Talent Lives Everywhere. Opportunity Lives Here.

With the belief that talent is widespread, but opportunity is not, Dominium is proud to be embarking on the first year of our scholarship program. We know that our communities are filled with bright and motivated individuals who may lack the necessary resources to access higher education. We will begin awarding scholarships next month for the 2020-2021 academic year.

The idea was conceived when Dominium Board of Directors member Ken Bacon suggested that we look deeper at how we help our residents. “We have already identified this as a research project, but direct help was new. That idea, coupled with the very real truth that opportunity is much scarcer than talent, led us to focus on providing educational opportunities to both our residents and our employees,” says Vice President of Public Affairs Paula Prahl. The scholarship program, Opportunity’s Front Door, represents our commitment to help promising individuals link their talent with education opportunities and reach their full potential. We know that by providing high-quality, safe affordable housing, we create the kind of stability that allows people to thrive; and education opens additional doors. Talent lives everywhere; Opportunity lives here.

With our new program, we hope to help break down financial barriers to higher learning and help our community reach their full potential. In partnership with Scholarship America, Opportunity’s Front Door is available to Dominium residents and employees, or their dependents, who wish to enroll in a post-secondary college, university or certification program. We are thrilled that in our inaugural year we received 283 applications, 35 from employees and 248 from residents. Dominium will contribute a total of $500,000 to the program at $5,000 per scholarship.

The program is aligned with our larger corporate giving initiative, Dominium Gives, and our core value of developing people. Historically, our “developing people” value has been focused on investing in our employees, but Opportunity’s Front Door will empower our residents to thrive, too.

We can’t wait to see where this program takes our residents and employees and what they will contribute to our communities in the future. With Opportunity’s Front Door, we hope to bridge some of the gap between talent and opportunity because we know when talent gets a chance to shine, the future look brighter for everyone.