In its almost 60-year history, 18,000 Alumni and their families have benefitted from the A Better Chance experience.
Dear A Better Chance Community,
Since I joined A Better Chance in February 2020, the world has gone through a tremendous amount of change and disruption. The pandemic has upended so much of our lives. However, with the support of our community—Scholars, Alumni, parents, member schools, corporate partners, donors, and volunteers—we have persisted in supporting the thousands of incredible young leaders that we serve and helping them pursue their dreams.
As an organization committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, A Better Chance has been working to be among the solutions to the persistent racial injustices in our country for nearly six decades. In that time, we have worked with young people coast-to-coast in partnership with over 200 of the nation’s best schools; our Scholars achieve a nearly 100% college enrollment rate with 85% going on to complete their degrees within four years; and we have an Alumni community that is now over 18,000 strong, with many enjoying successful careers and lives of leadership. As we look ahead to our 60th year in 2023, we are pursuing new opportunities to advance our mission and to augment our relationships with our partners to accelerate progress.
We have restructured our programmatic offerings to ensure that we are providing vital support to our Scholars and young Alumni at critical junctures in their journey, including creating a more robust platform for college and career exploration. As we look ahead to the future, we have engaged the expertise and leveraged the resources and capabilities of partners to help us augment the quality and depth of our programmatic offerings. Amid volatile economic times, we have also focused on carefully and responsibly stewarding the resources that donors and partners entrust us with, marrying our passionate commitment to our mission with strong financial discipline.
At this pivotal time in our history, your support is more important than ever as we work towards strengthening our organizational foundation, creating meaningful and lasting programs, and in bringing time, talent, and treasure to further our mission. I look forward to working with you to build on our important legacy. In partnership, we can help A Better Chance realize the best of our ambitions for the future.
In Service,
Francisco
Help Students of Color Realize Their Dreams
Our Historical Milestones
1962: Beginnings
23 headmasters in the New England area met to discuss the relationship of poverty to the lack of quality education. This group, under the leadership of Richard Plaut, Director of the National Scholarship and Service Fund for Negro Students (NSSFNS), Howard Jones, President of Northfield Mount Hermon School, and John Kemper, Headmaster of Phillips Academy, concluded that providing better lives for minorities was to increase graduation rates from their institutions.
1963: Project ABC Founded
Under a grant awarded by the Charles E. Merrill Trust, the Independent Schools Talent Search (ISTS) was formed to recruit qualified students to attend a preparatory program for "talented Negro boys" wishing to attend college. Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, became the site of a radical experiment known as Project ABC: A Better Chance.
1966: Public School Program
The Public School Program is created as a unique solution to address the needs of an ever-growing wait list of candidates. The Dresden A Better Chance Public School Program opens in Hanover, New Hampshire; students live in a town residence while they attend Hanover High School.
1971: New Leader
William D. Berkeley becomes A Better Chance's first president, serving from 1971 to 1974.
1987: Awards
The first A Better Chance Annual Awards Luncheon is held, presenting the first Corporate Award to John Akers, CEO of IBM. The event will raise over $22 million in support of the organization's programs over the next 30 years.
1989: Expansion
A Better Chance begins significant programmatic expansion. Over the next decade, initiatives such as the Affiliated Colleges Program and others.
2000: Endowement
Oprah Winfrey bestows a $10 million gift to establish an endowment for A Better Chance.
2007: Alumnus Governor
Deval Patrick, Alumnus of A Better Chance, is elected Governor of Massachusetts, becoming the state’s first African American governor.
2017: Pressman Society
The Ron and Mary Pressman Continuous Giving Society is named in honor of A Better Chance former Chairman, Ron Pressman and his wife Mary. The society recognizes individuals and organizations that have generously chosen A Better Chance as their top philanthropic priorities for three or more consecutive years.
2018: New Record Set
A Better Chance places a record 571 students into its Member Schools nationwide.