Fewer than 2% of teen mothers earn a college degree before age 30. A bachelor’s degree is one of the most powerful paths out of poverty, with degree holders earning $1.2 million more over a lifetime. Yet higher education wasn’t built with parenting students in mind. Generation Hope began in 2010 when Nicole Lynn Lewis, a former teen mother who attended William & Mary while raising her infant daughter, set out to help other young parents do the same. In 2011, it welcomed its first class of seven Scholars. Today, Generation Hope serves nearly 100 parenting college students in the DC area, surrounding them with mentoring, tuition assistance, a peer community, and wraparound services. Generation Hope Scholars graduate at double the rate of low-income students and eight times the rate of single mothers nationwide.

Headquarters: DC-Ward 5

Where They Operate: DC-Citywide; MD-Montgomery County; MD-Prince George's County; VA-Arlington County; VA-Fairfax County; VA-Loudoun County; VA-Prince William County; VA-City of Alexandria; VA-City of Fairfax; VA-City of Falls Church

Age Groups Served: Youth (5-11); Pre-teen/teen (12-17); Young adult (18-24)

Ethnic Groups Served: African American; Asian American; Caucasian; Latino/Hispanic

Population(s) Served: Men/Boys; Women/Girls; Students; Low- to Moderate-Income Community Members


  • % of senior Generation Hope Scholars who graduate from college:   100%
  • % of Generation Hope Scholars with a GPA above a 2.5:   69%

Awards & Recognition

2015 Honorable Mention Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman 2015 EXCEL Award - Founder & CEO
2014 CNN Hero - Founder & CEO
"Stories of Champions" by PBS - Founder & CEO (September 2014)
Promising Program - Institute for Women's Policy Research 2014
Harris Hero - ABC7 (June 2013)

Press

Budget (FY2022)

  • The current budget for Generation Hope is: $3 million or higher
  • $1 million to $3 million
  • $500k to $1 million
  • Less than $500k

Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to $3 million. This graphic indicates the budget range of the organization featured here. If you see an organizational budget above the $3 million mark, that is because the featured charity has grown in size since it first appeared in the Catalogue. We proudly present on our website the work of these "growth" charities.

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