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Vice Mayor Pastor, Councilwoman Ansari and Aliento Launch New Phoenix Promise Program
On Wednesday, the Phoenix City Council unanimously approved a contract with the Maricopa County Community College District Foundation to implement the Phoenix Promise Program, a tuition assistance program for eligible Phoenix residents attending Maricopa County Community College District schools.
On June 7, 2022, City Council approved a budget of $5 million from the City’s second allocation of ARPA funds to launch a tuition assistance program for two- and four-year degrees. The goal of the program is to support approximately 400 Phoenix residents who qualify for Arizona resident tuition and are enrolled, or plan to enroll, in a Maricopa Community College for a two- or four-year degree.
“Long before I was councilwoman or vice mayor, education was fundamentally important to me,” said Vice Mayor Laura Pastor. “Having served in roles from teacher to school board member, I have a first-hand perspective on the importance of every person’s access to affordable education. I am thrilled to see our Phoenix City Council pass this Phoenix Promise Program – offering tuition assistance to Phoenix residents attending Maricopa County Community College District schools.”
“As a daughter of immigrants who heavily emphasized access to education as a pathway to personal and generational resiliency, I want to equip every young person in my district with the opportunity to pursue any level of education that could benefit their future and our entire city,” said Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari. “More importantly, I’m going to push for an aggressive outreach campaign that reaches young adults who might have lost that opportunity during the pandemic. With this major investment, Phoenix is showing we’re focused on proactively addressing inequalities in education attainment and building strong, sustainable pathways for economic vitality,” she added.
Eligible individuals include those qualified for Federal Pell Grants or another acceptable income verified program. The Foundation will use a subcontractor to implement digital and in-person outreach campaigns to enroll students from underrepresented communities into the Phoenix Promise Program. The program will also provide student support stipends and wraparound academic support to boost enrollment and degree completion. This funding is anticipated to provide scholarships and stipends to eligible students starting in the Fall 2022 semester and concluding with the Spring 2025 semester.
“I want to thank Mayor Gallego, Vice Mayor Laura Pastor, Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari, and the Phoenix City Council for making a $5 million transformational investment for Phoenix students. The Phoenix Promise Program will ensure that historically marginalized students have access to higher education without worrying about cost and wraparound support,” said Reyna Montoya, CEO & Founder of Aliento Education Fund.