2019 Small Nonprofit
Passion for Learning (P4L)
Passion for Learning (P4L) won the 2019 Small Nonprofit Making a Difference Award because it models the sustainability, impact, and collaboration that Nonprofit Village values.
As a small but mighty organization, P4L ensures it is sustainable by having a diverse set of funders, including local government, private foundations, corporations, and individual donors. It is also able to do this whilst keeping its programs free of charge! Too often, small nonprofits become over reliant on a single source of funding, so P4L’s commitment to making sure this risk is mitigated is commendable.
P4L can attract funders in part because it does an excellent job of tracking its impact. It serves over 150 students each year, 85% of which are people of color. 80% of participants in its Information and Communication Technology program said P4L helped them think about what they want to do with their future, with 75% saying they intend to earn a four-year college degree. Its early college awareness and preparation program, Go2College, led to 98% of participants talking more with their parents about college and career goals, and 100% of participants reported improved knowledge about college options.
P4L makes effective use of collaboration, particularly with key partners like Montgomery College, MCPS, and Montgomery County Collaboration Council. For example, MCPS provides significant in-kind resources like computer labs. P4L also works closely with other nonprofits like Big Learning and Artivate to ensure the programs are well integrated and, therefore, more impactful.