Posse Foundation
The Posse Foundation is a United States nonprofit that helps diverse, high-achieving students attend leading colleges in supportive cohorts while developing their leadership potential.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Posse Foundation is a nonprofit college-access and leadership-development organization founded in 1989 by Deborah Bial. Its central idea is that talented students who might otherwise be overlooked by selective colleges can succeed at higher rates when they enter higher education together with a trusted peer group. Posse calls each cohort a “Posse”: generally ten students who are recruited, selected, and trained as a unit before attending college together. The organization began with a partnership involving Vanderbilt University and initially recruited students in New York City. Its model subsequently expanded to additional American cities and to partnerships with colleges and universities across the United States. According to the organization’s Wikipedia description, Posse has worked with 64 colleges and universities and has operated in 20 U.S. cities. Partner institutions provide scholarship support and participate in the recruitment and enrollment of Posse Scholars, while the foundation supplies pre-collegiate preparation, ongoing mentoring, and a structured peer network. Posse’s approach combines access, retention, and leadership development rather than treating a scholarship as a one-time financial award. Students are identified for academic achievement, leadership potential, and the ability to contribute to a diverse campus community. Before college, scholars participate in intensive team-based preparation. During college, the cohort remains an important source of social and academic support, and Posse staff continue to provide guidance. The model is intended to benefit both scholars and partner campuses by broadening the pool of students entering selective institutions and helping those students persist and graduate. The foundation’s work has broadened beyond its original college scholarship model. In 2013, Google awarded Posse a Global Impact Award and a $1.2 million grant to establish the Posse Veterans Program, which supports post-September 11 U.S. veterans pursuing higher education and related opportunities. In 2021, Posse announced the Posse Arts Program, developed with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis A. Miranda Jr., and the Miranda Family Fund, to support students pursuing creative arts. Posse has also received substantial philanthropic and public recognition. Deborah Bial received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2007 for her work with the foundation. In 2010, Posse was among ten organizations selected to receive a share of the $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize award money donated by President Barack Obama. Netflix selected the organization for a $350,000 grant in 2020, and MacKenzie Scott gave Posse $10 million in December of that year. The foundation’s public identity is therefore associated with cohort-based college access, diversity in higher education, scholarship support, and leadership formation. It is not a commercial product brand or a conventional educational institution; its principal offerings are programs, services, partnerships, and philanthropic initiatives delivered through a national nonprofit network.
History
The Posse Foundation was created in 1989 by Deborah Bial to address a recurring problem in higher education: capable students from underrepresented backgrounds could be admitted to selective colleges but might lack the social support necessary to persist and flourish there. Posse’s response was to make peer solidarity part of the college-access process. Instead of sending students to college individually, the organization identifies and prepares groups of ten students who then enroll at the same partner institution as a cohort. The first institutional partnership was with Vanderbilt University. Posse initially operated in New York City, where it recruited students and developed the early form of its selection and training process. Over time, the organization expanded geographically and institutionally. The model came to operate in 20 U.S. cities and, according to the organization’s Wikipedia article, involved partnerships with 64 American colleges and universities. Posse’s process is broader than scholarship administration. It seeks students with academic achievement, leadership potential, and the capacity to work constructively in a diverse group. Selected students receive intensive pre-collegiate preparation designed to build academic confidence, communication skills, group cohesion, and leadership abilities. Once enrolled, scholars continue to receive mentoring and support. Their ten-person cohort provides an immediate community, while the partner college supplies the institutional setting and scholarship arrangement. This structure positions Posse as both an access organization and a retention organization. It works with colleges to identify talent that traditional admissions processes may miss or underdevelop, while also helping institutions create more diverse student communities. For scholars, the Posse is intended to reduce the isolation that can accompany entry into a selective college and to provide a durable network extending beyond graduation. Recognition of the foundation increased during the 2000s and 2010s. Deborah Bial received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2007 for her work with Posse. In March 2010, Posse was selected as one of ten organizations to receive a portion of the $1.4 million associated with President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize award donation. Google later gave Posse a $1.2 million Global Impact Award grant in 2013 to launch the Posse Veterans Program, extending the organization’s higher-education work to post-September 11 veterans. The foundation continued to attract major philanthropic support in 2020. Netflix selected Posse for a $350,000 grant within its $5 million commitment to organizations supporting Black people. In December of the same year, MacKenzie Scott contributed $10 million to the organization. These gifts increased the resources available to a nonprofit whose work depends on college partnerships, philanthropic funding, and program delivery across multiple U.S. locations. In 2021, Posse announced the Posse Arts Program. Developed in collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis A. Miranda Jr., and the Miranda Family Fund, the program expanded the foundation’s stated reach into creative arts and sought to support students whose aspirations and leadership development are connected to artistic fields. The Posse Foundation remains an active U.S. nonprofit rather than a commercial company. Its enduring institutional identity rests on three connected ideas: selective colleges should recruit talent from a broader range of communities; students can be more successful when they enter college with a trusted peer group; and scholarship support is most effective when paired with preparation, mentoring, and leadership development.
- 2021
Posse Arts Program is announced
[1]Posse introduces an arts-focused initiative developed with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis A. Miranda Jr., and the Miranda Family Fund.
- 2020
Receives major philanthropic grants
[1]Netflix awards Posse $350,000, and MacKenzie Scott gives the foundation $10 million later in the year.
- 2013
Posse Veterans Program is launched
[1]A $1.2 million Google Global Impact Award grant supports the creation of a program for post-September 11 U.S. veterans.
- 2010
Receives a share of Nobel Prize donation
[1]Posse is selected as one of ten organizations to receive part of Barack Obama’s donated Nobel Peace Prize award money.
- 2007
Founder receives MacArthur Fellowship
[1]Deborah Bial receives a MacArthur Fellowship recognizing her work with Posse.
- 1989
Posse Foundation is founded
[1]Deborah Bial establishes Posse and begins the organization’s first partnership with Vanderbilt University.
Products and positioning
A cohort-based nonprofit college-access and leadership organization that enables diverse, high-achieving students to enter and thrive at selective U.S. colleges with the support of a trained peer group.
College access and scholarships · 1989
Posse Scholars program
The foundation’s core program recruits groups of ten academically accomplished and diverse students and prepares them to enroll together at partner colleges and universities. The program combines scholarship support with pre-collegiate training, peer-cohort development, mentoring, and leadership preparation. Its defining feature is the Posse itself: students begin college with nine peers who have gone through the selection and preparation process with them.
Veterans higher education · 2013
Posse Veterans Program
Created with support from a Google Global Impact Award, the Posse Veterans Program extends the organization’s college-access and leadership approach to U.S. veterans who served after the September 11 attacks. The initiative is designed to support veterans in higher education and in opportunities beyond college, using Posse’s emphasis on community and structured support.
Arts education and leadership · 2021
Posse Arts Program
The Posse Arts Program was announced in 2021 as an initiative for students pursuing creative arts. Conceived with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis A. Miranda Jr., and the Miranda Family Fund, it broadens the foundation’s programmatic focus while retaining its emphasis on student support, access, and leadership development.
Brand decisions
2021
Launch the Posse Arts ProgramProduct launchBackground
Posse identified creative arts as an area in which students could benefit from expanded access, support, and leadership opportunities.
Action taken
The foundation announced the Posse Arts Program in collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis A. Miranda Jr., and the Miranda Family Fund.
Aftermath
The program broadened Posse’s public program portfolio into creative arts while maintaining its student-centered nonprofit mission.
2013
Expand the model to post-September 11 veteransStrategyBackground
Posse sought to apply its cohort-based support and higher-education expertise to veterans transitioning into college and later professional opportunities.
Action taken
The foundation launched the Posse Veterans Program with support from a $1.2 million Google Global Impact Award grant.
Aftermath
The initiative extended Posse’s target population beyond its traditional college-scholar cohort while preserving the organization’s emphasis on community and leadership.
Grant. $1.2 million (2013)
Recent events
- 2021
Posse launches the Posse Arts Program[1]
Product launch
Posse announced a creative-arts initiative developed with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Luis A. Miranda Jr., and the Miranda Family Fund.
- 2020
Netflix selects Posse for a grant supporting Black-led organizations[1]
Other
Netflix awarded Posse $350,000 as part of a broader $5 million commitment to organizations serving Black communities.
- 2020
MacKenzie Scott gives Posse a $10 million philanthropic gift[1]
Other
Posse received a $10 million gift from writer and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott in December 2020.
- 2013
Google awards Posse a Global Impact Award for its veterans program[1]
Other
Google provided a $1.2 million grant to help launch the Posse Veterans Program, focused on post-September 11 U.S. veterans and higher education.
- 2010
Posse receives support from President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize donation[1]
Other
Posse was one of ten organizations selected to receive part of the $1.4 million donated from Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize award money.
- 2007
Deborah Bial receives a MacArthur Fellowship[1]
Other
The MacArthur Foundation recognized Deborah Bial with a fellowship for her work developing and leading the Posse model.
- 1989
Posse Foundation is established and begins its first university partnership[1]
Other
Deborah Bial founded Posse and the organization initially partnered with Vanderbilt University, creating the basis for its cohort-based scholarship and leadership model.
Sources2 sources
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