Ascend Educational Fund is a scholarship program for immigrant children or the children of immigrants in New York City. The scholarships are available to immigrant students regardless of immigration status, including the children of illegal immigrants. ¹

One of the co-founders of the fund, Julissa Arce, was originally an illegal immigrant from Mexico. She later legalized her status when she married her American husband. ²

Overview

Ascend Educational Fund is a scholarship program that is awarded to students who reside in New York City and attend city schools. ³ It provides scholarships of between $2,500 and $20,000 that can be used at any accredited college in the United States. The scholars are also enrolled in a special intensive academic and professional mentorship program. ⁴

An American-born student can receive the scholarship if both parents are immigrants. If one student’s parent is American-born, the student cannot receive the scholarship. ⁵ Recipient students must be a resident of New York City. The scholarship is not awarded to students living anywhere else in the country. ⁶ The program focuses on New York City because of its large foreign-born population. ^{7 8}

The scholarships are targeted towards immigrant children of all nationalities. However, specific scholarships awarded are based on nationality and/or ethnicity. ⁹

Leadership

The chairwoman of the board and co-founder of Ascend Educational Fund is Julissa Arce. She was born in Mexico and entered the United States at age 11 to join her parents, who were already in the country to work on a visa. At age 15, her visa expired, and she overstayed as an illegal immigrant. She had difficulty applying to colleges and work because she had no Social Security number. But she was able to attend college in Texas because it allowed illegal immigrants to attend university. She graduated and went to work at Goldman Sachs and legalized her status when she married. She would later leave Goldman Sachs and become an advocate for more liberal immigration laws. ¹⁰

Finances

According to its 2018 tax returns, Ascend Educational Fund raised $107,047 and spent $111,683. It had assets of $59,678. ¹¹

1. Ascend Educational Fund. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://ascendfundny.org/.
2. Smith, Olivia. “She Grew up Undocumented. Now Julissa Arce Is Working to End Immigration Stereotypes.” Good Morning America. October 9, 2019. https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/grew-undocumented-now-julissa-arce-working-end-immigration-65985410.
3. Ascend Educational Fund. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://ascendfundny.org/.
4. Ascend Educational Fund. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://ascendfundny.org/.
5. Ascend Educational Fund. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://ascendfundny.org/.
6. Ascend Educational Fund. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://ascendfundny.org/.
7. Ascend Educational Fund. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://ascendfundny.org/.
8. Ascend Educational Fund. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://ascendfundny.org/.
9. Ascend Educational Fund. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://ascendfundny.org/.
10. Smith, Olivia. “She Grew up Undocumented. Now Julissa Arce Is Working to End Immigration Stereotypes.” Good Morning America. October 9, 2019. https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/grew-undocumented-now-julissa-arce-working-end-immigration-65985410.
11. Ascend Educational Fund. Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990). 2018. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/461140658/201911359349202871/full.