History
Give Back was established by Robert Carr, a former resident of Lockport, IL. When Robert was accepted as a student at the University of Illinois, he received a $250 scholarship from the Lockport Woman’s Club. The money helped offset some of the costs of college and motivated Robert. He vowed that when he was able, he would give back to the club. Forty years later—on the organization’s 100th anniversary—he presented a check for $100,000 to be used for scholarships. Five students each received $5,000 a year for four years. He continued this program for five years, helping 25 students earn a college education.
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Funding the scholars through the Lockport Woman’s Club proved to Bob that students with drive can succeed in college with the help of existing financial assistance programs.
Fuelled by the ever-growing student debt problem and studies that suggest family wealth is the greatest predictor of a child’s likelihood of graduating from college, Bob founded the Give Something Back Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Approach and success
Give Back’s results prove the program works:
Scope
Give Back operates in Illinois, New Jersey, Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania. University partners work with Give Back to combine resources and expertise to give students a chance at a college degree. Give Back scholars can apply to any partner school in the state they live in to receive a scholarship for tuition, fees, room and board. Our model has utilized in-state tuition and the generosity of university partners to pre-pay for over 1000 scholarships and be on track to triple that number.
Give Back is partnered with the following colleges and universities: