Children's Scholarship Fund Philadelphia, established in 1998, is a model of social innovation, providing unprecedented educational opportunity to low-income families and stability to struggling schools. With a simple mission of providing four-year, K-8th grade scholarships to low-income families in Philadelphia and a small but passionate staff, CSFP currently serves 3,000 children enrolled at approximately 200 area private and parochial schools.
Though other scholarship programs exist, CSFP uniquely focuses on K-8th grade, where the foundation of a child's educational success is set. These four year scholarships are awarded by random lottery and are available for up to 3 children in a selected low-income family. CSFP families become active partners in the educational process contributing a minimum of $500 per family towards tuition. CSFP students' average attendance rate is more than 96%. And thanks to the vested interest of parents and the commitment of the CSFP support system, CSFP alumni are graduating high school on time, at rates of 95% compared to Philadelphia's public school rate of 49%.
CSFP scholarships also serve to sustain the incredible network of private, parochial and other tuition-based schools throughout Philadelphia by filling empty seats and generating more than $15 million in needed support. The schools have succeeded quietly in some of the most distressed neighborhoods, providing critical academic and social anchors.
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