Overview
Onward We Learn is a Rhode Island nonprofit that helps students become the first in their families to go to and finish college. It provides long-term, one-on-one support starting in middle school and continuing through the postsecondary journey, with a focus on staying in school and completing college. The work is person-centered and sustained, not just a one-time program. The organization works with dozens of schools and serves about 4,200 students each year and has awarded over $43 million in scholarships since 2001. What makes it different is its specialized, intensive support for a smaller group of students, a strong emphasis on relationships, and a commitment to multiple paths to success—including options beyond a traditional four-year degree. Its goal is educational equity: to ensure that more Rhode Island students from diverse backgrounds can access and complete higher education and build a better future.
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Simplify's take
What believers are saying
- Rhode Island appropriated $500,000 in April 2026, reinforcing near-term GEAR UP continuity.
- The 2025 Form 990 shows $12.3 million in assets and $613,024 investment income.
- Partner schools like Brown, URI, and CCRI widen scholarship usefulness and employer brand.
What critics are saying
- Federal GEAR UP funding needs annual state match; a 2027 budget failure breaks operations.
- The 2024 federal grant runs through 2031, concentrating existential dependence on one program.
- With 44 employees and $6.7 million revenue in 2025, overhead pressures intensify fast.
What makes Onward We Learn unique
- Since 1989, Onward We Learn has paired scholarships with long-term middle-school-to-college coaching.
- The Rhode Island GEAR UP network spans schools, colleges, and state agencies statewide.
- Its 2024 legislative record cites better graduation and college-enrollment outcomes than matched peers.
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