REACHBY ESTHER FUNDS FOUNDATION

For high school counselors, teachers and coaches

Get them to college, and through it.

A free toolkit for your building: what to share with students and families in every grade, the REACH tools that do the heavy lifting, and words you can copy into an announcement tonight.

Every resource for you

Bring REACH into your school in four steps

  1. Share one link.

    Put reach.estherfundsfoundation.org in your newsletter, your counseling page and your senior seminar. Students tap "I'm a student", answer three private questions and get their own plan. Open Start here →

  2. Let seniors build their applications with EFF.

    Apply With Me · College walks them through activities, a personal statement, a college list and every supplement, then they click submit on the college's own portal. Apply With Me · College →

  3. Stop summer melt.

    Students who get in can still lose the seat over a deposit, orientation or the first bill. Senior mode in the REACH Predictor lines those up against their aid. The REACH Predictor →

  4. Host a REACH night.

    FAFSA & Financial Aid Night, Apply With Me Night or First-Gen Family Night: the whole room plays along on their phones. Request a REACH visit →

Keep these close

Print them, put them on the fridge, the bulletin board or the staff room wall.

9th and 10th grade

  • The hardest classes they can handle, and help when they need it.
  • One or two activities they really care about.
  • Explore careers and colleges early.
  • Start a list of everything they do: it becomes the application.

11th grade

  • PSAT, and SAT or ACT with fee waivers if they qualify.
  • A first college list: reach, match, safe, and affordable.
  • Visit campuses, in person or online.
  • Ask two teachers early about recommendations.

12th grade

  • Applications and fee waivers.
  • The FAFSA as soon as it opens, with a parent contributor.
  • Scholarships every month.
  • Compare aid offers in spring: gift aid versus loans.
  • Deposit, orientation and the first bill over the summer.

Words you can copy

Paste them as they are, or make them yours.

An announcement for families

Free help for every student and family, from 9th grade through college: scholarships checked every morning, help with the FAFSA and college applications, and a real person if something goes wrong. Esther Funds Foundation's REACH: reach.estherfundsfoundation.org

For the morning announcements

Thinking about college, or already applying? REACH by Esther Funds Foundation is free: scholarships, application help and a plan made for you. Go to reach.estherfundsfoundation.org and tap "I'm a student."

Every resource for you

From the REACH Library: checked every morning, official sources and EFF’s own tools.

▲ Getting ready for college

Official source ↗Your college checklist, grade by gradeWhat to do in 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade to get ready for college and financial aid, from the U.S. Department of Education.
Official source ↗Fill out the FAFSAThe one form for federal grants, work-study and loans, and the form most states and colleges use too. Free, always.
Official source ↗Free SAT practiceOfficial, free SAT practice tests and lessons from Khan Academy, made with College Board.
Official source ↗SAT fee waiversTake the SAT for free if your family's income qualifies, and get college application fee waivers too.
Official source ↗Explore colleges and careersBigFuture: find colleges, plan a career and search scholarships, free from College Board.
Official source ↗TRIO programs: free college prepUpward Bound, Talent Search and other federal programs that help first-generation and low-income students get to college and finish.
Official source ↗Compare colleges by the numbersCollege Navigator: costs, aid, graduation rates and programs for every college in the country.
From EFFWill you actually start in the fall?Got in? The REACH Predictor's senior mode lines up your deposits, orientation and first bill against your aid, so summer doesn't take your seat.
Official source ↗Get SchooledA free platform (now powered by Bottom Line) that walks students through college and first jobs with short content, games and text-based help.
Official source ↗College Advising CorpsPlaces recent college graduates as full-time college advisers inside high schools that serve low-income students. Close in age, and right there in your school.
Official source ↗OneGoalA three-year classroom program that makes a teacher the college coach for a whole cohort of high school students. Known for: a small Enrollment Grant offered right when enrollment stalls.
Official source ↗iMentorMatches every student in a partner high school with a college-educated mentor for three to four years.

$ Pay for school

From EFFEFF Pell Grant ProtectorNew for 2026–27: state, college and private aid that reaches your cost of attendance ends your Pell Grant. Check yours, and any new scholarship offer, before you say yes.
ToolUndocumented, DACA & International StudentsWhat you can get, who to ask, and free legal help.
From EFFREACH ScholarshipsThousands of open scholarships, checked every morning. Search by level, deadline and state.
From EFFApply With Me · CollegeFor high school students: EFF builds your college applications with you. Activities, personal statement, college list, supplements and emails to your counselor, ready to paste. You click submit.
From EFFThe Scholarship Walk167 hand-picked scholarships in the order they close. Save a list and add deadlines to your calendar.
ToolFAFSA DecoderDecode your FAFSA status, SAI, verification request, or changed financial circumstances.
ToolFinancial Aid Offer DecoderSeparate gift aid, debt, work-study, bill gap, and the full cost of attendance.
GuideEssay & planner toolkitsFree PDFs: essay toolkit, application planner, senior roadmap, aid appeal toolkit and more.
Official source ↗College ScorecardCompare institutions by costs, completion, fields of study, and earnings.
Official source ↗uAspireHelps students understand financial aid offers and the real cost of college before a bill surprises them, and trains the advisers who help them.
Official source ↗The Posse FoundationRecruits students in "posses" of about ten who train together before college, receive full-tuition scholarships at partner colleges and support each other through graduation.
Official source ↗UNCF scholarshipsThe largest private scholarship provider for minority students, supporting 37 member HBCUs and students at hundreds of other schools, with hundreds of scholarships in one place.
Official source ↗Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF)Scholarships, programs and career pipelines for students at publicly supported HBCUs and predominantly Black institutions, including help near the finish line.
Official source ↗Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)Names about 10,000 HSF Scholars a year and pairs the scholarship with mentoring, career services and leadership conferences.
Official source ↗APIA ScholarsScholarships and support for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students, with attention to first-generation and low-income scholars and help for first-time applicants.
Official source ↗QuestBridgeConnects high-achieving, low-income students to full scholarships at partner colleges through the National College Match.
Official source ↗Dell ScholarsA scholarship from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation that comes with a laptop, textbook credits and a support team that stays with scholars through graduation.
Official source ↗Say Yes BuffaloA tuition scholarship promise for graduates of Buffalo public and charter schools, plus Pre-K through 12th grade supports. A whole city organized around its students.

↻ Stay enrolled

Official source ↗Disability & accommodation rightsLearn about Section 504, the ADA, and support in higher education.
Official source ↗Beyond 12Near-peer coaches who stay with students from high school through college graduation. Known for: the MyCoach app, with coaching, reminders and campus resources on your phone.
Official source ↗Bottom LineFull-time advisers stay with low-income, first-generation students from applying to college through graduation: one adviser, a small caseload, support that follows you for years.
Official source ↗College PossibleNear-peer AmeriCorps coaches guide low-income students to college and through it, from junior year to a degree. It now also runs College Possible Texas (formerly College Forward).
Official source ↗College TrackA ten-year commitment to each student, from ninth grade through college graduation, run through local centers.
Official source ↗KIPP ForwardKIPP's alumni support: counselors stay with KIPP graduates through college and into careers.

◆ Made for students like me

Official source ↗Financial aid for non-citizensWho can get federal student aid, and what eligible noncitizens need, from the U.S. Department of Education.
Official source ↗TheDream.US scholarshipsThe largest college scholarship program for undocumented immigrant students, including DACA and TPS.
Official source ↗Immigrants RisingGuides, scholarship lists and support for undocumented students and young people, whatever their status.
Official source ↗Vocational rehabilitation in your stateEvery state has a vocational rehabilitation agency that can help students with disabilities pay for school, training and work.
Official source ↗NCAA Eligibility CenterPlaying a college sport? Register here and see what classes and grades you need.
Official source ↗JED: mental health for young adultsReal guides on stress, loneliness, anxiety and helping a friend, made for teens and college students.
Official source ↗Foster Care to Success (FC2S)The oldest national nonprofit working only with college-bound foster youth: scholarships, coaching, mentoring, care packages and emergency funding.
Official source ↗SchoolHouse ConnectionFor students experiencing homelessness, from early childhood through college: how to get help, your rights, and scholarship support for homeless youth applying to college.

➜ Grad school & after

Official source ↗City YearYoung AmeriCorps members serve full-time in schools, coaching the students most at risk of dropping out. A service year after college, and a way to be the reason someone stays.

∞ Family & friends

Official source ↗FAFSA for parentsUnderstand contributor invitations, consent, tax information, and common mistakes.
GuideREACH K–12Help students and families prepare for college, financial aid, belonging, and the transition before a crisis begins.
Official source ↗Your student's privacy (FERPA)Once your student is in college, the school can't share grades or a balance with you unless your student agrees. What that means, from the Department of Education.
Official source ↗Spot a scholarship scamFederal Student Aid: you never pay to get a scholarship or to file the FAFSA.
Official source ↗Big Brothers Big Sisters of AmericaLocal agencies match children and teens with screened adult mentors, in communities and in schools. Find a mentor for a young person, or become one.
Official source ↗Boys & Girls Clubs of AmericaLocal clubs in nearly every community run graduation-focused programs, including diplomas2Degrees for teens aiming at college. Find a club near you.

✺ Lead & give

From EFFREACH WorkshopsLive workshops where the whole room plays along on their phones. Join with a code, or host one from MyEFF.
From EFFREACH on Tour 2027Bring REACH to your school, college, church or community in person, partner with a chapter, or sponsor a stop.
Official source ↗American School Counselor AssociationResources and standards for school counselors helping students plan for college and careers.
Official source ↗Communities In SchoolsPlaces a site coordinator inside a school to connect students to whatever they need (food, tutoring, counseling, a ride) through local affiliates.
Official source ↗Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG)In-school specialists work with the students at greatest risk of leaving, through graduation and a year beyond into jobs or college, state by state.
Official source ↗Check & Connect (University of Minnesota)An evidence-based model: a mentor checks a student's attendance, grades and behavior, then connects with help and family outreach, fast.
Official source ↗National Dropout Prevention CenterThe research and training center for dropout prevention at Clemson University, with a library of strategies organized by what the evidence supports.
Official source ↗Attendance WorksFights chronic absenteeism, the earliest warning sign of dropping out, with data tools and campaigns for schools, districts and families.
Official source ↗Everyone Graduates Center (Johns Hopkins)Builds early-warning systems that flag students going off track in middle and high school, and the school models that respond.
Official source ↗The Education Trust (EdTrust)Research and advocacy on equity in education, including the gaps in degree attainment our students sit inside.
Official source ↗StriveTogetherA national network of cradle-to-career partnerships: whole communities aligned on shared student outcomes from birth to a job.

Partner with EFF

Want REACH in front of every student in your district? Tell us about your school.

Request a REACH visitPartner with EFF

REACH by Esther Funds Foundation · reach.estherfundsfoundation.org · In crisis, call or text 988.