- Phone: (989) 755-0545
- 1 Tuscola St., Suite 200 Saginaw, Michigan 48607
The Saginaw Promise is at its core, a “last dollar”, “place based” scholarship program, designed to serve as a catalyst for economic development in Saginaw, an initiative to retain and attract new families and businesses to the community through a focus and support for postsecondary education for all of its graduating students (who live within the Promise Zone and graduate from a high school within the Promise Zone; geographic boundaries of the Saginaw Public School District).
In Scholarships Awarded
In Scholarships Awarded
In Scholarships Awarded
The Saginaw Promise believes in the power of Postsecondary Education to be the “change agent” to impact the future of Saginaw, its economy and the lives of its students. The Saginaw Promise provides its scholarship as a benefit for residents of the Saginaw Promise Zone as an incentive and benefit to retain and grow the population, as well as support economic growth and enhance quality of life.
The Saginaw Promise provides information and resources to assist students and parents to navigate and finance postsecondary education. The overall goal of the Saginaw Promise is for all of Saginaw’s graduating students to earn a degree from a community college or university or a program certificate from a technical or trade school. The Saginaw Promise further believes that by strengthening Saginaw, our core urban center, we strengthen surrounding communities and the entire Great Lakes Bay Region.
Saginaw Promise and its volunteers work annually to raise the funds necessary to award scholarships to eligible students who reside in the City of Saginaw, Zilwaukee, Kochville Township and that area of Buena Vista designated to the Saginaw Public School District. Saginaw Promise scholarships are determined last to assist with tuition and mandatory fees only, not covered by financial aid, such as federal, state, private or other grants and scholarships for a period of two years. (For Scholarship award levels, please see Saginaw Promise Awards)
*The “Saginaw Promise Zone Authority is a non-profit authority board and staff created under the State of Michigan Promise Act (Act 550 of 2008).
The success of the Kalamazoo Promise, which started in 2005, the nation’s first universal scholarship program, inspired Michigan to be the first state in our nation to create “place-based” scholarship initiatives to increase educational attainment and to spur economic growth in a community. Governor Jennifer Granholm and the legislature invited communities to be designated Promise Zones, through an application process, established by the Michigan Department of Treasury. On April 25, 2009, Governor Granholm announced that ten Michigan communities had been designated Promise Zones. Unlike, the Kalamazoo Promise, which benefited from a large endowment, funded by several donors; Michigan’s other Promise Zones must raise their programming and scholarship funds annually from special events, sponsorships, donations and grants and when achieved; 50% of any increase in property value growth to their SET. Promise Zones are an economic and education initiative established by State and local community leaders to address declining populations and infuse the economy of core urban cities by:
