We hope everyone reading this is staying safe and healthy during these challenging times.
Over the past few days, we have been reaching out to our CSF families and partner schools, not only to assure them of our continued commitment, but also to see if there are any immediate needs we can help them with.
As a result of these conversations, CSF is activating a Stay in School Fund to assist our New York City scholarship families most in need, while continuing to accept donations for scholarships for our partner programs nationwide. Donors interested in making gifts to the Stay in School Fund or any of our partner programs nationwide can visit our donate page to designate a gift using the drop-down menu listing all the geographic areas served by CSF partner programs.
Our primary goal in establishing our New York City Stay in School Fund is to provide one-time emergency relief to help these families ensure their children can remain enrolled in their chosen school without further disrupting their education.
All 7,300 CSF Scholars in New York City attend schools that are currently closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. While all of our partner schools are providing on-line or distance learning options, we are already hearing of parents who have lost their jobs and are unable to pay tuition or can no longer afford tuition because they are now paying for childcare.
CSF families have an average annual income of less than $37,000, and because CSF scholarships are partial, families pay some portion of their tuition every month. Some of the schools we work with are in a strong enough financial position to forgive unpaid tuition through the rest of the school year. However, for students attending other schools, if their families cannot pay, they may not be able to return to their school next year, and indeed, their school itself may be in jeopardy.
We hope you will consider making a gift to help us raise $2 million for the hardest-hit CSF families. These funds would go a long way towards increasing this year’s scholarship amounts to reflect the new economic situation for some of our families and helping ensure their continued enrollment for the new school year as they navigate the financial hardships they will face in the coming months.
Thank you for giving the gift of education as we all work together to get through this difficult period!
Please note: The Stay in School Fund will help CSF families in New York City, but if you are interested in giving in another part of the country, please visit our donate page and you will see a drop-down list of all the geographic areas our CSF partner programs serve.