Mott Street Scholarship Program

Dreams Have a Home at the Mount

The Mott Street Scholarship Program serves talented students who have persevered through foster care or homelessness and who are educationally and emotionally ready for college. The public support and social services available to these individuals typically end when they turn 18. At this point, these young people are now on their own, trying to figure out the rest of their lives while all else is in flux.

The Program was named in honor of the Sisters of Charity’s first ministry in New York City, the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum, which was established in 1817 between Mott and Prince Streets.

In 2016, the College began collaborating with Covenant House, an organization that cares for and shelters homeless and trafficked youth. The objective was to identify young people eager to attend college but who lacked the necessary financial resources and supports to get there.

The Mott Street Scholarship Program covers tuition, room and board, fees, books, a computer, and insurance. Meeting these needs is costly, as the estimated annual cost of attendance for a Mott Street Scholar exceeds $60,000. As with all students, the Mount provides supplementary academic and counseling resources, along with fundamental tools needed for success.

Most of all, Mott Street Scholars receive year-round housing for all four years they are enrolled. At Mount Saint Vincent, they are finally home.

“These young people are among the finest and most committed students of any the Mount has ever seen in its long history. Many are active in Campus Ministry, and several aspire to careers in teaching or social services. All are Leaders in Service, and we expect many will begin working with other homeless youth. Their success inspires tremendous hope of an alternative future, one that will benefit not just the students, but the world as well.”

— Charles L. Flynn, Jr., President