We’re making a promise
to Our City.

Birmingham Promise provides up to four years of tuition assistance for graduates of Birmingham City Schools to attend any public two-year or four-year college or university in Alabama. The program also provides students with coaches to help them succeed in college. Since its inception in 2020, the program has provided $3.4 million in tuition assistance and other supports to 800 Birmingham graduates.

Birmingham Promise also offers an internship program that allows Birmingham City Schools seniors to earn $15 an hour, get job experience and begin building professional networks that will benefit them throughout their careers. To date, 225 Birmingham students have participated in this program, gaining work experience with 80 local employers in targeted industries.

We’re making a promise
to Our City.

 

young black male

Our Vision

We envision a world in which every Birmingham City School student is supported and prepared to pursue a postsecondary option that will lead to economic security, mobility, and prosperity.

Our Mission

Our mission is to support and prepare every Birmingham City School student to achieve economic security, mobility, and prosperity. We do this by providing high-quality work experiences in the form of internships and apprenticeships. We also reduce the cost of postsecondary education for students from all academic backgrounds. We operate with a relentless student-centric and asset-based approach to ensure that all of Birmingham’s talent is connected to opportunity.

Our Values

  • We center on student well-being
  • We measure our success by community impact
  • We are honest and we work with integrity
  • We are driven by results
  • We operate with respect for all
  • We work as a team to tackle challenges
  • We believe everyone deserves economic opportunity

Board of Directors

Board Member

Khadijah Abdullah

Vice President, Economic Development and Social Impact
Shipt

Board Chair

Leroy Abrahams

Executive Vice President, Community Affairs President
Regions Bank

Board Secretary

Josh Carpenter

CEO
Southern Research

Board Member

Will Clark

Director of Business Development
Altec Inc

Board Member

Cathy Sloss Jones

CEO
Sloss Real Estate

Board Member

Danny McKinney

Partner
McKinney Capital

Board Treasurer

Sara Newell

Executive Director 
The Exceptional Foundation

Board Member

Mark Sullivan, Ed. D.

Superintendent
Birmingham City Schools

Board Member

Larry Thornton, Sr.

President
Thornton Enterprises

Board Member

Ralph Williams

Manager of External Affairs
Alabama Power Company

Ex-Officio

Randall Woodfin

Mayor
City of Birmingham

A promise is nothing without its keepers.

AL Power
Altec
Blue Cross Blue Shield of AL
Protective Life
UAB
Regions
new america
City of Birmingham
Brasfield Gorrie General COntractors
EBSCO Industries
Bloomberg Philantrhopies
OIP
Balch Logo LargeTransparent2
OninStaffing
Blue and Gold
SS Kassouf CPAs
Jobs For The Future Logo
Hackney Foundation Logo
EBSCO Industries Logo
PAYA
The Daniel Foundation of Alabama
Birmingham Stallions Logo
SS AL Power Foundation
SS Blue Cros Blue shield
Enterprise Mobility Logo