Ashoka Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurs (2000)

Awarded the fellowship in 2000, J.B. Schramm was honored to be among the first four fellows in Ashoka's United States program. Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs who we recognize to have innovative solutions and the potential to change patterns across society. Ashoka Fellows must undergo a rigorous search and selection process in which they demonstrate the following attributes: a big new idea, creativity, entrepreneurial quality, social impact and ethical fiber. Ashoka Fellows, found all across the world and from a variety of backgrounds, all share a unique entrepreneurial quality: to pursue their vision relentlessly until it becomes a reality.

Harvard Divinity School First Decade Award (2000)

In 2000, The First Decade Award was presented to J.B. Schramm, Founder and CEO of College Summit. The award was established in 1989 by the Harvard Divinity School Alumni/ae Council, and first awarded in 1990. This award was designed to recognize an HDS graduate from the past ten years whose professional pursuits have demonstrated the values and skills developed at the Divinity School, and who is an inspiration and encouragement to all graduates to rededicate themselves to the values, hopes, and visions that led them to study at HDS and launched them into their service since.

National Association for College Admission Counseling's Human Relations Award (2001)

In recognition of our proven record of increasing educational opportunities for low-income students, College Summit was honored to receive the 2001 NACAC Human Relations Award, the organization's highest award for improving college access. “College Summit provides students who want to achieve the opportunity to do so,” said Victoria Valle, NACAC Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Access, and Dean of Admissions at Elmhurst College in Illinois. “The program’s writing component, which gives some students their first real opportunity to express themselves through the written word, is what makes it stand out among programs designed to assist first-generation, low-income students,” she said.

NACAC is an education association of more than 7,100 secondary school counselors, college and university admission and financial aid officers and counselors, and related individuals who work with students as they make the transition from high school to post-secondary education.

Manhattan Institute Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2002)

College Summit and its Founder and CEO, J.B. Schramm, received the 2002 Manhattan Institute Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a New York-based think tank, gives its annual Social Entrepreneurship Award to leaders who have developed a new idea that successfully helps individuals and neighborhoods in their struggle for self-improvement. With the award, College Summit will receive a $10,000 prize and assistance from the Manhattan Institute in gaining visibility with national philanthropic donors.

Howard Husock, Director of the Social Entrepreneurship Initiative, noted that Schramm’s work offers “significant contributions to our thinking about important public policy debates.” Rather than dwelling on the debate about affirmative action, Husock explained that “College Summit takes steps to increase the overall number of well-prepared, self-confident students from minority and low-income backgrounds.”

Gleitsman Foundation Citizen Activist Award (2004)

The Gleitsman Foundation Citizen Activist Award is designed to encourage individual commitment and leadership by recognizing the exceptional achievement of people who have initiated social change. The award recognizes activist efforts in the United States to confront, challenge and correct social injustice. J.B. Schramm, Founder and CEO of College Summit, was one of ten activists to be recognized in 2004 for pioneering work in K-12 Education.

Social Capitalist Award from Fast Company Magazine (2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004)

College Summit is among only a handful of nonprofits to receive the Social Capitalist Award from Fast Company magazine four years in a row, every year since the award’s inception. The award honors social entrepreneurs across the country who combine creativity and ingenuity with business solutions to address the most challenging social problems today. Fast Company partners with The Monitor Group, a global strategy consulting firm, to select the winners according to five categories: social impact, entrepreneurship, innovation, aspiration and growth and sustainability. Recipients are featured in each January edition of the magazine.

Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2006)

The Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship honor and provide support for established organizations led by social entrepreneurs who are applying innovative and effective approaches to resolve critical social issues around the world. The Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship are the Skoll Foundation’s flagship award program. College Summit was one of 16 organizations worldwide to receive a three-year grant investment.  This $1,515,000 investment will support College Summit's ambitious plans for growth, improvement and expansion.

The Skoll Foundation was created by Jeff Skoll, former President of e-bay, in 1999 to pursue his vision of a world where all people, regardless of geography, background or economic status, enjoy and employ the full range of their talents and abilities.

Schwab Foundation's Award for Social Entrepreneur of the Year (2007)

College Summit’s Founder and CEO J.B. Schramm was recognized as the U.S. Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Each year, the Schwab Foundation’s panel of international judges selects a “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” in each of 22 different countries, spanning four continents. Awardees are recognized for implementing “pioneering initiatives that have improved economic opportunity and quality of life.” Each winner of these national competitions is invited to join world leaders in business, government and academia at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, and to participate in a global network of social entrepreneurs designed to strengthen and expand their organizations.

Deloitte and College Summit win Chamber of Commerce Partnership Award (2010)

Deloitte and College Summit were named winners of the 2010 Partnership Award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC). One of four awards given annually during the prestigious Corporate Citizenship Awards, the Partnership Award is among the nation’s highest honors for businesses engaging in corporate responsibility that recognizes companies and charitable organizations for working together to address important social issues.

501cTech Technology Innovation Award (2011)

College Summit is the 2011 winner of the 501cTech Technology Innovation Award for an organization with a budget over $2 million.   Thomas Peng and Onuka Ibe presented COMPASS, a reporting system that generates a suite of timely actionable data reports to drive the completion of college applications and early completion of FAFSA, to a panel of judges from local technology companies.  College Summit was selected out of 23 applicants and received a $5,000 cash award, software from Microsoft, an Apple iPad or Dell laptop, and strategic technology assessment. Sponsored by Accenture, the annual award recognizes nonprofits in the greater DC area that have used technology in innovative ways to achieve greater programmatic and operational results.