Provide intensive training to African American and Latinx youth in Washington, D.C. and connect them to paid, career-altering STEM internships with successful employers across the economy.
ORTC recruits, trains, places and monitors students throughout six-week STEM internships. ORTC develops and maintains partnerships with employers and helps them design meaningful internship experiences for students.
At A Glance
Total Earnings Boost
Total Lever Fund Benefit: $426,000
Benefit-Cost Ratio: 20:1
Cost per Student : $1,400
PROJECTION: Lever Fund will sponsor 20 students for a 6-week internship. Students from traditional public and charter high schools across the District submit a basic application online to demonstrate interest in the internship program. They then go through an interview and professional development process in order to receive a placement. Participants range from 15 to 21 years in age with most students entering their senior year of high school. Their GPAs range from 2.0 to 5.0, averaging 3.0. Most students are African American and more than half are female. Students hail from 17 different schools including two charter schools and one Catholic school. In 2020, ORTC supported 199 interns at 17 sites. Even during COVID-19, the team was able to increase internships by 33% over 2019.
Internship Earnings
Internship Earnings: $72,000 ($3,600 per placed student x all 20 students)
Counterfactual Internship Earnings: $27,000 (earnings over the same period if not participating in the program)
Lever Fund: $45,000
Career Earnings
Career Earnings: $1,086,000 ($22,000 + $14,200, per Black male and female high school graduate, respectively for 10 years, for the six who would not already graduate per District high school graduation rates.)
Counterfactual Career Earnings: $705,000 ($13,500 + $10,000 per Black male and female without a high school diploma, respectively.)
Lever Fund: $381,000
At A Glance
Cost per Student : $1,400 Projection
20 students sponsored for a six-week internship
Ages range from 15-to-21-years-old
GPAs range from 2.0 to 5.0 3.0 average GPA
199 interns at 17 sites
33% increase of internships 2019-2020
Most students are African American
50+% female
17 different schools including two charter schools and one Catholic school
Metrics
Internship Earnings
Internship earnings $72,000 ($3,600 per placed student x all 20 students)
Counterfactual Internship Earnings: $27,000 (earnings over the same period if not participating in the program)
Lever Fund $45,000
Career Earnings
Career Earnings $1,086,000 ($22,000 + $14,200, per Black male and female high school graduate, respectively for 10 years, for the six who would not already graduate per District high school graduation rates.)
Counterfactual Career Earnings $705,000 ($13,500 + $10,000 per Black male and female without a high school diploma, respectively.)
Lever Fund $381,000
Total Earnings Boost
Total Lever Fund Benefit $426,000
Benefit Cost Ratio 20:1
Formalize Alumni Program
In addition, our investment will help ORTC serve 20 college Alumni in pursuing the ultimate goal they began with ORTC back in high school -- a well paid job and an exciting career in technology. The funding will also help ORTC formally organize their alumni program, giving the over 500+ On-Ramps alumni continued support during college and in their early careers.
The program also provides alumni with opportunities to act as ambassadors to the next generation of students to spread the message that STEM is an option for them. We believe in being intentional about where we direct investments, regardless of the pull of trend or topic.
We are convinced that by focusing on one area of intervention at a time, we can move the dial more meaningfully than by tending to a number of causes.