ILSF Alliance Members

For nearly two decades, ILSF Alliance Members (Escala/Project Stepping Stone, La Plaza, and SADCO) have united to elevate awareness and critical financial support for hundreds of Latino youth in the State of Indiana. Together, this alliance helps pave a path to success for all Latino Hoosier students who are touched by these dedicated organizations.

Escala / Project Stepping Stone (PSS)

Project Stepping Stone (PSS) is a college prep and mentoring program of the Escala Foundation that empowers, equips, and prepares Indiana’s top academically high-achieving Hispanic/Latino students for college and beyond.

Founded in 2004 by the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) with input from then Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Stan Jones, PSS is an elite college prep program that brings together 90+ of Indiana’s top Hispanic/Latino high school students annually to engage in overnight visits to top Indiana universities, hands-on experiential learning, and individualized career coaching. Each year, PSS awards between $45,000-$80,000 in college scholarships and has awarded over $500,000 in scholarships throughout twenty years of PSS impact.

For more information about PSS, visit projectsteppingstone.org.

La Plaza

La Plaza’s mission is to support and empower the Latino community of Indianapolis through advocacy, education, and services. Since its founding in 1981, La Plaza has been an integral part of the city’s Latino community, helping to break down barriers and build bridges of understanding.

Each year La Plaza awards up to eight, $8,000 four-year college scholarships to hardworking Latino students from across Indiana. Students are selected based on their academic record, community involvement, and financial need.

For more information about La Plaza, visit laplazaindy.org

Sociedad Amigos de Colombia / Friends of Colombia Society (SADCO)

The mission of SADCO (Friends of Colombia Society or Sociedad Amigos de Colombia) is to create a caring community of friends of Colombia in central Indiana focused on both promoting the formal education of young Latino-heritage people, primarily through financial assistance, and celebrating the Colombian and Latin American cultural traditions via social events welcoming all central Indiana residents.

SADCO established its scholarship program in 1996, and has raised and awarded more than $400,000 to help deserving Latino students obtain a post-secondary education. Through its annual Scholarship Gala, SADCO raises funds for its scholarship program while highlighting Colombian heritage.

For more information about SADCO, visit sadcoindy.org.

Partners

Escala Foundation

The Escala Foundation is proud to be the fiscal steward of the Indiana Latino Scholarship Fund.

Escala was created to embrace and support programs fostering personal growth, upward social and economic mobility, and philanthropic stewardship to support higher education, culture, leadership, music, and the arts. Escala enriches lives by offering opportunities that develop the growth of mind, body, and soul to build power, impact, and legacy.

PSS is the flagship program of Escala—now in its 20th year— and continues its mission to increase college-going rates and to encourage the next generation of Hoosier leaders.

For more information about Escala, visit escalafoundation.org.