1. Seattle Colleges home page
  2. Seattle Promise: More than a Scholarship — A Partnership
  3. Donate and Support

Donate and Support

Record numbers of Seattle high school graduates are starting college right away and earning degrees and professional credentials critical to securing today's family-wage jobs. Why? Because of the commitment made to them through the Seattle Promise program. 

The two year (or up-to 90 credits), tuition-free college access and success program is available to all graduates of Seattle Public High Schools regardless of GPA, income, ability or country of birth. 

Principal funding for Seattle Promise comes from the seven-year Families, Education, Preschool and Promise Levy approved by Seattle voters in November of 2018. Levy funding supports two years of free tuition at North Seattle, South Seattle, or Seattle Central Colleges and wraparound services that help students succeed, in addition to a $500/quarter equity scholarship for especially low-income students to assist with college expenses. The program has been noted by news media as a regional and national model to follow. However, there is still need for additional resources.

Added Resources Are Critical to Fully Deliver on Potential

Helping more students with non-tuition college expenses (which account for roughly three-fourths of the overall costs of attendance, including housing, food, transportation, etc.) is essential: 59 percent of Promise students come from families with incomes under $75,000, and 25 percent from families with incomes under $25,000. (More facts and figures about Promise students here.)

In addition to enabling more and larger Equity Scholarships, add-on support for Seattle Promise helps address other unmet needs, as well. Among these: mentorship and tutoring, which can benefit all students, but particularly the first-generation college students and others from diverse backgrounds highly represented in Seattle Promise.

Thanks to support from these generous benefactors for additional Equity Scholarships, Seattle Promise can do even more to help young Seattleites reach their college dreams.

Thank you to our sponsor BECU and WSECU logos

Learn more about current funding needs and priorities, give now to Seattle Promise, or express your interest in supporting the program in other ways.