About Us
ScholarCHIPS Founding Story
As a junior in high school, Yasmine Arrington became a 2010 Fellow in the LearnServe International Program in Washington, DC. LearnServe challenged her to help solve a need within the community. At the time, Yasmine and her grandmother were searching for scholarships to help cover her future college tuition, but could not find one for teens like her with incarcerated parents. Realizing that millions of other youth like her have an incarcerated parent and would benefit from a college scholarship and mentorship program tailored to their experience, Yasmine decided to create one herself. With the support of trusted mentors who Yasmine asked then to be the founding board members, Yasmine established ScholarCHIPS, Inc. (For Children of Incarcerated Parents) in 2010. In October 2010, Yasmine hosted a Kick-Off of ScholarCHIPS, where she officially announced the launch of ScholarCHIPS. This ScholarCHIPS Kick-Off event was Yasmine’s Girl Scout Gold Award project. Yasmine now serves as the organization’s executive director.
ScholarCHIPS is the only organization in the DC region that works to achieve the following mission: provide college scholarships, mentorship, mental health supports, and a robust support network for children of incarcerated parents, inspiring them to complete their college education. Our advocacy program empowers our scholars to tell their own stories in an empowering way also impacts public policy and decreases the stigma faced by this population. ScholarCHIPS’ goal is to empower youth with incarcerated parents to graduate college, establish upwardly mobile careers, break out of cycles of poverty and incarceration, and contribute to their communities in positive and transformative ways. To date, ScholarCHIPS has served 88 scholars and has awarded over $500,000 in scholarships, book awards, and graduation gifts. ScholarCHIPS now has 40 graduates.
With your support ScholarCHIPS will continue to achieve our mission in support of the following vision: a world where children of incarcerated parents are no longer marginalized and stigmatized by society, have equal access to higher education, and, ultimately, experience a future absent of poverty and incarceration.
AdvocacyOur Founder
Yasmine “YazzieSpeaks” Arrington Brooks was born and raised in Washington, DC. She is a 2015 graduate from Elon University with a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communications and History. Yasmine earned her Master of Divinity degree from Howard University School of Divinity in May 2018. Yasmine is the author of Daily Reflections for Social Entrepreneurs Journal.
In 2010, while a junior in high school, Yasmine founded the non-profit ScholarCHIPS, an organization that provides college scholarships, mentoring and a peer support network to children of incarcerated parents, inspiring them to complete their college education. To date, ScholarCHIPS has awarded over $450,000 in college scholarships to 81 scholars, with 35 college graduates to date.
Yasmine is a 2023 CNN Hero, a 2022 Soros Justice Fellow, a 2021 Washington Business Journal Top 40 Under 40, and 2019 Just Leadership USA Leading with Conviction Fellow. Yasmine has been featured in TeenVogue, Essence, Black Enterprise, Forbes Magazine, The Washington Post, and the Baltimore Times, and on CNN, ABC7 News WJLA, WUSA9, and NBC4 for her community work with ScholarCHIPS. Yasmine is a recipient of several awards including the Washington Business Journal Top 40 Under 40, the Linowes Leadership Award from the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Peace First Prize, the DC Social Innovation Prize, Angel Among Us Award by the Negro Council of Women, the Samuel Huntington Public Service Award, the Samuel Halperin Public Service Award, Radio One WKYS Top 30 Under 30, and others.
Population Served
ScholarCHIPS provides renewable scholarships and book awards to college bound youth from the Washington, DC Metropolitan area with an incarcerated parent or primary caregiver. We reach graduating high school seniors from the following regions: Washington, DC; Montgomery County; Prince George’s County; Fairfax County; Arlington County; City of Alexandria; and the City of Falls Church. ScholarCHIPS targets students who have the drive to attend and graduate from college, but are at risk of falling short of this goal because of limited financial resources or support networks that result from parental incarceration. In fact, many recipients are the first in their family to attend or complete college. When reviewing applications, we also value scholars who demonstrate a commitment to their community.
We have served over 80 scholars since our inception, including 35 active scholars in FY2022. While we welcome students from all ethnic backgrounds to apply, the vast majority of scholars are African American. We also support Latinx, African and Native American scholars. The average FAFSA Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) per scholar is $5,181.16. This year, 60% of scholar applicants have an EFC of $0.
Our scholars attend a wide variety of colleges and universities. For example, scholars have earned Bachelor’s Degrees from: Old Dominion University, Virginia State University, Pennsylvania State University, Bowie State University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Towson University, Spelman College, Bucknell University, Sewanee College of the South, and many others. Several of our scholars go on to pursue their Juris Doctorate or advanced degrees. We support scholars as they pursue advanced degrees and jobs in their desired career fields.
Key Achievements
ScholarCHIPS has received national recognition and various accolades due to our successful, comprehensive approach. In addition to being selected as a current Fair Chance partner in 2019, ScholarCHIPS was recognized as “one of the best” local nonprofits in 2019-20 by The Catalogue for Philanthropy—selected for excellence, cost-effectiveness, and impact.
Moreover, ScholarCHIPS has received several awards, including (but not limited to): the 2015 J.M. Kaplan Innovation Prize ($150,000), 2015 PeaceFirst Prize Award ($25,000), and the 2017 America’s Promise Alliance People of Promise Award ($20,000). We have also been featured in The Washington Post (2010, 2012, and 2015), Teen Vogue (2012),Essence (2013), Forbes (2013), WUSA9 (2015), The Huffington Post (2015), ABC7 WJLA (2016), The Steve Harvey Morning Show (2016), Crossroads by Roach Brown on WPFW (2018), and interviewed by Barbara Harrison on NBC News 4 (2018).
ScholarCHIPS Executive Director and Founder, Yasmine Arrington, was also selected through a competitive national application process to be a 2019 Just Leadership USA “Leading with Conviction” Fellow. Just Leadership USA’s mission is to decrease the incarcerated population by half by 2030. As a fellow, Yasmine received interactive, in-person executive coaching and peer coaching to help her hone her organizational and management skills, master her storytelling, and sharpen her ability to function as a visionary leader for justice reform in our nation.
At least 90% of our scholars over the lifetime of the organization have graduated from their undergraduate programs or are on track to graduate within 4-6 years. We have already celebrated twenty-two college graduates from the first five cohorts (college class of 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020). All remaining active scholars are on track to graduate within 4-6 years, with the vast majority on track to graduate in 4-5 years.
The ScholarCHIPS model ensures our target population not only enroll in college, but persist, graduate, and thrive professionally. We also work to dissolve taboos associated with having an incarcerated parent. ScholarCHIPS is well-respected for our unique approach. In fact, The College Success Foundation recognized our success “changing the lives of young people, who with a little hope and opportunity will not only change their trajectory, but the trajectory of their families and the communities they serve.”
EIN #46-3127898
501(c)3 Charitable Organization
ScholarCHIPS' United Way NCA #9738
ScholarCHIPS' Combined Federal Campaign #81760
(202) 677-0897
ScholarCHIPS, Inc.
P.O. Box 29326
Washington, DC 20017
