Since 1995, Per Scholas has been unlocking potential for individuals, employers, and communities by preparing people traditionally underrepresented in technology for high-growth careers in the IT industry. What began more than 30 years ago with a belief that talent is everywhere has grown into a national workforce development movement. More than 30,000 individuals have gained the skills needed to launch careers with opportunities for advancement, greater economic security, and the ability to invest in their families and communities.
Per Scholas opened its Dallas campus in 2015 with that same belief: North Texans should have access to the opportunities being created by our region's rapidly growing technology economy.
Today, more than 2,600 individuals have received training through Per Scholas Dallas. Every learner arrives with a different story. Some are working jobs that do not provide a sustainable wage. Some are supporting families. Others know they have the talent to build a better future but have lacked access to affordable training, professional networks, or a pathway into the technology industry.
At Per Scholas, that training comes at no cost to the learner.
Our Dallas campus prepares individuals for careers through hands-on training in areas including IT Support, Cybersecurity, Data Center Technology, Healthcare IT, and Infrastructure & Low Voltage. As technology evolves, so do we. We are incorporating AI-enabled skills and tools into our training to ensure learners are prepared not only for the jobs available today, but for an increasingly AI-driven workforce.
Technical skills are only part of the journey. Learners also receive industry-recognized certification preparation, career coaching, professional development, resume and interview support, and connections to employers. Through our Career Accelerator, graduates can continue receiving support as they work toward promotions, higher wages, and long-term career growth.
Historically, approximately 85% of Per Scholas learners graduate and 80% secure employment within one year. But the impact goes far beyond employment statistics.
When a graduate increases their earnings, those dollars return to the community through housing, transportation, food, childcare, savings, and local businesses. In 2025 alone, Per Scholas Dallas graduates generated approximately $4.8 million in increased first-year earnings—new earning power flowing directly into North Texas families and communities.
Our employer partners are essential to making this possible. From major corporations to growing technology companies, employers help us understand emerging workforce needs, engage with learners, provide mentorship and professional exposure, and hire Per Scholas graduates. These partnerships create a bridge between talented individuals seeking opportunity and businesses searching for skilled workers.
That bridge is increasingly important.
North Texas continues to experience extraordinary growth in technology, data centers, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, healthcare technology, and artificial intelligence. Yet too many talented people remain disconnected from those opportunities. Per Scholas is working to change that.
In 2026, we plan to serve 306 learners in North Texas. And we are thinking much bigger.
By 2030, our goal is to build the capacity to serve up to 1,000 learners every year—1,000 opportunities annually for North Texans to gain skills without taking on tuition debt, earn industry credentials, connect with employers, and pursue careers capable of transforming their economic futures.
But tuition-free does not mean cost-free.
Our work is possible because individuals, employers, foundations, and community partners believe in the potential of our learners.
This North Texas Giving Day, you can help us build what comes next.
Your gift helps provide the technical training, certifications, career coaching, professional development, employer connections, and ongoing support learners need to move from the classroom into meaningful careers.
When you invest in Per Scholas Dallas, you are not simply funding a training program. You are helping launch a career, strengthen a family, grow the North Texas workforce, and create economic opportunity that can last for generations.
Per Scholas' mission is to advance economic equity through rigorous training for tech careers, and to connect skilled talent to leading businesses.
For our learners, the opportunity to begin a new career should not come with the burden of choosing between paying for training and meeting everyday needs.
That is why Per Scholas provides our training at no cost to learners. Making that commitment possible requires the support of a community that believes financial circumstances should not stand in the way of talent and ambition.
Your North Texas Giving Day gift helps provide the resources behind each learner's journey. Donations support technical instruction, certification exams and preparation, career coaching, professional development, technology and training materials, and the services that help learners successfully transition from training into the workforce.
Support also allows our Dallas campus to respond to a technology landscape that is changing quickly. As employers adopt new technologies and workforce needs evolve, we must continually strengthen our curriculum, equip our instructors, maintain relevant training environments, and ensure learners have access to the tools and experiences that will prepare them to compete.
There is also a human side to this work. Our learners arrive with determination, but the journey from enrollment to employment takes time, encouragement, preparation, and a team committed to their success. Philanthropic support allows us to surround learners with that support from their first day of training through graduation and into their careers.
Every gift helps remove a barrier. Every gift helps create an opportunity.
Whether you help provide a certification exam, contribute toward the cost of training, or make another investment that is meaningful to you, your generosity helps ensure that talented North Texans can pursue a new career without tuition standing in their way.
Together, we can make sure opportunity is not reserved for those who can afford it.
Per Scholas is unique in that our leadership, staff, learners, and alumni are immensely diverse, and reflective of the communities in which we operate. Externally, we promote inclusion in the tech sector through a robust network of employer partners. Per Scholas recently revamped programmatic language, including our mission statement, to publicly communicate these values.
Organization name
Per Scholas
Causes
Employment & Workforce Development
Operating Budget
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Counties Served
Collin, Dallas, Denton, Kaufman, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latinx, Native American, Other
BIPOC Leadership
Both the Executive Director/CEO and Board Chair
Address
600 N. Pearl St Suite 1950