Our Story

The College Success Foundation (CSF) evolved from Governor Gary Locke's 2020 Commission of the Future of Post-Secondary Education which completed its work in October 1998. The last recommendation of the Commission was to "establish an independent, non-profit organization to build and sustain public understanding of the need for higher levels of educational attainment and lifelong learning. This group should be both an independent advocate for post-secondary education, and an organization that urges the system to high standards of accessibility, quality, innovation, efficiency, and responsiveness to the needs of learners."

The Foundation was established in the spring of 2000 by Bob Craves and Ann Ramsay-Jenkins. In a climate where one-third of the state's 900,000 K-12 students were on free or reduced lunches and where 17% of public high school students did not graduate, our founders wished to encourage scholarship philanthropy and to significantly change the opportunity structure for disadvantaged students and their families. CSF was originally founded as the Washington Education Foundation, but changed its name in 2006 to better align with its mission. CSF is managed by President and COO - Deborah J. Wilds, Ph.D.

In 2007 the College Success Foundation - District of Columbia opened with a $117 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in response to the tremendous discrepancy in college graduation rates between the nation’s capital and the rest of the nation.  Herbert R. Tillery is the executive director of the College Success Foundation - District of Columbia.

In 2009 CSF opened the College Success Foundation - Tacoma in Washington State as a public/private partnership with Tacoma Public Schools and the Tacoma community to assist the students attending the five comprehensive high schools and ten middle schools in Tacoma.

Through our work on both coasts we hope to provide pathways for eligible students to succeed in college, and in so doing improve their economic future.