WILMINGTON — The nonprofit TeenSHARP wants to send another 2,025 students through its top-college access programs, and a grant from WSFS Bank will help them get there by expanding their reach across the Delaware Valley region.

The WSFS Cares Foundation Board unanimously approved a $300,000 grant last week, to be paid out over the next three years beginning this fall.

“The WSFS CARES Foundation is thrilled to provide this multi-year grant to further support the great work of TeenSHARP and the impact it is having in the community,”  Vernita Dorsey, senior vice president and director of community strategy at WSFS Bank, said in a prepared statement. “For nearly 200 years, WSFS has been deeply rooted in our communities, and we continue that work through our Foundation by supporting qualified nonprofit service organizations within our regional footprint that are invested in improving communities, while fostering a spirit of inclusion and diversity.”

In 2017, after a $50,000 investment, the bank became one of TeenSHARP’s first multi-year contributors with a $270,000 investment. Since then, the nonprofit has grown its G2C (Going to College) academies from 100 students to more than 500.

“No doubt, our small-but-ambitious startup has transformed in recent years—growing our staff, our scope, our scale, and our vision— thanks in large part to WSFS Bank and its catalytic generosity,” Co-Founder of TeenSHARP Tatiana Poladko said in a prepard statement. “WSFS also stepped up in 2020, our toughest year yet, helping us not just remain operational but respond aggressively, and effectively, to the unprecedented challenges our students and their families were facing.”

The latest grant from WSFS will support TeenSHARP’s core programs as the nonprofit enrolls more students, and doubles down on its services:

• TeenSHARP Striver program, a full day of programming that takes place every Saturday of the school year and includes college-level courses, math classes, and group and individual college advising.
• Cyber SPARK, a six-week summer program that runs all week, full day, to offer continued college-level courses, math training, and more to students, including lessons on independent study skills, time management, and community leadership.
• G2C Academies, which offer perennial college admissions bootcamps in partnership with state and local education agencies along with working sessions throughout the year, for students preparing for, or undertaking, the college application process.
• Parent workshops, which TeenSHARP offers year-round (in English and Spanish), including networking groups, a weekly newsletter, one-on-one support, and more to engage a student’s family around their success.

Co-Founder of TeenSHARP Atnre Alleyne said the timing was good for another reason, too: in just a few weeks, on Sept. 11, TeenSHARP will host its opening ceremony for the new Striver Saturday year.

“This week is orientation for our new and returning students—one of the most exciting times of the year, because we’re just getting to know the emerging young leaders who will journey closer to their potential, and college dreams, at TeenSHARP,” Mr. Alleyne said. “WSFS sees that potential, sees those dreams, and honors them as enduring partners in this work.