Equal Chance for Education
General Information
Contact Information
Nonprofit
Equal Chance for Education
Address
700 Belle Meade Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37205
Phone
(615) 218-8585
Web Site
Web Site
Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter
Email
[email protected]
At A Glance
Year of Incorporation
2014
1
Mission & Impact
Statements
Mission
Our mission is to provide opportunities for higher education without regard to race, religion, or nation of birth.
We currently have 91 ECE Scholars enrolled in 6 partner universities in Nashville, TN. Criteria for our
scholarships include a B average, a documented financial need, a definite career goal, and a legal status of
undocumented or DACA as these students are not eligible for student loans, federal aid, and cannot attend any
state colleges as an in state resident. We provide each scholar with two mentors, one an older student at their
university and the other an established individual in their career goal to offer guidance, support, and guaranteed
professional success post college. We believe that we are granting our scholars an equal chance to achieve
their American Dream and become productive members of society through a college degree.
Background
Equal Chance for Education was founded January 15, 2014 as a Tennessee Nonprofit organization by founder
Michael Spalding M. D. after he saw a personal friend denied the opportunity for higher education because of
her legal status. Melissa has lived in Nashville since she was 3 months old and successfully completed high
school with a 4.0 average. After talking with her family about her situation, Dr. Spalding went to Nashville
State, the local community college, to offer to pay for her first year tuition. Upon telling the admissions counselor
her name the tuition immediately jumped from $7,000 to $28,000. Dr. Spalding began to look into this issue
more closely and saw that Melissa not only didn't qualify for any sort of financial aid or student loans, but was
denied in-state tuition to Tennessee Universities and Colleges even though this is the only home she knows.
Equal Chance for Education began with 7 scholars in the fall of 2014, increased to 19 for the Spring of 2015,
and enrolled an additional 44 to the Fall 2016 class making a total of 91 ECE scholars enrolled. Next fall we will
support 131 students and expanding to Memphis. Our goal is to add 50 students a year to have a total cohort of
200 ECE scholars whose success can be evaluated to encourage policy change with tuition equity in
Tennessee and immigration reform.
2
Impact
Though a partnership with TheDream.US , ECE enrolled 44 more students this fall, making a total of 91 ECE
scholars. Each scholarship is for $25,000 or $6,250/year. Twenty of the new students are attending Cumberland
University and twenty four are attending Trevecca Nazarene University.
By this May, our first 5 graduates will have completed their baccalaureate degrees. They are:
Miriam - May 2015 graduated from Lipscomb with honors and a masters degree in accounting. She is currently
employed at Arcadia Health as an accountant and CPA certification exams are underway.
Scherly - December 2016 graduated from Lipscomb, Cum Laude, and will enter Meharry Medical School this
fall. She will be the 66th undocumented medical student in the United States.
Tabitha – Suma Cum Laude as Senior Class President, and president of Diversity Council Graduates from
Trevecca Nazarene University in May 2017 and will enter law school in the fall, hopefully Yale.
Cinthya- Graduates from Lipscomb University in May 2017 with a BS in nursing and begin her career as a
registered nurse.
Rodrigo - Graduates from Fisk University in May 2017 as a DuBois Scholar (Fisk Highest Academic Honor) and
will enter Vanderbilt Universities PHD program in Community Research and Action in the fall.
To date, our 93 ECE scholars are doing well. Our retention rate is 97.8% (2 scholars have withdrawn) The
groups GPA last semester was 3.21. Our mentor program is going well, and with the mentors involvement we
are identifying adverse non-academic circumstances that could derail a college career if unrecognized and
unaddressed. Our pro-bono attorneys have been wonderful, and to date we haven't lost a case!
Each of our partner universities has a student led ECE organization e.g. at Trevecca they are the "Holy Trojans"
and at Cumberland they are "Mi Familia" These organizations meet regularly and help the students address
mutual concerns and establish a sense of community. We will help our Memphis students organize a similar
student organization at the University of Memphis.
This fall, we plan to add at least 40 new ECE scholars, each scholarship for $25,000, to our program. 20
students will be attending University of Memphis and 20 students will be attending one of our partner
universities in Nashville. We are now accepting applications with our deadline approaching March 1st. Please
direct any eligible applicants (must have a 3.0 GPA and DACA) to our website
www.equalchanceforeducation.com
This brings us to now 8 partner colleges and universities and they are: Aquinas, Belmont, Cumberland, Fisk,
Lipscomb, Trevecca, Watkins Institute and the University of Memphis.
We plan to continue to grow, and our only limiting factor is financial. We hope to become a statewide
organization with affiliates in Knoxville and Chattanooga.
Needs
Our annual budget has increased to $456,196 and we are in need of support to increase enrollment and for
tuition payments next fall.
We are also recruiting career specific mentors for each new scholar who provide accountability and support
throughout their education. If you would like to apply to be a mentor or learn how to get involved please
email [email protected]
Other ways to donate, support, or volunteer
All donations are 100% used for tuition only. All administrative costs are covered by the board. Please make
checks out to Equal Chance for Education and mail to 700 Belle Meade Blvd, Nashville, TN 37205
We credit our 100% retention rate to our mentor program. If you would like to be a mentor please
email [email protected] to receive more information.
3
Service Categories
Primary Organization Category
Education / Scholarships & Student Financial Aid
Secondary Organization Category
Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy / Minority Rights
Tertiary Organization Category
Community Improvement, Capacity Building / Economic Development
Areas of Service
Areas Served
TN - Davidson
4
Programs
Programs
Scholarships
Description
Criteria for our scholarships include a documented financial need, a
definite career goal, a B average, and no other access to federal aid or
student loans.
We currently have 91 ECE scholars attending 7 area universities:
Aquinas, Lipscomb, Trevecca, Fisk, Belmont, Cumberland, and Watkins.
Their GPA is an average 3.2 and we have a 97.8% retention rate. Their
majors include accounting, nursing, business, computer science, social
justice, and many more.
Budget
$456,196
Category
Education, General/Other Postsecondary Education
Population Served
Immigrant, Newcomers, Refugees, Poor,Economically
Disadvantaged,Indigent, Immigrant, Newcomers, Refugees
Long term Success
Our long term goal is to create productive members of our community
through the degree of a college education. Each scholar has a specific
dream that they are working toward and we nurture their dream not only
by providing scholarships, but through the guidance and support of our
mentor program.
Program Success Monitored By
ECE measures success by retention rate, average GPA, and posstgraduate success.
5
Examples of Program Success
By this May, our first 5 graduates will have completed their baccalaureate
degrees. They are:
Miriam - May 2015 graduated from Lipscomb with honors and a masters
degree in accounting. She is currently employed at Arcadia Health as an
accountant and CPA certification exams are underway.
Scherly - December 2016 graduated from Lipscomb, Cum Laude, and will
enter Meharry Medical School this fall. She will be the 66th undocumented
medical student in the United States.
Tabitha – Suma Cume Laude and Senior Class President, and president
of Diversity Council Graduates from Trevecca Nazarene University in May
2017 and will enter law school in the fall, hopefully Yale.
Cinthya- Graduates from Lipscomb University in May 2017 with a BS in
nursing and begin her career as a registered nurse.
Rodrigo - Graduates from Fisk University in May 2017 as a DuBois
Scholar (Fisk Highest Academic Honor) and will enter Vanderbilt
Universities PHD program in Community Research and Action in the fall.
To date, our 92 ECE scholars are doing well. Our retention rate is 97.8%
(2 scholars have withdrawn) The groups GPA last semester was 3.21. Our
mentor program is going well, and with the mentors involvement we are
identifying adverse non-academic circumstances that could derail a
college career if unrecognized and unaddressed.
6
Governance
Board Chair
Board Chair
Dr Michael Spalding
Term
Jan 2014 to Jan 2018
Email
[email protected]
Board Members
Name
Affiliation
Status
Dr. Robert Bone
Retired
Voting
Dr. Andre Churchwell
Vanderbilt University
Voting
William Crenshaw
Voting
Greg Daily
Voting
Rev. Dr. Donovan Drake
Westminster Presbyterain Church
Voting
Carrington Fox
Voting
Molly Haynes
Exofficio
Rod Hellar J.D.
Voting
Dan Moore
Southwestern
Voting
Maria Moore
Voting
Raymond Pirtle
Voting
Celeste Reed
Voting
Omar Ruiz
Voting
Dr Michael Spalding
Voting
Dr. David Thombs
Voting
Betsy Wills
Voting
Board Demographics - Ethnicity
African American/Black
1
Asian American/Pacific Islander
0
Caucasian
13
Hispanic/Latino
2
Native American/American Indian
0
Other
00
Board Demographics - Gender
Male
11
Female
5
Unspecified
0
Governance
7
Board Term Lengths
0
Board Term Limits
0
Board Meeting Attendance %
100%
Written Board Selection Criteria?
Under Development
Written Conflict of Interest Policy?
Under Development
Percentage Making Monetary Contributions
100%
Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions
100%
Constituency Includes Client Representation
No
Number of Full Board Meetings Annually
10
Additional Board Members
Name
Affiliation
Dr Dan Boone
President of Trevecca Nazarene University
Robert Chavez
Rick Hart
President of Renasant Bank
Viviana Milam
Viva Marketing Group
Nan Nelson Parrish
Linda Rebrovick
Saundra Steele
Jamie Stream
Dr Paul Stumb
President of Cumberland University
Bill Tate
Lapaz Hispanic Clinic
Margaret Wong J.D.
Margaret Wong Immigration Attourney
8
Management
Executive Director/CEO
Executive Director
Dr. Michael Spalding
Term Start
Jan 2014
Email
[email protected]
Co-CEO
Co-CEO
Mrs. Molly Haynes
Term Start
July 2015
Email
[email protected]
Staff
Full Time Staff
2
Part Time Staff
0
Volunteers
90
Contractors
0
Retention Rate
100%
Plans & Policies
Does the organization have a documented Fundraising Plan?
Under Development
Does the organization have an approved Strategic Plan?
Under Development
Number of years Strategic Plan Considers
4
In case of a change in leadership, is a Management Succession plan in place?
Under Development
Does the organization have a Policies and Procedures Plan?
Under Development
Does the organization have a Nondiscrimination Policy?
Yes
Does the organization have a Whistle Blower Policy?
No
Does the organization have a Document Destruction Policy?
No
9
Financials
Fiscal Year
Fiscal Year Start
Jan 16 2016
Fiscal Year End
Jan 15 2017
Projected Revenue
$456,996.00
Projected Expenses
$456,996.00
Endowment Value
$0.00
Endowment Spending Percentage (if selected)
0%
Detailed Financials
Revenue and Expenses
Fiscal Year
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
Revenue Sources
Fiscal Year
Foundation and Corporation
Contributions
Government Contributions
Federal
State
Local
Unspecified
Individual Contributions
Indirect Public Support
Earned Revenue
Investment Income, Net of Losses
Membership Dues
Special Events
Revenue In-Kind
Other
2016
$272,185
$264,411
2015
$112,600
$105,934
2014
---
2016
$170,000
2015
$0
2014
--
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$102,185
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$112,600
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
10
---------
Expense Allocation
Fiscal Year
Program Expense
Administration Expense
Fundraising Expense
Payments to Affiliates
Total Revenue/Total Expenses
Program Expense/Total Expenses
Fundraising Expense/Contributed
Revenue
Assets and Liabilities
Fiscal Year
Total Assets
Current Assets
Long-Term Liabilities
Current Liabilities
Total Net Assets
Short Term Solvency
Fiscal Year
Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current
Liabilities
Long Term Solvency
Fiscal Year
Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets
2016
$235,170
$13,786
$15,455
$0
1.03
89%
6%
2015
$105,934
$0
$0
$0
1.06
100%
0%
2014
--------
2016
$14,440
$14,440
$0
$0
$14,440
2015
$6,666
$6,666
$0
$0
$6,666
2014
------
2016
--
2015
--
2014
--
2016
0%
2015
0%
2014
--
Top Funding Sources
Fiscal Year
Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount
2016
Foundations &
Corporations
$170,000
Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar Contributions, Gifts &
Amount
Grants $102,185
Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar
-Amount
2015
2014
Contributions, Gifts & -Grants $112,600
--
--
--
--
Capital Campaign
Is the organization currently conducting a Capital
Campaign for an endowment or the purchase of a
major asset?
No
Capital Campaign Goal
$0.00
State Charitable Solicitations Permit
TN Charitable Solicitations Registration
Yes - Expires July 2016
GivingMatters.com Financial Comments
Financial figures taken from Form 990.
Form 990 prepared internally by nonprofit.
Comment provided by Elizabeth Madsen 11/1/16
Created 07.28.2017.
Copyright © 2017 The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
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