Fund-raising & Advisory Board

Our Mission

To make certain that every child living in our public housing communities has both the opportunity for and expectation of a college education.

History

CHASF began as the dream of John T. Crawford, the Youth Services Director for the Charlotte Housing Authority. John, himself, grew up poor and wanted to do more for the kids he saw living around drug dealers and dropouts. People said it was a nice idea, but that he’d never get far with it. That first year John raised $64,990, enough to help 16 students from Charlotte’s public housing communities to afford college in the fall of 1984.

The oldest program of its kind and a true model for the nation, CHASF is today a ray of hope for young people with the desire, but not the funds, to attend college. Partnering with fund administrator Foundation For The Carolinas (www.fftc.org), CHASF has changed the lives of hundreds of young people who had no good reason to hope for a future.

Facts

Did you know that:
• CHASF has awarded close to $2 million since 1984
• Provides the only scholarships specifically for students of Charlotte public housing community
• CHASF students have attended close to 60 colleges
• Last year a record number of 86 students received scholarships, up from just 16 in the first year
• Over 400 students have received the scholarship since its inception with an average of 65 students funded annually
• Degrees earned by recipients include: Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Accounting, Business, Psychology, and Medicine
• Most recipients are the first in their family to attend college and come from a single mother household with income below the poverty level
• Average family income of family in public housing is $6774 and 91% of households have an annual income below $15,000