Kalamazoo Promise

Critical context for grant seekers: The Kalamazoo Promise is an operating foundation, not a traditional grant-making body. It does not issue grants to nonprofits, community organizations, or institutions through an open RFP process. Founded in 2005 by a group of anonymous private donors, it functions as a direct-scholarship program providing college tuition coverage to graduates of Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS). This distinction is fundamental — organizations cannot apply for grants in the conventional sense.

For eligible KPS students, the giving philosophy is built around unconditional access: remove tuition as a financial barrier without income tests, essays, or competitive selection. The Promise covers up to 100% of in-state tuition and mandatory fees at 60+ Michigan public colleges, universities, trade schools, and vocational programs. Benefit percentages range from 65% (students who enrolled in KPS only in grades 9–12) to 100% (continuous K–12 enrollees). There is no application fee and no academic performance threshold to initially qualify — only residency and enrollment history matter at the application stage.

For institutional partners, the pathway is through relationship-building, not grant applications. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and — most recently — Wayne State University have each developed formal structured pathways that layer institution-specific supports (housing scholarships, textbook funds, transportation) on top of Promise tuition coverage. These partnerships are initiated through direct outreach to Promise leadership, and successful models demonstrate concrete benefits to scholar completion rates.

For organizations aligned with the Promise's mission — student support nonprofits, workforce development groups, K–12 support organizations — the pathway is demonstrating alignment with three strategic pillars: increasing post-secondary credential attainment for KPS graduates, re-engaging adult learners with unused scholarship dollars, and connecting scholars with regional workforce opportunities. CEO Von Washington leads current program strategy; President Janice M. Brown chairs the all-volunteer board (zero officer compensation), reflecting a lean model that channels virtually all resources directly to scholars. All three board officers have served across multiple filing years, indicating stable and consistent governance.

Annual scholarship disbursements have nearly tripled over 12 years, growing from $8.7 million in FY2011 to $24.2 million in FY2023, with unbroken year-over-year growth across every recorded period:

• FY2011: $8.7M | FY2012: $9.7M | FY2013: $10.6M | FY2014: $11.7M | FY2015: $12.8M
• FY2019: $18.3M | FY2020: $19.4M | FY2021: $19.7M | FY2022: $21.2M | FY2023: $24.2M

Cumulative lifetime giving has exceeded $255 million to 9,300+ scholars over 20 years, implying an average lifetime per-scholar award of approximately $27,400 — though individual awards vary significantly based on years in KPS, institution type, and enrollment duration (maximum 145 credits over 10 years).

The financial model is distinctly pass-through: annual contributions received ($26.3M in FY2023) flow almost entirely through to scholarships in the same fiscal year, with minimal asset accumulation (total assets of $11.1M at FY2023 year-end despite distributing $24.2M that year). Net investment income ($24.1M in FY2023) reflects returns on the anonymous donor endowment rather than a traditional foundation reserve. Total revenue reached $28.1M in FY2023.

100% of identified giving is program-related scholarship payments to students — IRS filing data shows zero grants to external organizations in any filing year. The April 2026 community college coverage expansion to 100% tuition at 31 institutions is expected to increase annual disbursements measurably in FY2026, as the estimated 425 affected students receive higher per-student amounts than under prior partial coverage.

Geographically, 100% of scholarship funding flows exclusively to students from the Kalamazoo Public Schools district in Kalamazoo, Michigan — the most hyperlocal geographic concentration of any education foundation at this funding scale.

The five database peers are matched by asset size (approximately $21 million) and NTEE education category. Critically, the Kalamazoo Promise operates as a pass-through operating scholarship foundation rather than a traditional grant-making foundation, making direct comparison imprecise — but the table provides useful market context for scale, throughput, and model.

What distinguishes the Kalamazoo Promise from these peers is its extraordinary revenue-to-asset throughput ratio: at $28.1M in annual revenue against $11.1M in assets, it distributes more than twice its total asset base every year. Conventional foundations at the $21M asset level typically distribute 5% annually (roughly $1M); the Promise disburses 24 times that. For grant seekers seeking comparable place-based scholarship models, better comparators are the Pittsburgh Promise, Say Yes to Education (Buffalo), or the El Dorado Promise — all of which share the anonymous-donor, community-transformation, direct-tuition model.

April 15, 2026 — On the program's 20th anniversary, CEO Von Washington announced that all Promise-eligible scholars at participating Michigan community colleges (31 institutions) now receive up to 100% coverage of in-state tuition and mandatory fees, an increase from prior partial coverage. The change was timed to the anniversary and is projected to benefit approximately 425 students, based on 2025 data showing 56% of all Promise scholars choosing community college pathways.

December 3, 2025 — Wayne State University launched the K2W (Kalamazoo to Wayne) pathway in formal partnership with the Kalamazoo Promise and KVCC, providing Promise-eligible scholars with a comprehensive bundle: tuition coverage, a housing scholarship, textbook support, and guaranteed transportation home during academic breaks. This represents the most expansive institutional partnership package in the program's history to date.

Fall 2025 — The 5th annual Higher Promise regional business challenge recruited employers across the Kalamazoo area to post paid summer internships specifically for Promise scholars, continuing a workforce-alignment initiative now entering its second half-decade.

November 2024 — The Michigan Center for Adult College Success awarded a $620,000 grant to a consortium of WMU, KVCC, and the Kalamazoo Promise to fund 'Completing the Kalamazoo Promise,' targeting adults aged 25 and older who hold unused Promise scholarship dollars but have not yet completed a post-secondary credential.

No leadership transitions were identified in recent research. President Janice M. Brown, Treasurer Barbara L. James, and Secretary Martha Warfield remain in their roles based on the most recent available IRS filing data. The You Make A Difference Awards 2026 recognized 27 recipients from KPS schools and departments, reflecting continued community engagement programming alongside the scholarship core.

The Kalamazoo Promise does not accept external grant applications from organizations. The guidance below is tailored to the two audiences who can engage with this funder: eligible KPS student-scholars, and institutions or organizations seeking partnership.

For KPS students applying for the scholarship:

• Begin in fall of senior year, not spring. The 2-page application and Start Survey both open in fall semester of your final KPS year. Do not wait — your eligibility percentage calculation and connection to support services depend on timely submission. No published hard deadline exists, but early submission prevents processing delays that could affect your college financial aid package.

• Use portal.kalamazoopromise.com exclusively. All steps — account creation, the application form, the Start Survey, and the Scholarship Acceptance Form — are completed through the portal. There is no parallel paper process.

• File your Scholarship Acceptance Form (SAF) the moment you choose a school. In spring or summer after senior year, the moment you have your college acceptance and student ID number, submit the SAF. This is the authorization document that connects the Promise to your student account — without it, no funds disburse, even if you are fully eligible.

• Calculate your benefit percentage before committing to a school. Students with K–12 continuous enrollment receive 100%; those who enrolled in grade 9 only receive 65%. This percentage, applied to tuition at your chosen institution, determines your actual annual benefit — and therefore how much of your remaining financial need must be covered by Pell, loans, or institutional aid.

• Maintain 2.0 GPA per semester, not just cumulatively. A single semester below 2.0 can pause the scholarship. Monitor grades actively and seek academic support early in any semester where you anticipate challenges.

• Track your credit balance and 10-year window. The scholarship terminates at 145 paid credits or 10 years from KPS graduation, whichever comes first. Students who change majors frequently, take excess electives, or have multi-year enrollment gaps are most at risk of exhausting the benefit prematurely.

For institutional and organizational partners:

• Contact info@kalamazoopromise.com or (269) 337-0037 and frame your outreach around demonstrated impact on scholar completion rates. Model your proposal on existing partnerships (WMU, KVCC, Wayne State) that combine Promise tuition access with institution-specific wrap-around supports.