Q: What is ScholarMatch?

A: ScholarMatch is a website and service whereby potential donors can learn more about scholars who need assistance paying their college tuition - and by learning more about these extraordinary students, our hope is that potential donors will be more likely to support the educational goals of the scholars in their communities. As a donor, you can choose the student you want to support or let ScholarMatch choose a specific student for you, and you will be sent periodic updates about that student's progress in school throughout that academic year.

Q: Does ScholarMatch offer college support services?

A: Our workshops and college support services are available to Bay Area high school students who need the help. Visit our programs page to learn more.

Q: Am I eligible to register as a scholar on ScholarMatch?

To have a profile on our website, ScholarMatch students must be nominated by our community partners, such as teachers, college counselors, and college access organizations. Once students are nominated, they complete an online application to post a profile on our website, and are selected by a committee to become scholars.

Only nominated students are able post profiles at this time.

To be eligible for nomination, you must be a student who:

1. Is a college bound, high school senior living in one of the nine Bay Area counties
2. Demonstrates financial need and attends a high school where 40% or more of the students are eligible to receive free or reduced lunch
3. Demonstrates leadership and/or a commitment to community service
4. Demonstrates strong academic performance (at least a 2.75 GPA)
5. Has a strong level of commitment to completing college (vocational school, college, or university)
6. Is nominated by a teacher, college counselor, or college access organization

You can contact ScholarMatch at GeneralQuestions@scholarmatch.org to find out more information on how you can be nominated.

Q: Is there a fee to post my profile?

A: No, there is no fee. Students can post their profiles for free and are never charged for any services associated with ScholarMatch.

Q: When did ScholarMatch launch?

A: ScholarMatch launched in April, 2010.

Q: How did ScholarMatch start?

A: For many years, 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center in San Francisco — one of the eight centers under the 826 National umbrella — has granted college scholarships to local students. Each year, 826 Valencia is able to give only four scholarships, and choosing those scholars is a very difficult thing to do; there are invariably hundreds of other students who deserve and need aid for college. At the same time, many donors are more likely to fund the college aspirations of students if they get to know a bit about those students, and if there is a way to stay connected to those students once they’re enrolled. With these two factors in mind — the need for funds for college and donors’ interest in staying connected — ScholarMatch was conceived.

Q: If my scholarship is successfully funded, what are my responsibilities to ScholarMatch and the donors?

ScholarMatch staff is here to help students succeed and donors have invested in your hard work and potential!

If your scholarship is funded and you are matched to a donor, before ScholarMatch can release the funds, you are required to provide the following items:

1. A thank-you letter to the donor
2. A copy of your tuition bill or statement and your financial aid award letter
3. A copy of your class schedule with student ID number

Over the course of the school year, you must write two updates to donors. Finally, you must readily respond to ScholarMatch communications. You are required to respond to ScholarMatch phone calls, emails, or other messages within 48 hours.

Q: Is there a limit to the scholarship goal that can be requested?

Yes. Once students are selected to be on the ScholarMatch website, they work with ScholarMatch staff to adjust the amount of their gap scholarship. In order to meet the needs of as many scholars as possible, we cap our scholarship assistance at the full cost of attending a local, four-year state university for one year, currently $6,300.

Q: What is 826 National?

A: 826 National is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting teachers and public schools by empowering students to write well and succeed academically. We were founded in San Francisco, and now have eight chapters around the country — in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Boston, Washington D.C, Ann Arbor, and Chicago. All of the chapters provide one-on-one tutoring, in-schools assistance, workshops, college preparation courses, and myriad student publishing projects. Visit us at www.826National.org

Q: What is ScholarMatch?

A: ScholarMatch is a website and service whereby potential donors can learn more about scholars who need assistance paying their college tuition – and by learning more about these extraordinary students, our hope is that potential donors will be more likely to support the educational goals of the scholars in their communities. As a donor, you can choose the student you want to support or let ScholarMatch choose a specific student for you, and you will be sent periodic updates about that student's progress in school throughout that academic year.

Q: Is ScholarMatch a nonprofit organization?

A: ScholarMatch is a project of 826 National, a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco and dedicated to furthering the educational goals of American youth. 826 National is a 501(c)3 registered with the IRS. 826 National was founded in 2002 by Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari and maintains learning centers in eight cities around the United States. To learn more about 826 National, click here.

Q: If I want to donate directly to the education of a student of my choice, can I get a tax deduction?

A: If you would like to choose one specific student to support from among those listed on our website, 15 percent of your donation will be tax-deductible and will be used for operations and program expenses (such as costs associated with student workshops). You will not be able to claim the full amount for a tax deduction because the IRS expressly prohibits donors from “earmarking” donations for specific individuals. If you would like your entire contribution to be tax deductible you should allow ScholarMatch to choose your student for you.

Q: If I would like a tax deduction for my donation, how does it work?

A: If you want to qualify for a charitable deduction, you may state your wish that your donation go, for example, to a student from your city or neighborhood. We will then try to accommodate your wishes as best as we can, and we will match you with a scholar. Thereafter, you will receive periodic updates from your scholar throughout that academic year. Each subsequent year you can choose to support the same student again and continue to be updated about their progress all the way through college. This is a great way to stay connected to the country’s future leaders.

Q: If I choose to take a tax deduction, how is the scholar I am “matched” to chosen?

A: The staff at ScholarMatch will make every effort to “match” you to an appropriate student. For a lot of students, ScholarMatch may be one of their only — or their only — option. When posting a profile on ScholarMatch, scholars provide ScholarMatch the information from their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This enables our review committee to take into account the financial need of each scholar before making any decisions.
 
Moreover, we encourage you, as a donor, to include other information that will help us best match you to a student. If, for example, you specify that you would like to support the education of a student from San Francisco, we will endeavor to match you with a student from San Francisco. However, the law prevents us from guaranteeing any given specifications you might state. A long-standing IRS ruling clarifies the issue: “If contributions to the fund are earmarked by the donor for a particular individual, they are treated, in effect, as being gifts to the designated individual and are not deductible. However, a deduction will be allowable where it is established that a gift is intended by a donor for the use of the organization and not as a gift to an individual. The test in each case is whether the organization has full control of the donated funds, and discretion as to their use, so as to insure that they will be used to carry out its functions and purposes.” —IRS Ruling 62-113.

Q: Does ScholarMatch send checks to the students themselves or directly to their universities and colleges? Can donations go to books, private housing and other costs associated with college?

A: ScholarMatch can only direct funds directly to the applicable colleges and universities. If a student receives aid through ScholarMatch, we will hold those funds until that student has enrolled in their college or university, and has received a student ID number. When a student provides their registration and ID number to ScholarMatch, we will write a check directly to that college or university. We can direct funds to tuition or university housing only. We can pay for books only if they are bought through a university and appear on a tuition bill.

Q: If I am a donor, how much of my donation goes directly to funding college tuition (as opposed to overhead for ScholarMatch)?

A: We try to direct as much of your donation as possible directly toward the student while maintaining a sustainable model. 85 percent of your donation will go directly toward students' financial support, while 15 percent will be used for operations and program expenses, such as costs associated for student workshops.

Q: If I choose to donate $20,000 to the site generally, would that money be spread evenly among all the students on the site?

A: Our goal is to “complete” the funding for as many students as possible. So instead of giving 500 students $40 each, we would give four students $5000 each, or even two students $10,000 each.

Q: Can I email directly with the scholar I’m matched with?

A: ScholarMatch serves as an intermediary between the donors and scholars. We make it very easy for both parties, by maintaining a database and mailing service that automatically sends out updates to donors when the student posts them. Communication outside the auspices of ScholarMatch cannot be endorsed by ScholarMatch or 826 National.

Q: How do the students arrive at the amount of financial aid requested?

A: You’ll notice that some of the scholarship needs listed by the students are round numbers, such as $5,000. In most cases, the students are making the best estimate of what their tuition needs will be. When the students filled out the ScholarMatch profiles, most didn’t yet know where they would be enrolled, so most students are making a minimum estimate of their tuition needs, taking into account the tuition costs at the schools they’re most likely to attend. Please note that these numbers will be continuously updated when students firm up their plans, and when exact tuition costs become available to ScholarMatch. Further, donors should know that the goals include the 15 percent that is allocated toward ScholarMatch operations and program expenses. There if a student's true need is $1000, it appears as $1150 on their profile. In this manner we can ensure students' goals are being met while the lights stay on at ScholarMatch!
Finally, the portion of donations that goes toward tuition is used to cover actual gaps only. So if a student lists his or her need at $5,000, but the tuition need ends up being $4,200, then $4,200 is the amount that will be directed to the student’s college or university.

Q: Is there a limit to the scholarship goal that can be requested?

Yes. In order to meet the needs of as many scholars as possible, we cap our scholarship assistance at the full cost of attending a local public 4-year institution for one year, currently $6,276.

Q: How do I know that the student I am matched to is in need of financial assistance?

A: The ScholarMatch matching committee assesses each student’s financial need based on the information they report on their FAFSA, the cost of their tuition, and the other financial options a student may have to supplement their education besides ScholarMatch (such as awards and grants). Moreover, we encourage our students to post a scholarship goal that best reflects the amount they need to cover their tuition expenses for a year of college. Sometimes this goal is low -- a student may only need two thousand dollars to afford one year of school. Other times, even after all options are exhausted, their goal reflects the full tuition cost for one year.
 
While a diverse group of students are able to post their profile on the site, the average ScholarMatch scholar comes from a low-income household, with a median family income of less than $30,000 a year -- sometimes with multiple family members being supported by one paycheck.  Despite the possibility of some state grant support and their proven educational success, a majority of our ScholarMatch scholars will still need to take out loans in order to fulfill their tuition requirements.

Q: Does registering as a donor obligate me to donate?

A: No, registering is really just a way for us to know a bit more about you, and for you to gain access to the information about the student on ScholarMatch. Registering is more akin to registering as a “potential donor.”

Q: What is 826 National?

A: 826 National is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting teachers and public schools by empowering students to write well and succeed academically. We were founded in San Francisco, and now have eight chapters around the country — in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Boston, Washington D.C, Ann Arbor, and Chicago. All of the chapters provide one-on-one tutoring, in-schools assistance, workshops, college preparation courses, and myriad student publishing projects. Visit us at www.826National.org