ThePosse Foundation is anonprofit organization that partners with colleges and universities in theUnited States to provide studentscholarships and leadership training. Posse has partnered with 64 U.S. colleges and universities.[1][2] The organization is centered on a cohort-based model that admits students to attend college as part of a "Posse" of 10 peers.[3]
Posse was founded in 1989 byDeborah Bial,[4] first partnering withVanderbilt University. After initially recruiting students solely fromNew York City, the program has expanded to serve students from more than 20 U.S. cities.[5][6] The Posse Foundation's founder, Deborah Bial, received theMacArthur "Genius" Grant in 2007 for her work with Posse.[7]
In March 2010, the Posse Foundation was one of ten organizations chosen byPresidentBarack Obama to receive a portion of his $1.4 millionNobel Peace Prize award money.[8]
In 2021, Posse announced the launch of the Posse Arts Program, a new initiative with the stated goal of supporting students in creative arts, conceived in collaboration withLin-Manuel Miranda,Luis A. Miranda Jr., and the Miranda Family Fund.[9]
In 2013,Google awarded Posse a Global Impact Award with a $1.2 million grant to launch the organization's Posse Veterans Program, an initiative to support post-September 11 attacks U.S. veterans in higher education and beyond.[10]
In June 2020,Netflix selected Posse for a $350,000 grant; the company donated $5 million to organizations for Black people.[11]
In December 2020, Posse received a $10 million gift from writer and philanthropistMacKenzie Scott.[12]
