Locations

Marin County Scholarships & Support

10,000 Degrees was founded in 1981 as the Marin Education Fund providing scholarships to Marin students. Since then, we have expanded to seven additional Bay Area counties serving more than 16,000+ high school and college students each year. In Marin, 10,000 Degrees provides near-peer mentoring, financial aid advising, scholarships, and college matriculation support at all 12 Marin public high schools and College of Marin. Our Academic Success tutors support K-12 students from low-income backgrounds at 19 Marin County public schools.

Established in

1981

High School Students Served Annually

High School Participants

500

K-12 Academic Success Students

500

Early College & Career Awareness (ECCA) Students

College & Financial Aid Workshops

Scholarships in FY23

Awarded to

$ 0.1 M

College Students

200

Partner Schools

Mill Valley School District
Mill Valley Middle*

Novato Unified School District
Hamilton Meadow Park K-8*⁺
Loma Verde Elementary*
Lynwood Elementary*
Marin Oaks High
Novato High
San Jose Middle*⁺
San Marin High

San Rafael City Schools
Bahia Vista Elementary*
Coleman Elementary*
Davidson Middle*
Laurel Dell Elementary*
Madrone High
San Pedro Elementary*
Venetia Valley K-8*
San Rafael High
Terra Linda High

Sausalito Marin City School District
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy*+

Shoreline Unified School District
Tomales Elementary*+
Tomales High*
West Marin-Inverness Elementary*+

Tamalpais Union High School District
Archie Williams High
Redwood High
San Andreas High
Tamalpais High
Tamiscal High School

Colleges
College of Marin
Dominican University

* Academic Success Partner School Only
+ Early College & Career Awareness (ECCA) Offered

The Opportunity in Marin County

Meaningful change. Lasting impact.

Nestled between the redwoods and trails of Mount Tamalpais and the Pacific Ocean, Marin County is a beautiful and desirable place to live and work. Yet the pandemic and struggling economy have exacerbated educational and economic inequities, especially for our students from low-income backgrounds and BIPOC communities. The college dream remains out of reach for many Marin high school students, as the troubling statistics at right demonstrate.

10,000 Degrees works to change that. We are committed to increasing student applications for free financial aid at our partner schools, and helping more socioeconomically disadvantaged students in Marin get into college, persist in college—and graduate with their degree. That’s our promise.

What we do: We work directly with Marin students from low-income backgrounds to:

Foster a college-going culture
Introduce 2- and 4-year college pathway options
Assist students with college applications and enrollment
Help students apply for and manage free financial aid (FAFSA & CA Dream Act)
Provide scholarships and near-peer mentoring to successfully navigate the entire college journey
Offer community college transfer support
and more!

Our support extends to, through, and beyond college: We offer paid internships and career development opportunities through our local business partners.

of Marin County high school students are socioeconomically disadvantaged

0 %

of Marin County high school seniors graduate without meeting the academic requirements to attend a four-year college; and

0 %

of Marin County high school students did not submit applications for free financial aid.

0 %

Your gift to 10,000 Degrees will allow us to help more Marin students from low-income backgrounds achieve their college and career dreams.

Academic Success

10,000 Degrees Academic Success volunteers tutor students from low-income backgrounds in Marin County public school classrooms. Established in 1997 as Marin County School Volunteers, which merged with 10,000 Degrees in 2017, our volunteers now tutor K-12 students at 19 Marin County schools, providing academic tutoring, classroom support, and homework assistance.

Early College & Career Awareness (ECCA)

The goal of ECCA programming is to promote connection for targeted populations to their schools and communities by specifically supporting their transition from middle school to high school, and encouraging post-secondary planning as early as middle school. Our programs focus on areas of academic support, connectedness, systems navigation, future thinking, and parent engagement.

What our partners, students, alumni, and staff have to say about 10,000 Degrees

Regional Stories

"10,000 Degrees is an invaluable partner in College of Marin’s efforts to eliminate educational inequity in Marin County and ensure everyone can succeed in obtaining a higher education degree."

"10,000 Degrees continues to be an invaluable partner for College of Marin. They truly supplement the work that we do as an institution, while providing comprehensive support with financial aid, career and academic resources. Their fellows and staff develop instrumental relationships with students that carries over into life after COM, whether graduating or transferring. I look forward to continuing our collaboration and partnership in support of our community and our students."

"10,000 Degrees is an equity champion. It provides low-income students and students of color in our community with the opportunity to fulfill their ambitions. To take their skills and their passion in whatever direction they choose. Every single student deserves the chance to shine and that’s what 10,000 Degrees provides - and why Marin Community Foundation is a long-term partner, sponsor and fan."

“Once the pandemic started and I transitioned to online learning, I felt like I would not be able to adjust and ended up giving up on school. Not only did 10,000 Degrees make the switch to online learning as easy as possible, but my 10,000 Degrees advisor motivated me and convinced me to keep giving school a try. School for me would not have been possible without the help from 10,000 Degrees.”

"If you had asked me when I was a high school senior where I saw myself in 10 years, I could not have imagined that I would be a first-generation college graduate, a 10,000 Degrees alumni, or fortunate enough to work for an organization that truly believes that all students should have the chance to go to college. Thanks to the 10,000 Degrees Scholarship, I was able to be a part of and graduate from a great university - California State University Stanislaus. I'm so proud to now be working with 10,000 Degrees to help students reach their own higher ed goals."

Christopher Gonzales

Chief Strategy Officer

Hugo Que

Program Director, College Access

Marin Advisory Board

Mark Mokelke, Chair
Diana Bojorquez
Shelly Clermenco
Pam Cook
Barbara Dalmau
Isabela “Bela” De Souza
Linda Frank
Pam Franklin
Pepe Gonzalez
Christine Leppones
Amanda Mallory
Angela Nicholson
Oyeyinka Oyelaran
Ramona Polk
Mike Silva
Julian Solis
Tracy Solomon
Gabrielle Tierney