Built by a teacher who was tired of saying goodbye.
In 2013 a head teacher in Barnawa counted how many of her best students left before SS3. It was one in four, almost always over fees. Bright Futures Trust started the next year to make that number zero.
Talent is everywhere. Fees are not.
We pay fees for young people in Kaduna State who are doing well at school but whose families cannot keep up. Then we stay: a mentor, a clinic, a call when grades dip, help with the next step.
We are an independent charitable trust. We take no money from political parties and we do not ask scholars to appear at events for anyone. Our only promise to donors is that their money pays fees, on time, and that we tell them exactly how.
- Fees paid straight to schools, never in cash
- Every applicant hears back, yes or no
- Panels that never know the applicant
- Accounts audited and published every year
How we got here.
- Founded in a two room office in Barnawa by a retired head teacher and three of her former students. Eleven bursaries in the first year.
- Girls in STEM bursary launched after a count showed girls leaving school two years earlier than boys in our area.
- Skills and trades grant added for school leavers who wanted to start earning.
- Online applications and SMS tracking. Paper forms kept for families without data.
- 1,240 scholars supported. A former scholar now sits on every interview panel.
Fair by design.
The full scoring sheet is published in our story How we score an application.
Need first
Household income and the number of children in school count for 40 of the 100 points.
Effort, not polish
The essay is marked on what it says, not on spelling. A teacher can help you write it.
Blind panels
Panel members see a number, not a name, until the interview itself.
A former scholar decides too
Every panel has someone who once sat where the applicant sits.
Where each ₦100 went in 2025.
Example figures for this demo. Audited accounts are sent on request and summarised in our yearly letter to supporters.
Request the full accountsSeven staff, ninety volunteers.
The office team runs applications and payments. Volunteer mentors, most of them former scholars, do the rest.
Dr Hauwa Bello-Danjuma
Executive director
Emmanuel Kure
Head of programmes
Ladi Gwamna
Mentoring and schools lead
Yusuf Abdullahi
Scholar alumni officer, class of 2019
Who keeps us honest.
Five trustees serve unpaid for three years at a time: a retired head teacher, a chartered accountant, a lawyer, a paediatrician and a former scholar. They meet every quarter and sign off every award list.
We work with twenty eight partner schools, twelve registered training centres and the student affairs offices of six public institutions. Partners agree to share results, flag a scholar in trouble early and never charge our scholars extra levies.
Become a partner schoolWant to see the work up close?
Visit the Barnawa office on a weekday or come to award day in June. Supporters and families are always welcome.