Act Six is a leadership and scholarship program that connects local faith-based community affiliates with faith- and social justice-based colleges to equip emerging urban and community leaders to engage the college campus and their communities at home through a simple but powerful four-part strategy:
Act Six brings together diverse, multicultural cadres of young people who want to use their college education to make a difference on campus and in their communities at home. Scholars are actively recruited from across the region and chosen through a rigorous, three-phase selection process:
While ethnicity and family income are considered as factors in selecting an intentionally diverse group of scholars, there are no income restrictions, and students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
There is no minimum GPA requirement and admissions standards vary across our partner colleges. In general, applicants with a GPA below 3.0 will need to demonstrate their readiness for academic success in college through their recommendations, essays and/or test scores.
Apply NowThe Act Six application consists of seven major components, which all must be submitted by the December 1 deadline. Details and instructions for each component are available below the Getting Started form at the bottom of this page.
Applicants complete an initial online application that includes a basic college admissions application as well as additional essay questions, letters of recommendation, and family financial information. All application materials must be submitted on December 1 by 11:59 pm. After an initial screening of written application materials, applicants are notified whether they will advance by email on December 11.
Due to COVID-19, the typical in-person Phase II events are not being conducted this year. Instead, candidates will be given a prompt and have one week to submit a 3-minute, unedited, individual cell phone video to supplement their application materials by December 18. Videos are assessed on their content, not on the quality of the filming. A local community committee considers candidates’ written and video components to name 15-25 semifinalists for each partner college. Decisions are emailed on January 26.
Due to COVID-19, the typical in-person, multi-day Phase III campus visits are not being conducted this year. Instead, semifinalists will participate in a one-day interactive virtual event between February 6-21 with 15-25 other semifinalists for the single college for which they were selected. Phase III allows students to learn more about the college as they participate in multiple evaluation activities that may include a personal interview, a real-time writing task, an academic seminar discussion, and group problem-solving activities. A parent or guardian will be invited to participate in a portion of the event. Partner colleges select finalists and decisions are emails on February 23.
Finalists are given one week to decide and commit to the Act Six program by March 1, agreeing to participate fully in the six-month training program. Applicants may withdraw from the process at any time prior to this commitment. The new class of Act Six scholars are formally announced to the public on March 10.
The selection process also places high value on applicants’ teamwork, critical thinking, communication skills and academic potential.
Selecting Act Six scholars is a complex and multi-faceted process that considers many factors. The selection committees use the following questions to guide their evaluation of Act Six applicants. These questions best summarize what we are looking for in Act Six scholars.
Once selected, Act Six scholars participate in six months of intensive training with their cadre, equipping them to support each other, succeed academically and grow as service-minded leaders and agents of transformation. After training, Act Six scholars begin college ready to engage the campus and community with a built-in support system and a sense of purpose as service-minded leaders and agents of transformation.
Starting in March, new cadres meet together weekly to:
In addition to the weekly meetings, the program includes:
Blending practical college success skills, leadership training, self-discovery and cadre team-building, the Act Six training program revolves around the following seven themes:
Act Six sends scholars together to college with the built-in support and encouragement of a cadre of fellow leaders who share a common mission. Act Six is the only urban leadership award that offers unparalleled full-tuition, full-need scholarships. Since 2002, 1,092 Act Six scholars have received more than $100 million in grants and scholarships.
Act Six offers full-tuition, full-need urban leadership scholarship. Act Six works with colleges and other partners to guarantee that full scholarship recipients receive grants that, at minimum, cover full tuition at the college for four years.
Scholars with need beyond tuition (as determined by the FAFSA) will receive additional grants and work-study to fully meet that need. For most scholars, the awards will, therefore, cover some or all of the cost of room and board, books, travel, and personal expenses.
To retain the scholarship, scholars are required to remain active in the program and maintain satisfactory academic progress throughout their undergraduate studies.
Here’s how the full scholarships work:
Because financial aid policies generally prevent colleges from exceeding need and because Act Six awards meet the full need without a loan, scholars can be assured that they are receiving unsurpassed award packages.
Getting to college is just the start of the Act Six experience. Bound together by a shared mission and commitments, scholars learn to encourage and challenge each other while they receive ongoing support from their colleges and their affiliate. After five years together, scholars graduate from college connected to each other and ready to lead in the community. Together, they are weaving a fabric of leadership that will shape the future of our cities.
On campus, faculty and staff mentors meet regularly with the cadres and with each individual scholar as needed. Mentors provide social support and connect students with campus resources. This support helps scholars thrive academically, but also empowers them to get involved and step out into leadership roles on campus and in the surrounding community.
Back home, Act Six staff and coaches provide additional support, ongoing leadership development and assistance connecting with internships and career opportunities.
Every two years, Act Six hosts a regional convention that convenes scholars and graduates from across the region for three days of challenging speakers, workshops, and networking, along with a career and graduate school fair.
When you consider moments of significant positive change that have happened in your community, you can usually point to a group of connected people who made it happen. Networks of effective leaders working together get things done. The problem is that those leadership networks don’t always look like or represent the full breadth of a community, and as a result, some groups tend to get left behind. For our communities to thrive in the future, we need diverse networks of homegrown leaders who love their home and are committed to building vibrant communities where everyone thrives.
It is precisely this kind of diverse, committed leadership network that Act Six is producing. Now, after two decades and hundreds of Act Six graduates, we are beginning to see the fruits of this fabric of leadership as graduates grow in their responsibility and deepen their connections in the community.
Brandon Williams took a chance on Act Six. As a senior at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, Brandon was the first student from his school to be accepted to Howard University, and was also considering accepting an admission offer from his dream school, Loyola University…
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