Members of the newest class of High School Fellows and their new College Student Leaders at the MTB Fall Kickoff

(PASSAIC, NJ) -- More Than Bootstraps (MTB), a New Jersey non-profit organization, has received a $20,000 grant from the Focus for Health Foundation to support its college access and success work in Passaic. This is the third year that Focus for Health has supported MTB.

Now in its sixth year of programming, MTB employs a near-peer mentoring approach to address the challenges first-generation, low-income students face in accessing and succeeding in higher education. Working with underrepresented students in Passaic, NJ, the organization matches high school students with near-peer mentors – graduates of the Passaic Public Schools currently enrolled in institutions from Princeton University to Passaic County Community College. Led by their college student mentors, MTB High School Fellows follow a curriculum that focuses on education about higher education and financial aid, communication with families, holistic student development, and the promotion of student well-being and agency.

Grants and donations to More Than Bootstraps fund the monthly stipends that allow the high school and college students in the program some time and space to devote to their professional development and college-going activities while still meeting their financial responsibilities.

Erika Hughes, a member of the Focus For Health team, offered these comments about Focus's continued support of MTB: “Visiting More Than Bootstraps and speaking with the students, mentors, and Audrey was such a powerful and moving experience. It’s clear that this is more than just a program—it’s a community. Watching young people support and empower each other through the complex and often overwhelming journey to college reminded me just how critical this kind of guidance is, especially for first-generation students. I found myself wishing something like this had existed when I was navigating college. The mentorship, the camaraderie, and the financial support that MTB provides are life-changing.

“With so many students juggling school, family responsibilities, and financial stress, the stipends they receive help ease real burdens—books, transportation, food, and technology—so they can focus on their education and their growth,” continued Hughes. “This kind of support doesn’t just help students succeed academically; it builds leadership, strengthens relationships, and creates a ripple effect of empowerment. Programs like MTB give me hope for the future and show what is possible when we invest in young people who are so often asked to carry so much on their shoulders.”

“We are enormously grateful for the continued support from Focus for Health and their ongoing recognition of our program’s contribution to increasing access to and success in higher education for first-generation college students,” said Audrey Fisch, president of More Than Bootstraps. “We are proud of the work our college students do to empower their younger peers while solidifying their own college-going success. This grant from Focus for Health enables us to sustain our innovative approach.”

Grants and donations to More Than Bootstraps fund the monthly stipends that allow the high school and college students in the program some time and space to devote to their professional development and college-going activities while still meeting their financial responsibilities. Interested donors are invited to visit the MTB website.

More Than Bootstraps is a nonprofit created by educators seeking to level the playing field and remove some of the substantial barriers that first-generation college students encounter in accessing and succeeding in higher education. More Than Bootstraps employs a near-peer mentoring model to create a community of success. College students from the community return to guide their younger peers in the community through the college search, application, and assimilation process. These leaders, working as a mentoring cohort, in turn strengthen their own college-going identities and improve their own chances of success in higher education.

Students are selected based on their desire to attend college and their commitment to the program rather than grade point average or test scores. All students in the MTB program receive stipends, laptop computers, and access to emergency resources to help them with the many non-tuition expenses of higher education. 

The Focus for Health Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 foundation that provides funding to organizations addressing health disparities, racial justice, criminal justice reform, and child sex abuse. The Foundation funds innovative organizations for systematic change and seeks partnerships to support and work with groups engaged in identifying and minimizing the social causes that make individuals vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Their goal is to level the playing field so that everyone has the same opportunities in life.