25 Years Of Hope, Opportunity, And Success

CSFP's roots trace back to the Children’s Scholarship Fund (CSF National). Find out more about our journey from inception to becoming a separate organization.

Founded in 2001

Born Out Of A National Model

CSFP was born out of Children’s Scholarship Fund (CSF National). CSF National received over one million applications for their first National Lottery Day in 1999, and 40,000 scholarships were awarded nationally. Philadelphia families only received 1,200 of these scholarships.

In 2001, upon seeing the great demand from Philadelphia families, CSFP was created as its own separate 501(c)(3). CSFP remains the only PA-based partner program of CSF National and the largest provider of K-8 scholarships in Pennsylvania.

Meet Our Founders

The Legacy Of Evie McNiff And Ina Lipman

CSFP was founded by two education advocates, Evie McNiff and Ina Lipman. Evie was CSFP’s founding Board Chair, a role she held through 2017. Evie is still an active member of CSFP’s Board as Chair Emeritus and Co-chair of the Development Committee. CSFP’s founding Executive Director, Ina Lipman, shaped the organization alongside Evie for 17 years, acting as ED through 2018. In 2020, CSFP welcomed Keisha Jordan as the organization’s next Executive Director.

We began this program using three simple and unchanging principles – hope, opportunity and success. We believed then as we do now that when families are given hope in the form of opportunity, they can achieve success.

Evie McNiff

Co-founder, Board Chair Emeritus

Expanding Our Foundation

Scaling The Scholarship Program

In 2012, CSFP launched its Campaign for 10,000 Children to meet the needs of Philadelphia families and issue 10,000 new scholarships. The campaign launch coincided with the start of the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) program, which prioritized scholarships for eligible students living within a low-achieving school catchment zone. The campaign successfully concluded in 2017, ensuring CSFP could award more scholarships sustainably.

Breaking Barriers Campaign

In 2022, CSFP launched the Breaking Barriers Campaign to increase program and operational capacity again. As part of this ambitious fundraising campaign, CSFP aims to award at least 2,000 new scholarships per year, carry all students through 8th grade by removing CSFP’s previous 4-year scholarship limit, and standardize and increase award amounts through a new tiered system.

Get Involved

Support Philadelphia Students

Ready to help us ensure every child in Philadelphia has the opportunity to receive a quality education? Join our efforts to empower parents and create long-term economic success for thousands of Philly kids.

CSFP Stateline Interview