Support students
Join us.
Bridge the Gap.
There's a moment between getting accepted to college and actually arriving on campus that financial aid wasn't designed for. We fill that gap: essentials, travel, and the basics that make a beginning possible. Every grant we award starts with a donor who decided it mattered.
During their son's college move-in, Karen Dantzler and Eric Lilavois found themselves making run after run to Target for the things nobody had thought to pack. Somewhere between the hangers and the second pillow, Karen asked: "How do families less fortunate afford all this?"
That question became this Foundation. Eric remembered arriving at NYU with little more than milk crates and records. Karen arrived alone with a single suitcase. They both knew what it meant to show up with less than the people around you, and they knew how early that feeling starts to shape whether a student believes they belong. The families Karen was asking about don't have an answer to her question. You do.
Karen at the Orientation and Celebration in July.
Your impact
What your gift equips
Every level maps to what a student actually receives. Monthly and custom amounts work too; the giving page handles both.
A meaningful part of one kit
Goes a long way toward one student's move-in kit: the bedding, bath, and desk essentials they pick out themselves.
One student, fully equipped
The kit they design, travel to campus for them and a parent, and meals before the dining hall opens. All of it, for one student.
A small cohort
Four student starts: four kits, trips to campus, and arrivals with everything in place.
$1,244 was the average cost of one student grant in 2026.
Read the 2026 Impact ReportWays to give
We've made it straightforward to give in whatever way works best for you.
Credit card, debit, or digital wallet
Secure and immediate through our giving page.
Donor-Advised Fund
Recommend a grant to Campus Ready Foundation. Email us at hello@campusready.org and we'll send everything you need.
Stock transfer or wire/ACH
Contact us for transfer instructions.
Check by mail
Payable to Campus Ready Foundation, 1895 Madrona Ave, Saint Helena, CA 94574.
501(c)(3) nonprofit. Gifts are tax-deductible. EIN 39-2532572.