to help DC-CAP send local students to college.

Learn more about the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's grant.