Announcing CTB’s 2023-24 Design Grant Cohort
Dear Friends of Come to Believe (CTB),
We are happy to announce this year’s recipients of CTB’s design grants:
Canisius University, Buffalo, NY
Holy Cross College, Notre Dame, IN
University of Portland, OR
University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA
University of San Diego, CA
Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
In addition, you may remember Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles expressed interest in our two-year college model but needed a university with whom to partner. Mt. St. Mary’s University, also in Los Angeles, has agreed to explore a partnership with Homeboy Industries, and they are also recipients of a CTB design grant.
Congratulations to CTB’s 2023-2024 design grant cohort!
What does it mean to receive a CTB design grant? A design grant provides funding for a university—or a community-based organization like Homeboy partnering with a higher ed institution—to explore our two-year college model in depth and begin to consider whether it has the bandwidth to successfully replicate and sustain the model on its campus. As the year progresses, CTB customizes our services for participating institutions as they segue from exploring to planning a two-year college on their campuses, pending their board’s approval.
I am over the moon about our new cohort. As June becomes July, I’m thinking of many young people around the country who have just graduated from their high schools with few if any affordable postsecondary opportunities that will provide them with the support needed to complete a college degree while incurring little to no debt. I’m encouraged to think about the opportunities ahead for more students if members of next year’s design grant cohort move from exploring to planning to opening CTB-model colleges on their campuses.
I’m grateful for CTB donors’ generous support. Our benefactors’ financial contributions allow CTB to provide grants to university leaders and to support them as they discern and decide if they can replicate a CTB college on their campus.
Our donors also support CTB as we continue working with higher ed institutions once their boards have approved going forward with our model. Later in the summer, we will have very exciting news to share on this front—stay tuned! In the meantime, thank you for your interest in Come to Believe, as we address a big problem: Not enough first-generation, Pell eligible or undocumented students graduate from college. Our big solution? A better normal in high ed for these students based on academic rigor and support, community and belonging, and high student retention and graduation rates.
God’s blessings,
Steve Katsouros, SJ
President/CEO
Come to Believe Foundation
New York, NY
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