About
Mission
A comprehensive approach
Per Scholas was founded more than 20 years ago with a mission to open doors to transformative technology careers for individuals from often overlooked communities. We accomplish this mission today by:
Creating opportunity
For people who work hard, we create real opportunities to build better lives for themselves and their families.
Closing the skills divide
We prepare smart, dedicated people to work in key technical roles, always designing our courses in response to what employers tell us they need.
Achieving diversity
We are building a more diverse technical workforce by creating on-ramps for women and people of color, groups staggeringly underrepresented in IT employment today. 90% of our students are people of color, a third are women and a third are disconnected young adults.
Impact
Real people. Real change. Real return.
Payment Increases
400%
Increase in post-training income
Typical Per Scholas grads have a pre-training income of $9,000 and post-training income of $36,000 or often much more.
Improved Graduation Rates
20%
of community college students graduate within three years.*
85%
of Per Scholas students graduate in fourteen weeks or less. And, 80% of those graduates land jobs.
*National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, 2013
No college loan debt
$30K
is the average amount of student loan debt for a college graduate in 2013.*
$0
is the amount of money it costs a person to get trained, certified and placed in a tech career at Per Scholas.
*Institute for College Access and Success
History
We never stop innovating.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/1995.png)
1995
Our original mission is to close the digital divide in the South Bronx by reconditioning used computers and giving them away to schools and families.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/1998.png)
1998
First IT job training course begins. It’s designed to help neighborhood residents gain jobs at Per Scholas reconditioning used computers.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/200.png)
2000
We open our own industrial-scale computer recycling center in the South Bronx. IT job training services expand rapidly to staff the new center and begins placing graduates with other employers.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/History-of-Per-Scholas-Onboarding-1.jpg)
2008
Market changes lead us to phase out direct computer recycling, but our IT job training grows to serve hundreds of students each year. Employers who partner with us help develop the course to meet their specific IT staffing needs.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/2010.png)
2010
Independent, multiyear research shows that our graduates earn significantly more than a control group of their peers. We receive a White House Social Innovation Fund award to advance our model.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/2011.png)
2011
We launch targeted initiatives to train more women for careers in tech. We commit to achieve gender parity in all our classrooms nationwide.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/History-of-Per-Scholas-Onboarding.png)
2012
We open our first permanent location outside New York in Columbus, OH and marks the start of national expansion in partnership with the Creating IT Futures Foundation. In New York, we launch a Network Engineer course, the first effort to train students for mid-career technology roles.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/2013.png)
2013
Per Scholas opens a third location in Cincinnati, OH. In New York, we partner with Barclays and other industry leaders to design and launch the Software Testing program (formerly STEP). Annual enrollment tops 500 students.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/2014.jpg)
2014
We open our fourth national location in Silver Spring, MD, serving the National Capital Region.
The White House’s National Council of Economic Advisors and Vice President Joe Biden tout our model as one of the most promising solutions nationally to help unemployed individuals rejoin the workforce.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/History-of-Per-Scholas-Onboarding-3.jpg)
2014
We introduce the Urban Development Center, a co-located facility occupied by employer partners that’s meant to bring overseas software testing jobs to the South Bronx.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/2015.jpg)
2015
We open our fifth national location in Dallas, TX. We win the Community Partners Leadership Award, a program of the Harvard Business School Club of New York, for demonstration of best practices in non-profits.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/2016.jpg)
2016
We open our sixth national location in Atlanta, GA. WorkAdvance, a two-year study of workforce development programs is released and shows that we are producing positive and lasting impacts related to the income, reliance on public benefits, and overall well-being of our students.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/SadeStrachanKenMoore.jpg)
2016
Per Scholas New York opens its second location in Brooklyn with the support of its Signature Partner, Barclays. The expansion to 630 Flushing Avenue will enable Per Scholas to serve an additional 140 New Yorkers annually, resulting in more than 550 New Yorkers being trained every year. The Brooklyn location will offer a newly developed cybersecurity training track, developed in partnership with Barclays, aimed at training and preparing graduates for cybersecurity jobs and opportunities.
![year.photo[0].title](/assets/about/timeline/_squareSmall/nwk.jpg)
2018
Per Scholas opens an eighth training location in the historic New Jersey Bell Building in Downtown Newark. The space includes three state-of-the-art technical classrooms, with twenty workstations each. The space accommodates approximately 100 students per year and the training will be free. Courses will run 3-4 months and will include a comprehensive admissions process, technical instruction, career coaching and two years of alumni follow-up and placement support.
People
Meet our team.
Meet the board leaders who guide and support us, student ambassadors who embody our impact, and staff members who create and deliver the highest quality training and services every day.
Supporters
We couldn’t do it without them
While corporate partners have the largest number of touchpoints with our work, we are profoundly grateful to receive leadership support from many other stakeholders, including foundations, public agencies and generous individuals.
Foundations
- Ballmer Group
- Clark-Winchcole Foundation
- Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
- Community Foundation for Montgomery County
- Community Foundation for National Capital Region
- Community Foundation for National Capital Region
- Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust
- Focusing Philanthropy
- Greater Cincinnati Foundation
- Greater Washington Community Foundation
- Heckscher Foundation for Children
- Ingram-White Castle Foundation
- James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation
- Lever Fund
- Meyer Foundation
- Philip L. Graham Fund
- Robin Hood
- Ruth J. and Robert A. Conway Foundation
- Scripps Howard Foundation
- Stainman Family Foundation
- Sunny and Abe Rosenberg Foundation
- The Achelis & Bodman Foundation
- The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
- The Barker Welfare Foundation
- The Bernard and F. Alva B. Gimbel Foundation
- The Boston Foundation
- The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation
- The Clark Foundation
- The Columbus Foundation
- The Dallas Foundation
- The Daniel and Susan Pfau Foundation
- The Eleanor Schwartz Charitable Foundation
- The Hagedorn Fund
- The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation
- The Hyde and Watson Foundation
- The Imlay Foundation
- The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
- The New York Community Trust
- The New York Women's Foundation
- The Pinkerton Foundation
- The Rudin Foundation
- Thomas J. Emery Memorial Fund
- Tiger Foundation
- United Way of Central Ohio
- United Way of Greater Atlanta
- United Way of Greater Cincinnati
- United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
- United Way of National Capital Area
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Government
- Brooklyn Borough President
- City of Cincinnati Human Services Fund
- City of Columbus
- Dallas County Community College District (Northlake College)
- Franklin County, OH
- Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
- Maryland Department of Human Resources
- Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
- Montgomery County, MD
- New York City Council
- New York City Department of Small Business Services
- New York City Department of Youth and Community Development
- New York City Human Resources Administration
- New York County District Attorney's Office
- New York State Department of Labor
- New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
- Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation
- U.S. Department of Labor
Champion
- Allegis TEKsystems
- AT&T
- Barclays
- BlackRock Inc.
- Capital One
- Cognizant
- JPMorgan Chase & Co
- Liquid Technology
- Prudential Financial
- Salesforce.org
- Stand Together Foundation
Signature Partners
- Bloomberg Philanthropies
- BNY Mellon
- Charter Communications
- Citi Connect
- DCi Technology Solutions
- Guardian Life Insurance
- InfoSys
- Insight Global
- Kate Spade & Company Foundation
- NIT Health Connect
- PDT Partners
- PSEG
- RICOH
- Rite-Hire Staffing Agency
- Robert Half Technologies
- SpectrumVoIP
- The Chubb Charitable Foundation
- Think ECO
- USEReady
- Virtucom
- Workday Inc.
Major Partners
- Access Staffing, LLC
- Alkami
- Apex Solutions
- Atlantech
- Bank of America
- Baruch College
- Beacon Hill
- Boeing
- Citi
- CompTIA
- Con Edison
- Dynamic Network Solutions (DNS)
- Fannie Mae
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York
- Goldman Sachs
- Human Touch LLC
- PIMCO
- Pomeroy
- Ponce De Leon
- T-Mobile
- WiPro
Opportunity Partners
- Accenture
- Adecco
- Altice
- Amazon
- BounceX
- Braddock Matthews
- Capgemini
- Career Group
- ChikPea
- Cisco
- Computer Generated Solutions Inc.
- Condé Nast Publications
- Corporate Brokers, LLC
- Crane Group
- DealerSocket
- Deloitte Services LP
- Delta Airlines
- designData
- E.W. Scripps Company
- Economic Mobility Corporation
- Ernst & Young
- Estee Lauder
- Experis US Inc.
- Fast Switch
- First Financial Bank
- First Step Staffing
- Fordham University
- GE Digital
- General Assembly
- General Dynamics
- Immedion
- InfoManage
- Ingage Partners
- Ingram-White Castle Foundation
- IT Trailblazers
- Jacob K. Javits Center
- Jet Blue
- Key Bank
- Kforce inc.
- King & Spalding
- KMS Technology
- Kobiton
- Kudelski Security
- LBrands
- Leader's Quest
- Leung Consulting LLC
- Lever Fund
- LRN
- Macy’s
- Manhattan Tech Support
- Maximus
- Mayor's Office of New York
- McKinsey & Company
- McMaster Carr Supply Co Inc
- Metro Data Center LLC
- Microsoft
- Mobile App Hero
- MoCaFi
- Morgan Stanley
- Motorist Insurance Company Foundation
- Nationwide
- NBC Universal
- Neuberger Berman
- New York Presbyterian Hospital
- North Highland Consulting
- NSC Global
- OBXtek
- Occamsec
- PCM
- Peak Systems
- PennPac
- Pluto
- PNC Charitable Trusts
- PNC Community Development Group
- Proactive Technologies
- ProMark
- Randstad Technologies
- RCS Professional Services
- Reeher LLC
- Renner Brown
- Rhinegeist Brewery
- Robert Walters
- Round Tower Technologies
- Russell Tobin & Associates, LLC
- Samsung
- Santander Bank
- Sasco Foundation
- Scripps Howard Foundation
- Shark Byte Systems, Inc
- Solarus Technologies
- Spotify
- Symantec
- Synchrony Financial
- TATA Consultancy Services
- The Circuit
- The Kroger Company Foundation
- The Royak Group
- The Sage Foundation
- Thrive Impact Sourcing
- Timedox
- U.S. Bank Foundation
- UBS Financial Services
- Uncubed
- USAA Foundation
- Vernovis
- Vicom Computer Systems
- Wethos
- WNET New York Public Media
- x.ai
- YouthForce Nola
Financials
Our Latest Financials
Download copies of our latest financials as well as other public filings here.
Per Scholas 2018 Audited Financials Per Scholas 990 for 2018 Per Scholas Charitable Disclosure Statement 2018 Per Scholas 2017 Audited Financials Per Scholas 990 for 2017 Per Scholas 2016 Audited Financials Per Scholas 990 for 2016 Per Scholas 2015 Audited Financials Per Scholas 990 for 2015 Per Scholas 2014 Audited Financials Per Scholas 990 for 2014 Per Scholas 2013 Audited Financials Per-Scholas 990 for 2013 Per Scholas 2012 Audited Financials Per Scholas 990 for 2012