Supporting the whole student. Empowering our future.
Since 2023, La Promesa Foundation has awarded 44 scholarships totaling over $84,000 to academically talented Hispanic students across Southwestern Pennsylvania, and we're just getting started.
Through our partnership with Ayúdate, scholarship recipients also have access to culturally responsive mental health services at no cost to the student.
Mission
To recognize and empower academically talented Latin American or Hispanic heritage students in Southwestern Pennsylvania by providing scholarships and holistic support that fosters success in higher education, personal well-being, career readiness, and connections to professional and employment opportunities in the Pittsburgh region.
Your support helps open doors for the next generation. Whether you donate, attend an event, or spread the word, you're making a difference!
Featured Story
Myrian Perez Paulino - University of Michigan
"As a First-Generation College Student who is Hispanic, having the opportunity to go to college to pursue a higher education and to begin the journey to obtain the career that I have longed for the most, is a dream come true. As I began to apply to colleges, one of the greatest worries for not only myself but for my parents was paying for my education."
Read more stories from our scholars!
Our Impact
Every scholarship we award represents a student who refused to let cost stand between them and their future. In Allegheny County, the Hispanic population has grown more than 40% in the last decade, yet nationally only 25% of Hispanic adults hold a college degree, compared to over 40% of the general population. Many of our scholars are the first in their families to attend college. La Promesa Foundation exists to close that gap, one student at a time.
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44 scholarships awarded since 2023
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$84,282 in direct financial support
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Growing every year: 5 scholarships in 2023, 13 in 2024, 14 in 2025, and 12 already in 2026
Year # of Recipients Total
2023 5 $11,682
2024 13 29,500
2025 14 24,800
2026 12 18,300*
Total 44 $84,282
* As of July 2026
Our Founder, In His Own Words
Jesús Torres knows what it means to fight for an education. A basketball scholarship recipient from Puerto Rico, his athletic career was cut short after surgeries on both legs, but the financial pressure of staying in school never went away. That experience became the reason he founded La Promesa Foundation in August 2022: to make sure no talented Hispanic student in Southwestern Pennsylvania has to choose between their education and their finances.
