Minds Matter Chicago goes beyond other college access programs by providing three years of mentorship, rather than just focusing on a student’s Senior year. Beginning as Sophomores, each Minds Matter “mentee” attends Saturday sessions throughout the year, during which they are exposed to an extensive Minds Matter curriculum including ACT/SAT preparation, application support and financial literacy training. Minds Matter also pays for each mentee to attend two summer academic programs at universities such as Duke, Brown and Princeton. As first-generation students, these summer experiences are often the students’ first exposure to “campus life,” which helps prepare them for the college transition and increases college persistence.

Since 2006, Minds Matter Chicago has successfully achieved a 100% college admittance rate for our mentees. We currently partner with five Chicago-land high schools, through which we identify students with a 3.6+ GPA and an average household income of $25,000.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Minds Matter Chicago relies on the generous support of our donors. On average, Minds Matter pays $7,000-9,000 to send each mentee through our program - every dollar we raise brings these students closer to acheiving their dream of attending college. We hope you'll consider supporting our incredible, deserving mentees!

• Summer Program Flights: $350 per student
• Average Application Fees: $200 per application
• Average Summer Academic Program Tuition:$2,000 per student
• Saturday Session Lunches: $180 per student annually