In Michigan, there are about 10,000 kids in foster care each year. Child Protective Services remove children from their homes and parents because of neglect or abuse and place them in the care of others. Imagine how that feels to the child! These kids stay in the system for months or years. Worse case is they age out of the foster care system between the ages of 18 and 21. But, regardless of their length of stay, they are emotionally scarred. Many are behind in school, and some suffer from physical and psychological ailments directly resulting from their home situation. National statistics tell the long-term story. When compared to their peers, kids from foster care are 11 times more likely to experience homelessness. They are six times more likely to spend time in prison. And only 3% graduate from college by the age of 26. Michigan numbers reflect these percentages. We believe post-secondary education will help foster youths break this cycle. 

Our mission is to provide foster youths with a path to higher education. We award scholarships to deserving foster youths, ages 18 through 26, who have been accepted into an accredited college or trade school. We offer support services to ensure our students know we are there for them - we have their back!

To date, we have awarded 167 scholarships totaling $301k to 89 Michigan students. 42 (47%) have graduated, and another 36 (40%) are actively pursuing their degrees.

The year 2024 signifies a decade of providing Bravo scholarships to former foster youth. Our scholarship program currently has 36 students who are actively pursuing their degrees. In just one year, the number of new students more than doubled, rising from 10 in 2022 to 24 in 2023.

This growth gives evidence of the need for scholarships and Bravo's reach across Michigan. We need you to support our fundraisers to ensure our current students stay in school and to assist new applicants. Together, we will help them cross the graduation finish line!