CLEVELAND, OH / ACCESS Newswire / August 26, 2025 / A $400,000 gift from KeyBank Foundation to Hartford Promise will help support Hartford public school students find success from high school to college to career.
Research shows 73% of college graduates who start their careers underemployed remain underemployed a decade later. This issue is especially critical for Promise Scholars-all Hartford Public School graduates-many of whom face limited access to the professional networks, internships and career experiences that lead to strong job outcomes.
The expansion of Hartford Promise's College to Career Pipeline, made possible by KeyBank's gift, addresses this by integrating intensive, early career development into a successful cohort coaching model. Highlights include:
Financial resources, in the form of college scholarships.
Coaching services, ranging from college applications to financial aid planning, academic mentoring and career support.
Networking, to establish meaningful relationships that promote stronger job placement after college and better internships during college.
KeyBank's gift will allow the College to Career Pipeline to support an average of 500 students annually, beginning with the incoming class of 2025.
"KeyBank is celebrating our bicentennial and foundational commitment to support organizations and programs that prepare individuals for thriving futures," said Matt Hummel, Connecticut Market President, KeyBank. "Hartford Promise's College to Career Pipeline does just this. It is a transformative workforce development program that changes lives and aligns perfectly with our philanthropic priorities of neighbors, education and workforce."
"Over 70 percent of Hartford Promise Scholars are first-generation students, often navigating higher-ed and career planning without the advantages others may take for granted. Coaching is at the heart of our model and is critical to ensuring their success. With KeyBank's support, we are able to expand this individualized coaching, strengthen our programming, and provide the guidance Scholars need to persist through college, graduate, and launch meaningful careers. This investment directly helps break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and build lasting generational wealth," said Hartford Promise President Sivan Hines.
To become a Hartford Promise Scholar students must:
Attend a Hartford public high school continuously since 9th grade
Be a Hartford resident throughout high school
Have a 93% or better cumulative attendance record during high school
Have a 3.0 cumulative GPA or better on a 4.0 scale in high school.
For more information, visit the Hartford Promise website at hartfordpromise.org or call 860-956-5310.
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View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/with-400-000-keybank-gift-hartford-promise-guides-area-students-from-1065710
