Give Something Back

Changing lives, families, and communities—one college scholarship at a time.

Give Something Back (Give Back) provides college scholarships, academic mentoring, and social guidance to students who have faced adversity.

Apply to be a Give Back scholar

Helping Students Who Need it Most

There are more than 400,000 kids in foster care in the US, and 2.7 million children with a parent who is incarcerated. These youth must overcome severely diminished odds of educational success. Give Back provides special outreach to young people who have faced significant financial hardship and other adversities such as foster care, homelessness, or the incarceration of a parent.

Supporting Foster Youth

50 percent of youth who age out of foster care become homeless.

Only 3 percent of foster youth will graduate college.

On average, a college graduate will earn $1 million more in their lifetime than a high school graduate.

A Model for Success. A Promise for Tomorrow.

Give Back scholars participate in programming and mentoring throughout high school to prepare them for college-level curriculum at one of the organization’s partner colleges—with tuition, fees, room, and board covered. The public charity has already prepaid over 1500 college scholarships across the country—a contribution of over $36 million.

Give Back’s on-time graduation rate at a 4-year college.

Employment rate among Give Back alumni with college degrees.

Alumni who have carried on the spirit of giving back by giving or becoming mentors for the program.

New Book Release:

Give Back Founder Robert Carr’s new book, First Chance, is available now.

Buy Book

First Chance

How Kids With Nothing Can Change Everything

By Robert Owen Carr with Dirk Johnson

Children who experience hardships such as foster care, homelessness, or the incarceration of a parent must overcome countless obstacles on their path to educational success. First Chance explores the remarkable students who, despite considerable adversity, triumph over the odds when given a chance.

Learn More

Net proceeds will be donated to Give Back.

Mallouk Scholarship Program

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of Peter and Veronica Mallouk, we are proud to announce our first publicly-funded state, Kansas. To learn more regarding the devoted work of the Mallouks and their support of Give Back’s mission, visit their page here.

Learn More

Our Partners

Thank you to our valued partners who welcome and support the Give Back scholars.

Recent Blog Posts

Scholar Tips: Completing the FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is an online form designed as the first step if a student is seeking government aid to cover the cost of college. Learn about all the requirements on the blog.

Scholar Spotlight: Athena Arnau

Give Back scholar Athena Arnau is a junior at East Side Community High School in New York City. Learn about her journey with Give Back and her plans for the future.

Partner Spotlight: The Osborne Association

In 2017, the Osborne Association joined our network of community partners. As one of the leading criminal justice organizations in New York City providing support to families and children whose lives are touched by incarceration, their mission and our own were a natural fit. Learn more.

Change a life. Become a Mentor.

With a small time commitment, you can make a big impact.

Apply Now

Shop to Give Back

There are many ways to support Give Back simply by shopping online as you normally would. As an official AmazonSmile charity, Give Back will receive a percentage of purchases on smile.amazon.com. Many other popular retailers are featured on the Give Back Marketplace. Up to 11% of your purchases from those retailers will be donated to Give Back when you shop through the Marketplace link.

AmazonSmile

Marketplace