The Kalamazoo Promise scholarship program was announced 15 years ago this week. Since then, it has sent thousands of Kalamazoo Public School students on to college.
Superintendent Rita Raichoudhuri says nearly 150 million dollars has been invested in the community through its young adults, so far:
"This incredible gift to our students is funded in perpetuity by a small group of anonymous donors," said Raichoudhuri. "There are nearly 7,000 KPS graduates who have utilized this gift."
Other cities have created similar privately funded scholarships. But none are as generous or inclusive as Kalamazoo’s.