In July 2012, Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, Inc. and The Crosby Scholars Community Partnership announced the formation of a strategic alliance that established Crosby Scholars as an independent affiliate of Goodwill. A lack of education is increasingly becoming the primary barrier to employment, and the alliance between these two non-profits makes sense because Crosby Scholars’ mission is to remove barriers to college, and Goodwill’s mission is to remove barriers to employment. Goodwill has pledged substantial support to the “Your Investment. Our Promise.” Capital Campaign, which will help Crosby Scholars reach and sustain its goal to grow to 10,000 students by 2015. Crosby Scholars continues to generate financial support through its annual fund, grant writing and fundraising events, including
the annual Crosby Scholars Invitational golf tournament.
In addition to providing funding for Crosby Scholars in Forsyth County, the affiliation offers a unique opportunity for Goodwill to replicate and expand the Crosby Scholars model within Goodwill’s 31-county northwest North Carolina territory.
The Rowan County Crosby Scholars Community Partnership was launched in January 2013 for students in grades 6 -10, and 1,734 students applied.
A third Crosby Scholars Program in Iredell County launched in the fall of 2015. Both Rowan and Iredell are stand-alone 501(c) 3
organizations.