The College Access Crew: Mr. Grant Money & The Peer Mentors
🎩 Summary Notes
This post follows the College Access Crew—a group of four high school seniors in Atlanta who built a peer-led college prep movement with zero budget, no staff, and all heart. From essay edits during lunch to FAFSA help after school, they filled in every gap the system left behind.
But passion wasn’t enough to scale—until Mr. Grant Money walked into their library with a funding portfolio, a fiscal sponsor, and a roadmap. He didn’t just unlock resources. He showed them how to make their impact grant-ready. The result? Dedicated space, stipends, laptops, and juniors trained to lead the next cohort.
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⚜️ Key Themes
🔹 Peer Power: Students Leading Students
The College Access Crew had no:
❌ Budget
❌ Office
❌ Official backing
But they did have:
✅ 40+ students with applications submitted
✅ 70% acceptance rate by graduation
✅ A replicable blueprint other schools could follow
🔹 Mr. Grant Money: Strategy Over Sympathy
He didn’t hand out checks.
He handed out infrastructure:
📁 A funding scan (TRIO, GEAR UP, regional grants)
🏫 A fiscal sponsor to unlock eligibility
📊 Data coaching for outcome tracking
📝 An MOU to formalize leadership roles
🔹 From Hustle to Sustainability
With funding:
💻 Laptops were purchased
🏢 A college access room was secured
💵 Peer mentors got stipends
📚 A junior cohort was onboarded
They stopped improvising and started scaling.
🔹 Access = Proximity + Strategy
The line that changed everything?
“Access isn’t about potential. It’s about proximity.”
They had the drive.
Mr. Grant Money gave them reach.
⚜️ Discussion Questions
💬 What makes student-led models attractive to funders?
How can they prove traction and scale potential?
💬 Why is fiscal sponsorship a game-changer?
What makes a strong match between sponsor and student project?
💬 How can underused federal programs be unlocked for grassroots initiatives?
What role should schools and nonprofits play in this translation?
💬 What are best practices for student-led data tracking?
How can youth turn impact into investable outcomes?
💬 How do we support the handoff?
What systems help youth-led projects survive leadership transitions and grow?
⚜️ Action Steps for Schools & Allies
✅ Map federal and local college access grants
✅ Support students in forming peer leadership models
✅ Connect student efforts with nonprofit fiscal sponsors
✅ Train students in data collection and storytelling
✅ Celebrate youth impact—and turn it into grant strategy
⚜️ Reflection
The College Access Crew didn’t wait for permission.
They started building the bridge with what they had.
Mr. Grant Money didn’t reinvent their model.
He made it legible to funders.
Because when students lead and strategy backs them?
🚀 They don’t just help others apply.
They create a system where no one applies alone.
