For KR Scholars, helping students through their educational journey is fulfilling work.

“It’s a blessing to be a blessing,” co-founder Kristen Johnson said. Her counterpart in founding the organization is her husband, Rufus Johnson.

Since being profiled last year in The Richmonder, the group has set its sights on new goals as it seeks to increase access to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Both of the Johnsons attended HBCUs, and saw firsthand how valuable that experience could be. Through KR Scholars, they help other students climb the same ladder by waiving college application fees and providing scholarships.

KR Scholars is currently celebrating its fifth year of operation, and the successes that have come with it. 

Richmond couple creates nonprofit to help current and future HBCU students

Kristen Johnson describes HBCUs as a “national treasure,” and wants to help their students thrive after being so impacted in her college years.

The RichmonderKendall Taylor

One big moment for the organization was Kristen being selected for the Goldman Sachs’ "One Million Black Women: Black in Business" program, which advances the economic mobility of Black women and their businesses. The curriculum-based program increases the knowledge and skillset of Black businesswomen, which Johnson believes will help strengthen the organization’s overall reach.

In 2025, KR Scholars also got to see the payoff of one of its newest programs: the HBCU Bridge.

The HBCU Bridge program prepares juniors and seniors in high school for life in higher education. They are able to learn about the history of Historically Black Colleges and Universities while learning the ins and outs of topics such as college applications and financial aid.

This program is in partnership with Richmond Public Schools, and more specifically John Marshall High School, which celebrated a 100% graduation rate this past school year.

The organization successfully graduated its first “HBCU Bridge” class, and is continuing into the 2025-2026 school year, with 20 John Marshall students joining the most recent cohort.

In 2026, KR Scholars hopes to continue helping students “from campus to career,” as described by Kristen Johnson.

One of Johnson’s aspirations for the future is to expand the nonprofit in order to reach as many students as possible. She also hopes to grow capacity in order to create a solid network of young students and professionals in the years to come. 

“We want to bring awareness and exposure… we want to journey through with them,” she said.