The WISE Scholarship Program™ is not for the average student. It is designed for Stranded Superstars—the hidden gems who have the drive, potential, and determination to make a real difference. These are students who stand out not just academically, but through their character, ambition, and commitment to shaping their future. Many come from under-resourced communities and would otherwise be overlooked by traditional scholarship systems.

Unlike traditional scholarships, which typically award a one-time financial grant based on academic merit, athletics, or financial need, WISE takes a long-term approach. From grade 9 onward, WISE participants are profiled through psychometric assessments to understand their personality type, learning style, intelligences, and career potential. This data-driven insight helps guide their development, ensuring they are on a path that aligns with their strengths.

Through the WISE Portal, students track their progress, refine their goals, and actively earn their scholarships over four years. They accumulate points based on academics, extracurricular involvement, and meaningful social participation. Participants are referred through trusted partner organizations already working with youth who show exceptional promise. By the time they reach post-secondary education, they are not just scholarship recipients, they are prepared, confident, and pursuing a future that truly fits.

A Senior Scholarship Administrator (SSA) serves as the cornerstone of the WISE Scholarship Program™ within each partnering organization. This is a full-time role dedicated to supporting WISE participants on a day-to-day basis throughout their four-year “Earn to Learn” journey and beyond. SSAs build trusted relationships with each WISE participant, tracking their progress, guiding goal setting, reviewing reports, and ensuring all scholarship points are earned and recorded accurately.

Beyond student engagement, SSAs play a vital operational role. They help build implementation timelines, manage local program delivery, and contribute to annual planning, reporting, and budget development. They work closely with both the WISE team and the partner organization to keep everything running smoothly and on schedule.

The SSA is not just a program coordinator, they are the key to turning structure into real student support. Their presence is essential to keeping participants engaged, motivated, and moving forward with clarity and purpose!

Every WISE partnership begins with a feasibility study, where we take the time to understand the structure, values, and day-to-day programming of the organization. Once a clear fit is established, we move forward by incorporating the partner’s youth development program as the third pillar of the WISE Earn to Learn model—focused on social and non-formal learning, worth 30 points over four years.

This approach allows WISE to remain flexible and tailored, while still maintaining a consistent scholarship structure across all locations. Whether a partner runs after-school clubs, mentorship programs, or experiential learning activities, their model becomes an integrated part of the student’s WISE journey—tracked, supported, and recognized through the WISE Portal.

In cases where a partner does not already have a youth program in place, we collaborate to design one that fits their mission. We can also plug in an established offering, such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, to round out the student experience in a meaningful and measurable way.

Everything a WISE participant does throughout the program is tracked in real time through the WISE Portal. From grades and extracurricular involvement to social engagement and personal development, each activity contributes to their point total across four years. These points determine their scholarship eligibility, with thresholds in place for both prorated and full-ride funding.

WISE participants can log in at any time to see a detailed breakdown of their points by category, along with supporting documents, progress over time, and personal milestones. Meanwhile, Senior Scholarship Administrators (SSAs) manage WISE participants records, verify documents, and input key data that contribute to the scholarship calculation.

Additional features such as goal tracking, regular progress reporting, and weekly challenge performance give SSAs a complete view of each participant’s engagement. This structure makes it easy to identify WISE participants who are excelling—or those who may need extra support—to keep everyone moving forward.

At the end of the four-year journey, participants who reach 70 to 89 points qualify for prorated funding, while those with 90 points or more earn full-ride scholarships. Those with fewer than 70 points do not receive financial support, but they retain full access to all WISE Portal tools, connections, and future opportunities as alumni. This point system encourages accountability and sustained engagement — but above all, it’s designed to empower every WISE participant to earn a full-ride scholarship through consistent effort, growth, and support.

WISE participants must earn at least 70 points to qualify for scholarship funding. If a participant falls short, they do not receive financial support, but they still retain full access to the WISE Portal, career planning tools, mentorship opportunities, and alumni resources. While uncommon, if it does happen, we ensure the participant remains connected to WISE resources for life.

WISE scholarships are never given directly to students. Instead, funds are sent directly to the WISE participants college or university. This allows transparency and prevents financial misuse. All scholarship disbursements are tracked through the WISE Portal, where WISE participants and administrators can monitor payments in great detail. This ensures funds are used as intended and keeps the process clear for students and families alike.

Every WISE participant is profiled from the very beginning of their journey. Using a suite of psychometric assessments, the WISE Portal captures detailed insights into each participant’s personality type, learning preferences, intelligences, emotional traits, and core skill sets. This data creates a living profile that evolves over time, helping WISE participants better understand themselves while shaping how they’re guided throughout the program.

As they progress, participants build out their profiles further by logging experiences, completing challenges, setting goals, and submitting regular updates. Their performance across academic, extracurricular, and social activities is also recorded, giving a complete picture of where they’re growing and where support may be needed.

This profiling system allows SSAs to offer targeted support, helps participants explore the right career pathways, and ensures that scholarship funding is based on both effort and alignment, not just grades. The result is an experience that is personalized, structured, and driven by real data from start to finish.

The WISE Portal is where everything comes together. It’s the digital backbone of the program, built to manage every aspect of a WISE participant’s journey—from day one in grade 9 to years after graduation.

Through the Portal, participants track their scholarship points, submit progress updates, complete challenges, build their profiles, and plan for life after high school. Behind the scenes, it also manages financial tracking, career exploration, mentorship, and program oversight.

SSAs use the platform to monitor participant progress, upload supporting documents, verify scholarship eligibility, and provide personalized support based on real-time data. Once participants complete the program, the Portal remains a long-term resource—connecting them to alumni tools, continued mentorship, and career planning well into adulthood.

Yes. While financial sponsorship plays an important role, many corporate partners choose to get involved in more hands-on ways. From hosting job shadows and offering internships to leading workshops or sharing career insights, these contributions bring real-world relevance to the WISE journey.

These interactions create meaningful connections between WISE participants and professionals in the field, opening doors to industries, roles, and opportunities they may not have otherwise explored.

Some of our partners have hosted job site tours, career panels, offered mentorship, or provided in-kind support. Learn more in ways to support us here.

Yes. The WISE Portal gives the partners WISE Senior Scholarship Administrator (SSA) access to clear, actionable insights across their program location. Scholarship progress, engagement levels, challenge participation, and student growth are tracked and visualized through detailed dashboards.

Partners can receive this data that supports internal reporting and stakeholder updates, making it easier to quantify their involvement and see the long-term value their organization brings to each WISE participant’s journey.

WISE is designed as a four-year journey typically delivered to youth between the ages of 14 and 18. However, the Earn to Learn model has also been adapted for use in non-traditional settings, including partnerships like Grace Sober Living, which supports adults in recovery. While the program was built with youth in mind, its structure has proven effective across a range of learning environments where consistent engagement and personal development are possible.

We look for partners who are committed to education, personal development, and long-term student success. If your organization works with youth, through after-school programs, leadership initiatives, mentorship, or career training, we’ll start with a feasibility study to explore alignment.

From there, we collaborate on a tailored approach that fits your structure and integrates your programming into the WISE model. Whether you’re looking to co-create a new experience or strengthen an existing initiative, partnership with WISE is built on mutual values and shared outcomes.

We also welcome support from corporate sponsors, content providers, internship partners, donors, and mission-aligned collaborators of all kinds. Each plays a role in helping WISE participants access new tools, experiences, and opportunities.

To learn more, visit our pages for For Organizations, For Donors, and Strategic Partners to see how your support could make an impact.