you have to register with the website just to see the participating schools and how it all works. I don't like that.
I don't like that "data collection" aspect either.
I do not have experience with that website, but I took a look at it and these are my impressions:
1) The
Contact webpage does not have a phone number or a street address.
2) The
About webpage does
not state that it is a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) non-profit or not-for-profit.
The About webpage states these are are
'micro-scholarships'.
3) Whois describes Raise.me as being registered in Panama.
4) The
Privacy Policy webpage and
Terms of Use webpage state that
- your information may be shared with third parties,
- you may or may not be able to edit/delete information,
- students under 18 are supposed to have parental approval to use the website and divulge personal information including financial information.
5) The Raise.me
home page links to an
article from NYT dated Feb 20, 2016 which describes Raise.me as a start-up in San Francisco. The article states, in part: "
The hope is that, by highlighting and rewarding certain academic and extracurricular activities, Raise.me helps level the college playing — and paying — field for low-income students who may not receive the same kind of parental advice at home as their higher-income peers."
6) After reading the Raise.me website and links to external websites (LinkedIn, facebook, news articles), it is my understanding that students who would receive money from this program would receive the similar amount directly from their college financial aid office... without the students' data being broadly disseminated for commercial purposes.
those institutions may have offered students similar scholarship amounts upon acceptance; by apprising students of their eligibility earlier, administrators hope students can make more informed choices.
