About

A young woman with red hair sitting on concrete stairs next to a black metal railing, looking contemplative.

Our Mission

MY RICH AUNT connects donors directly with college and grad students in need of quick funds for things like trips home, study abroad programs, dorm room essentials, and other expenses unlikely to be covered by financial aid.

MY RICH AUNT’s benefits:

For Donors

  • Tax-deductible donations to verified full-time students

  • The joy of making a real, immediate impact.

For Students

  • Quick, shame-free access to funds

  • A supportive community of “aunties and uncles” helping students thrive, not just barely survive.

beyond tuition: Funding the full student experience.

My name will never be carved on a dorm, but I have something better: the knowledge that two students now have winter coats, thanks to me, and a third is heading to South Africa with a plane ticket I helped provide.

I’m not building campus buildings, I’m building student experiences!

— Future MY RICH AUNT Donor

The Vision 

 

A stone building with a red-tiled roof and a series of arches supported by columns, with a tall tower featuring a domed top in the background, under a blue sky.

Our Origin Story

MY RICH AUNT founder Terri James knows firsthand the challenges of navigating college and grad school on a tight budget. Raised in working-class neighborhoods and educated in public schools in Los Angeles, she worked hard and earned her way into both Stanford and Harvard Law School.

Along the way, she faced the challenges that many low-income students experience: borrowing textbooks because she couldn’t afford them, missing out on study-abroad experiences, and shivering through her first winter at Harvard in a flimsy jacket until her work-study job helped her afford a proper coat.

Reflecting on the stress and shame of those times, Terri began to think of ways students in similar situations could access “extra” funds without any stigma.

Far from wealthy herself, Terri created MY RICH AUNT because she’s passionate about building a community of generous “aunties and uncles” who are eager to make a tangible impact in students’ lives, one small financial boost at a time.

my rich aunt

wants to work with you

We’re looking for passionate board members, advisors, and volunteers to help us grow.

Your time and talent can change a student’s life.

Join the MY RICH AUNT FAMILY