About Us
Our Mission
The Kaplan Educational Foundation seeks to eliminate barriers to higher education for overlooked and underserved students and develop them as world leaders and advocates for their communities. We do this by providing a broad range of hands-on support services and financial help to high-potential community college students, supporting them as they finish their associate degree, transfer, and earn a bachelor’s degree from a highly competitive four-year institution.
Our Vision
We envision a world where a college education is universally attainable, and where our society’s leadership reflects the full diversity of our communities. By investing in deserving students from low-income communities and providing them with the opportunity to receive a college education, we are creating tomorrow’s leaders who will continue breaking down barriers and lifting up the residents of their communities.
Our History
In 2006, a group of Kaplan, Inc. executives wanted to make a big impact in the lives of underserved students. They zeroed in on New York City-area community college students aiming for four-year college degrees. Together they pooled their resources and founded The Kaplan Educational Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Since then, we have helped 170-plus Kaplan Leadership Program Scholars. Our students have attended competitive colleges and universities across the U.S. and graduated with honors. KLP alumni hold influential roles in business, law, medicine, education, public service, and nonprofits, offering mentorship and guidance to current scholars throughout their KLP journey.
"I am a first generation college student and native Spanish speaker. Thanks to the KEF, I’ve been able to be a voice for students and families across New York City, an advocate for refugees in London, and a bridge between the public, social, and private sectors. Now I get to lead the next generation of KLP Scholars as they strive to achieve their Big Dreams."
Nolvia L. Delgado
Executive Director, Kaplan Educational Foundation
Smith College, 2011
The leadership team who attended the program
Outcomes
The U.S. higher education system has an accessibility problem. While 80% of community college students hope to earn a bachelor’s degree, only 31% of those students will successfully transfer to a four-year school, with a mere 14% graduating with their bachelor’s in six years (see Tackling Transfer to learn more). KEF is working to change these statistics and increase access to higher education, and we’ve shown that our program is effective: