More than 1,600 Birmingham City Schools graduates have attended college over the five years of Birmingham Promise.

Founded in 2019, Birmingham Promise offers paid internships to Birmingham City Schools students. In 2020, it began providing Birmingham graduates with scholarships to cover up to four years of tuition at any in-state public university or college.

Of the more the 1,600 students who went on to college, more than 70 have already completed a college degree, or earned a career credential.

More than 300 students have participated in paid internships during their final year in high school through the program.

Those are the numbers being celebrated as Birmingham Promise recently marked its fifth anniversary.

But more than the numbers are the individual stories, such as Sarah Granderson, a Birmingham graduate who is now a senior in college.

During an anniversary celebration for the organization last week, Granderson described applying for private schools out of state, being rejected and using support from Birmingham Promise to pivot.

“Although I did not get into my dream school, I got something much better: A debt-free college education,” she said.

The program’s executive director, Samantha Williams, said Birmingham Promise has increased the number of Birmingham graduates who are finishing two years of school, with positive signs for boosting four-year graduation rates as well.

“This is not charity,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said. “Birmingham Promise, it turns out, five years later, is not just the largest economic mobility program in the city of Birmingham, it’s the largest economic mobility program in the state of Alabama for high school students.”

PNC Bank Chairman and CEO Bill Demchak invested in a similar program in Pittsburgh and recently awarded $10 million to Birmingham Promise.

“$10 million is an easy investment. We invest in communities, and we know we’ll get it back,” he said.

Williams said Birmingham Promise benefits from the support of small businesses as well as large individual donors.

“We are providing college and career pathways for Birmingham students, and none of it would be possible without the support of many partners,” Williams said.