Today, Peralta Colleges Foundation and The PepsiCo Foundation announced the launch of the Uplift Scholarship program to support our most underserved students of the Peralta Colleges consisting of Laney College, Merritt College, College of Alameda, and Berkeley City College, who are pursuing two-year degrees and professional certificate programs. In addition, to financial assistance, the program provides students with dedicated success coaches, access to emergency grants, and financial literacy courses.
New and current students can apply for the scholarship, which also includes support for programs that are not currently covered by federal student aid. Scholarship applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and eligible students can visit the Peralta Colleges Foundation’s website www.peraltafoundation.org for more information to apply.
“I’m so grateful to The PepsiCo Foundation for providing these much-needed funds and making them available to our most underserved students in the career education programs at Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney and Merritt College,” said Dr. Jannett N. Jackson, Interim Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District. “When we first met with The PepsiCo Foundation leadership, it was clear their goals aligned perfectly with that of the Peralta Colleges Foundation, our student demographic population, and the many outstanding career training programs we offer to graduate highly skilled people into a well-paying workforce. It is collaborations such as this that ensure our students gain access to additional resources to help them succeed, and that our graduates are introduced to the major industry partners in our area.”
The program is designed with a holistic approach to promote access to education advancement by addressing the obstacles – retention, completion, and workforce readiness – that disproportionately impact our college students who are at high-risk of persisting through their educational and professional journeys. The Uplift program aims to guide these students to jobs in high-growth industries, including Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, Logistics, Sales, and Marketing.
“Higher education is the single most important tool we have for addressing economic and opportunity inequality. But just entering college is not enough,” said C.D. Glin, Global Head of Philanthropy, PepsiCo & Vice President, The PepsiCo Foundation. “Through the Uplift Scholarship, The PepsiCo Foundation and Peralta Colleges Foundation are working to ensure our most underserved students not only have a chance to get into college but have access to critical resources to secure their diplomas and embark on meaningful careers.”
The Uplift Scholarship program is part of The PepsiCo Foundation’s $40 million commitment to address historical barriers that make it challenging for minority students to enroll, persist, and graduate from college – barriers that have widened during the pandemic. The Foundation’s Uplift Scholarship is currently offered at 20 community colleges across the country with the goal of providing 4,000 scholarships over five years.
The PepsiCo Foundation's Community College Program is a cornerstone effort of PepsiCo's more than $570 million Racial Equality Journey, a comprehensive initiative to support marginalized and historically underserved communities, people, and businesses.
“The timing of the grant is particularly critical for the economic recovery for our most underserved students who are the leading population for putting their education and training on hold during the pandemic,” shares LaNiece Jones, Executive Director, Peralta Colleges Foundation.
