*This date celebrates the founding of A Better Chance (ABC) in 1963. ABC is a national non-profit talent search organization.
A Better Chance began as a pioneering experiment in educational opportunity. The Charles E. Merrill Foundation gave a grant that allowed twenty-three independent schools to respond to President John F. Kennedy's call for equal access to the nation's top schools for nonwhite students. The schools’ response: the Independent School Talent Search Program (ISTSP). ISTSP held its first session for academically talented youth in the summer of 1964 at Dartmouth College.
As long as they completed the summer program, fifty young men had been accepted by college preparatory schools. That summer, the program's name changed to Project ABC: A Better Chance. Their mission is to substantially increase the number of well-educated minority youth capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. A Better Chance works with students of color in sixth grade through college to help them gain access to broader educational and career opportunities.
They honor their original promise to offer deserving students of color a quality education. Over 11,000 A Better Chance Scholars have graduated from Member Schools, extending to 27 states. ABC alumni have graduated from competitive colleges, graduate programs, or professional schools. A Better Chance alumnus includes leaders in business, law, medicine, government, education, and the arts.
Alumni from ABC include Tracy Chapman and Deval Patrick.
