The first three scholars: Nitzia, Marisol, and Miriam
The Peninsula College Fund (PCF) began in 2005 as the dream of an educator troubled by the high college drop-out rate of first-generation/low-income youth from the Mid-Peninsula/San Mateo County. What began as a grassroots effort providing scholarships and mentoring to three motivated East Palo Alto students has grown exponentially, demonstrating remarkable success with its mission to empower first-generation/low-income college students to graduate and achieve their career goals. PCF is committed to breaking the cycle of generational poverty, not only for deserving young people but their families as well, improving their circumstances while strengthening our community.
PCF originally focused on college persistence and graduation, but soon recognized this as merely the first step to career success for first-gen minority students. Staying in school, despite social, familial and financial obstacles, inequitable access to resources, bias/barriers, and finding employment upon graduation are very challenging for those with few professional role models, networks, etc. Transitioning from high school to college is a critical juncture, as is going from college into the competitive job market.
Designed to address the specific, unique challenges faced by first-generation students, PCF’s multi-pronged foundational programs includes: Scholarships/Financial Support and Wraparound Services (Mentors, Trainings/Workshops, Internship Support). This holistic, high-touch, comprehensive approach supports PCF scholars throughout the college years, gets them over the graduation finish line, and prepares them to enter the competitive job market with career-ready skills.
PCF has partnered with 20+ local high schools, working with guidance counsellors and administration to identify students to apply to the PCF program. We intentionally target students with a 2.8-3.8 GPA, aka “chunky middle” who are often overlooked for students with higher GPAs, PCF students, often working part-time jobs and/or caring for younger siblings, have overcome obstacles and are motivated to persevere and succeed. All students come from low-income families, with most defined as “very low or extremely low-income” per HUD.
In 2016, we extended our geographic reach from San Mateo County to Santa Clara County, and because of growing need, in 2022, we opened enrollment to all seniors in high schools throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. In fact, a survey showed that approximately 400 San Mateo County students and 1,000 Santa Clara County students would qualify for PCF support.
Since its founding, PCF has served 670+ students and awarded over $5.4M+ in scholarships. As a result of the comprehensive, high-touch services we provide, PCF scholars have a cumulative 88% 6-year graduation rate vs. 21% nationwide for the same demographic, and our students graduate with little or no debt.
We look for talented students with outstanding academic potential who value mentoring and are motivated to contribute to their community and family.
