Sponsors for Educational Opportunity

Founded: 1963
Founder: Michael Osheowitz
Type: Nonprofit Organization
Focus: Providing educational and career opportunity to underserved communities
Location: New York City, San Francisco
Website: http://www.seo-usa.org/

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing supplemental educational and career support to young people from underserved communities.[1] SEO has been the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including five four-star ratings by Charity Navigator,[1] the College Board’s 2011 CollegeKeys Compact Innovation Awards,[2] and selection as one of the top-performing non-profits in the country by Social Impact Exchange’s new giving platform, S&I 100.[3] Henry Kravis was named chairman of the organization in 2014.[4]

History

Founded in 1963 by Michael Osheowitz[5] with a mission to provide talented and motivated young people from underserved and underrepresented communities with access to superior educational and career opportunities.[1] SEO was one of the first mentoring and college preparatory programs for these communities in New York.[3]

The current program model was implemented in September 2006.[6]

In 2014 Henry Kravis was named chairman of the organization.[4]

In April 2015 SEO raised over $3.5 million[7] at its annual awards dinner.[8]

Programs

Today, SEO is made up of three distinct programs: SEO Scholars, SEO Career, and SEO Alternative Investments.[1]

SEO Scholars

SEO Scholars is an eight-year program focused on getting low-income public high school students to and through college. In high school the program provides 720 additional hours of academic instruction.[9] The support continues in college, with staff tracking students’ attendance and grades,[10] as well as provide students with ongoing one-on-one academic and financial advising, personal support,[11] and career guidance.[12]

100% of program participants are accepted to four-year colleges, with 80% graduating college in four years, and 95% graduating in six years.[11]

SEO career

SEO Career is a summer internship and training program for underrepresented college students that places them at coveted internships in banking, private equity, corporate leadership, and law.[1] Interns in the program receive 100 hours of training customized to their specific internship type before their first day on the job, 40 online and 60 in person.[13] Over 75% of past SEO interns received offers to return full-time.[11]

SEO Alternative Investments

SEO Alternative Investments is an initiative that provides education, exposure, training and mentoring to talented professionals traditionally underrepresented in the alternative investments sector.[1] This program is designed to provide a pathway to opportunities in training and mentoring for professionals of color, in order to increase their presence in the field.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Charity Navigator Rating - Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO)". web.archive.org. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  2. "The CollegeKeys Compact™ | 2011 Catalog of Effective Practices – Programs and practices that expand options for students from low-income backgrounds" (PDF). 11 February 2011. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  3. 1 2 "Social Impact Exchange". socialimpactexchange.org. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  4. 1 2 "The New York Times". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  5. "KKR's Kravis to Become Chairman of U.S. Education Group - Bloomberg Business". bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  6. Stephen Coleman (9 July 2012). "PREPARING FOR COLLEGE SUCCESS: Evaluation of the Educational Impact of the SEO Scholars Program" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  7. Cunningham, Bill (2015-05-01). "Evening Hours | Benefits and a Memorial". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-06.
  8. "SEO's 12th Annual Awards Dinner". gotham-magazine.com. Retrieved 2015-11-06.
  9. "Closing the Low-Income College Readiness Gap Requires Doing Business Differently | Demos". demos.org. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  10. "SEO Scholars education program getting results – USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  11. 1 2 3 "GuideStar Nonprofit Profile for Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, Inc.". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  12. "Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, Inc. GuideStar Nonprofit Profile Charting Impact Report" (PDF).
  13. "Good to Go: Strong Hires that Are Ready to Work". blackenterprise.com. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  14. "2012 ESG AND CITIZENSHIP REPORT: CASE STUDY" (PDF). 13 June 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
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