Why We Exist
La Promesa Foundation was founded in August 2022 by Jesús Torres, a Puerto Rican former basketball scholarship athlete whose own path through higher education was shaped by financial hardship after a career-ending injury. That experience is the reason our mission is so specific: we recognize and honor academically talented Hispanic students in the Southwestern Pennsylvania area by providing direct economic support toward their higher education.
We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes.
Why It Matters?
National (U.S.)
- Hispanic/Latino students are the second-largest group in U.S. colleges, making up over 20% of undergraduate enrollment.
- Despite growth, only about 25% of Hispanic adults (25+) hold a bachelor's degree, compared to over 40% nationally.
- Hispanic students are more likely to be first-generation college students, which increases financial and support barriers.
Pennsylvania / Regional
- Hispanic/Latino make up roughly 8-9% of Pennsylvania's population, and growing.
- In many PA regions, Hispanic students have lower college completion rates than the state average.
- First-generation and underrepresented students in PA are more likely to face financial gaps that scholarships can directly impact.
Pittsburgh's Hispanic community is one of the fastest-growing populations in the region, but access to higher education has not kept pace. Many of the students we support are first-generation college students navigating a system that was not built with them in mind. Our role is to remove one of the biggest barriers they face: cost.
What We Do
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Award need- and merit-based scholarships to Hispanic students pursuing higher education
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Build a community of mentors, donors, and partners invested in their success
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Provide scholarship recipients with access to culturally responsive mental health services through our partnership with Ayúdate (https://ayudate.net/).
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Host events throughout the year that connect our scholars to the broader Pittsburgh community
What's Next
As our scholar community grows, so does our vision. Beyond financial support, we're building programming to help our scholars succeed after they receive a scholarship, connecting them with mentorship, internships, career readiness, and professional networks.