Since 2015, Achieve Atlanta has dedicated itself to providing scholarships, resources and college advisement to students in Atlanta Public Schools. As inflation and the cost of living continue to rise, the organization says getting a postsecondary education is vital for graduating students.
Funded initially with a grant from the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, Achieve Atlanta has provided more than $40 million in scholarship funds to several thousand students, catching the attention of the metro Atlanta community and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, who recently donated $8 million to the organization.
“We are honored, we’re humbled, and really we see this gift as an affirmation of the work that Achieve Atlanta and its partners have done over the last seven and a half years to make sure that Atlanta Public School students have the opportunity to go and earn a postsecondary credential,” said Tina Fernandez, executive director of Achieve Atlanta, on Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look.”
Fernandez said the organization plans to work with its stakeholders in the coming months to determine how to use the $8 million donation. She hopes the donation will also inspire community members and other organizations to come together to enrich education for low-income scholars.
“This needs to be an issue that we are all trying to solve as a community, as a collective,” said Fernandez. “Instead of pointing fingers around [like] ‘Well, whose fault is it?,’ we all need to take our share of responsibility for being able to educate our kids and get them into lives of opportunity.”
