Community Support For Students Program Information

The Community Support for Students Program (CSSP) helps committed and hard-working high school students who are living in difficult financial circumstances to complete high school. A Compass Award consists of ten monthly payments of $100 transferred directly to a student’s own bank account. Depositing Compass Awards in the students’ own bank accounts encourages them to learn about financial planning and budgeting and gives them an ability to help themselves that probably would not otherwise be available to them. Toronto School officials select the students that meet the criteria for Compass Awards: the student must have completed at least two years of high school and must have demonstrated a high degree of commitment to school and a strong work ethic; and the student must be in a difficult financial situation such that financial assistance will have a significant impact on the student’s life. Each student who receives a Compass Award is expected to provide a letter at the end of the school year describing in general how the student made use of the money and the impact of the Award on the student’s life. CSSP is run by volunteers and no administrative expenses are paid out of donations made to CSSP for financial aid to students. This means that 100% of all donations go directly to the students. Donors to CSSP receive a President’s Report each year, which provides an update on program activities, donations received, Compass Awards paid to students and letters submitted by students.