CCF is a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit powered by generous individuals, corporations, and grants — and right now, your support means more than ever.
In this challenging climate, your gift helps us continue providing life-changing opportunities for the students and families who need it most. Every dollar makes an impact.

Make a tax-deductible donation today and be part of this important work.

No, College Choice Foundation is not a scholarship program. We help students obtain financial aid and scholarships.

Your gift to College Choice Foundation has a direct, tangible impact on the lives of our Scholars. Here's how your support can make a difference:

• $1,057.90 — A MacBook Air + AppleCare to ensure academic success

• $531.04 — A round-trip flight for a Scholar attending college in the Northeast

• $471.95 — A college tour flight to Boston to visit 5 potential campuses

• $305.01 — Lunch for 43 Scholars & chaperones on a college road trip

• $275.00 — 12 hours of professional ACT Test Prep

• $200.00 — A college expense stipend for books, laundry, and essentials

• $175.00 — A hotel stay for two Scholars during a college tour

• $83.00 — Monthly summer storage rental for two Scholars living far from home

• $69.00 — ACT test registration for one Scholar

• $60.00 — One-on-one college essay coaching session

• $50.00 — A résumé consulting session to prepare for jobs and internships

• $20.00 — Common Black College Application registration fee

• $7.00 — A program t-shirt to build identity and belonging

Thank you for wanting to make a difference in these young, bright and talented individuals!!!

CCF Needs 3 things:

1) Money to help these kids keep achieving their dreams.

2) Volunteer Mentors to help guide them applying to and attending college.

3) Other in-kind and volunteer support like donations to outfit a dorm, being a host family where our students attend college, helping with transportation to and from programming, and tutoring.

Please check out our GeInlved section.

Although we find our work very rewarding, helping students and parents navigate financial aid can be challenging. Completing the FAFSA and CSS Profile and the follow-up is tedious and labor-intensive and helping our families understand financial aid and financial aid awards requires a lot of support.

Our typical student student will raise their ACT score 2-4 points by taking the ACT prep classes (we cover) and taking the test multiple times.

Raising your score 2-4 points can have a dramatic effect on a Scholar’s ability to obtain scholarships.

A typical CCF Scholar stays with the program for 5 to 7 years, from high school through college graduation. On average, it costs about $15,000 to support one Scholar through their entire journey. This includes approximately $5,000 per year during high school and $5,000 total over four years of college. This cost covers critical services like ACT prep, college tours, application support, financial aid guidance, and ongoing college application and success coaching. It does not include the countless volunteer hours invested by mentors, financial aid assistants and community partners who generously give their time to help our Scholars succeed.

Our primary program is The Bateman Scholars Program named in honor of Dr. Mark Bateman (co-founder) who died in November, 2024. We also have CCF Connects (which is still in beginning phases to connect students to internships and CCF Hosts to find host-families where our Scholars attend college so they can have a home-cooked meal, a place to do laundry, a ride from the airport or a somewhere to store their items in the summer.

CCF supports Scholars through a four-tier program from high school to college graduation which can span 1 year or 8 years depending on how many Tiers a Scholar completes.

• Tier 1: Juniors receive early exposure to college knowledge, standardized testing, writing skills, and mentorship.

• Tier 2: Seniors receive intensive college application support, ACT prep, college visits, and financial aid guidance.

• Tier 3: Incoming college freshmen attend a two-day SOAR camp to prepare for college life, and receive dorm essentials and moving assistance.

• Tier 4: College students receive up to six years of academic, financial, and mental health support, helping us maintain a 98% graduation rate, far above the national average.

We started College Choice Foundation in Spring, 2014, with one student, Michelle Williams, who now has her Master’s Degree.

Fortunately, we have strong support in Birmingham for CCF, and have met our budget every year since inception. Our budget varies depending on the number of students we are supporting, but on average, we need at least $500,000 to run it effectively. 84% of the budget typically goes to programming. We do always worry we will not be funded adequately to fully support our Scholars but if this is the case, we will cut back on certain programming aspects.

There are other nonprofits that focus on college access or college success—but no one does it quite like CCF. We are one of the only programs that walk alongside students from the very beginning of the college process all the way through graduation. Beyond counseling and test prep, we provide what others don’t: airfare for students attending college far from home, emergency support, dorm essentials, summer storage, nationwide college tours, and even heavy winter clothing for students heading north. We don’t just open doors—we stay with our Scholars every step of the way until they earn their degree.

Another unique aspect of CCF is the strong relationships we’ve built with a dozen or more colleges across the country. While we don’t have formal partnerships with all of them, we actively encourage our Scholars to apply to colleges that meet 100% of demonstrated financial need—most of which are highly competitive. Our students have been accepted to top institutions such as Grinnell College, Boston College, Harvard University, Boston University, Berea College, Northeastern University, Wake Forest, Emory, Sewanee, and many others. We also work closely with Birmingham Promise to ensure affordable options for students who choose to stay in Alabama.

Yes! We do stay in touch with our college graduates, and we also encourage them to be mentors for the next generation! They often come back and meet us for lunch or attend our gatherings.

On average, around 75!

Yes! Families and guardians are a vital part of a Scholar’s success, and we involve them every step of the way. Parents and guardians are invited to participate in key programming events, including Orientation, financial aid workshops, college-readiness camps, and our end-of-year celebration. We believe college success is a team effort, and we are committed to supporting the whole family throughout the journey.