Oakland Promise

What Oakland Promise does

Oakland Promise is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit organization founded in 2016 in Oakland, California, that operates as a cradle-to-career educational initiative serving Oakland infants, K-12 students, college students, and recent graduates. The organization delivers four core program verticals—Brilliant Baby (529 college savings accounts seeded with $500 for eligible infants, with caregiver financial education in six languages), Kindergarten to 12th Grade Program (progressive savings accounts and scholarships beginning in elementary school), College & Career Program (scholarships of up to $16,000 per recipient, 1:1 coaching, mentor matching, and alumni support), and the East Oakland Promise Neighborhood (a place-based collective impact initiative across 2.5 square miles, 11 neighborhoods, and four schools)—alongside grantmaking, technical assistance, and coordination support to 50+ community-based partner organizations.

The underlying technology is operational rather than proprietary: Oakland Promise uses SurveyMonkey Apply to power its scholarship application portal (scholarships.oaklandpromise.org), my529 to administer 529 college savings accounts for the Brilliant Baby program, the Vistashare platform for K-9 student savings account registration, the California CalKIDS program for additional state-funded savings, and Classy for online donation processing. There is no in-house platform, no proprietary model, and no AI/ML capability disclosed.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than transactional. Revenue streams include individual donations (from $999-and-below to $1M+ contributors such as Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock), foundation grants ($10,000 to $1M+ from Walter and Elise Haas Fund, Hellman Foundation, Koshland Foundation, S.H. Cowell Foundation, Iren S. Scully Foundation, and others), corporate sponsorships ($10,000 to $1M+ from Kaiser Permanente, Amazon, PG&E, Citi, Credit Karma, NBA Foundation, Warriors Community Foundation, Chime Scholars Foundation, Vistra Corp.), and government funding from the City of Oakland, US Department of Education, and the voter-approved Oakland Children's Initiative (for which Oakland Promise serves as Implementation Partner alongside First 5 Alameda County since 2022). Services—scholarships, savings accounts, coaching, mentoring, and community convening—are delivered at no cost to eligible Oakland students and families.

Name

Oakland Promise

Legal name

Oakland Promise

Website

https://oaklandpromise.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Oakland Promise is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 that delivers cradle-to-career programming—including $500-seeded 529 college savings accounts, scholarships, coaching, and mentoring—to Oakland students from birth through career, while coordinating 50+ community-based partners as the city's designated Implementation Partner for the voter-approved Oakland Children's Initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

Keywords

• College savings programs
• Educational scholarships
• Cradle-to-career services
• Community-based nonprofits
• College access initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute at various levels from $999 and below to $1,000,000+. Notable donors include Arthur Rock and Toni Rembe Rock, Susan Stutzman, and numerous community members. Donations are tax-deductible as Oakland Promise is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
2. Foundation Grants: Major foundation support from Walter and Elise Haas Fund, Hellman Foundation, Koshland Foundation, Iren S. Scully Foundation, S.H. Cowell Foundation, and others ranging from $10,000 to $1,000,000+.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate donors include Kaiser Permanente, Amazon, PG&E, Citi, Credit Karma, NBA Foundation, Warriors Community Foundation, Chime Scholars Foundation, Vistra Corp., and others at various contribution levels.
4. Government Funding: Public funding from City of Oakland, US Department of Education, and other government sources. Oakland Children's Initiative voter-approved funding provides additional public resources.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Oakland Promise operates a cradle-to-career nonprofit initiative that delivers three core program areas: Brilliant Baby (early learning, providing $500 seeded 529 college savings accounts to eligible Oakland infants), Kindergarten to 12th Grade Program (progressive college savings accounts and scholarships across grade levels), and College & Career Program (postsecondary scholarships up to $16,000, 1:1 coaching, mentoring, and career support). It also serves as the Implementation Partner for the voter-approved Oakland Children's Initiative, coordinating 50+ community-based organizations, schools, and public agencies in Oakland.

Product overview

Oakland Promise is a unified cradle-to-career initiative that operates as a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a traditional product platform. The core offerings include Brilliant Baby (early learning with $500 college savings accounts for infants), the Kindergarten to 12th Grade Program (progressive scholarships from K through graduation), and the College & Career Program (scholarships, coaching, and mentoring through post-secondary completion). These programs are supported by the Scholar Portal (powered by SurveyMonkey Apply), the East Oakland Promise Neighborhood initiative serving 11 neighborhoods, and volunteer/mentor programs. The organization coordinates and convenes community partners, provides grantmaking to trusted organizations, and delivers direct services including 529 savings accounts, scholarships (totaling over $34M to ~7,000 graduates), and mentorship. Programs are designed to build college-bound identity from early childhood through career entry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brilliant Baby: Oakland Promise's flagship early learning program providing every eligible Oakland infant with a $500 college savings account, while caregivers receive financial education, incentives, and community support.

Products and services

• Brilliant Baby

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000 babies enrolled in college savings accounts since 2016
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oakland Children's InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Oakland Promise serves as Implementation Partner alongside First 5 Alameda County for the Oakland Children's Initiative, a voter-approved measure funding community organizations serving Oakland children and families from birth through college graduation.
• First 5 Alameda CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-implementation partner for Oakland Children's Initiative, focusing on early childhood development and family support services.
• BANANAS, IncminorOthersPartner organization providing childcare and family support services within the Oakland cradle-to-career ecosystem.
• Beyond 12minorOthersCollege access and persistence organization supporting students through post-secondary transitions.
• Oakland Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSystems partner providing district-wide coordination for cradle-to-career programming across Oakland public schools.
• Peralta Community College DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSystems partner for post-secondary pathway coordination, supporting transfer pathways from community colleges to four-year institutions.
• UC BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSystems partner through Destination College Advising Corps, providing college advising services in Oakland schools.
• UCSF Children's HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSystems partner providing health and wellness resources integrated into the cradle-to-career ecosystem.
• City of OaklandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funder and systems partner providing public funding and policy alignment for youth programming.
• Northern California College Promise CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member and steering committee participant advocating for college access policies statewide.
• StriveTogetherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network member advancing cradle-to-career community impact across the United States.
• Harlem Children's ZoneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer organization and donor supporting best practice sharing and program development.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bottom Line: Bottom Line is a national college access and success nonprofit providing 1:1 coaching, college advising, and postsecondary persistence support to first-generation students. Closely comparable to Oakland Promise's College & Career coaching and mentorship model.
• Harlem Children's Zone: Harlem Children's Zone is a place-based cradle-to-career nonprofit operating in Central Harlem with a comparable model of college savings accounts, K-12 programming, and college persistence support. Already listed as a peer organization and donor of Oakland Promise, it is the foundational model for Promise Neighborhood initiatives nationwide.
• Beyond 12: Beyond 12 is a college persistence nonprofit listed as a partner organization of Oakland Promise, providing technology-enabled coaching to support students through postsecondary transitions. Directly comparable in supporting the same postsecondary persistence outcomes.
• StriveTogether: StriveTogether is a national cradle-to-career collective impact network of which Oakland Promise is a member. Comparable in operating a backbone organization model coordinating cross-sector community partners around shared cradle-to-career outcome metrics.
• College Track: College Track is a nonprofit college access and persistence organization serving first-generation students from low-income communities with programming from high school through college graduation. Operates in Oakland (among other cities) and is directly comparable to Oakland Promise's College & Career Program.
• First 5 Alameda County: First 5 Alameda County is Oakland Promise's co-Implementation Partner on the Oakland Children's Initiative, focusing on early childhood development and family support services. Direct peer in the early learning segment of the cradle-to-career continuum.
• East Bay College Fund: East Bay College Fund is Oakland Promise's founding partner organization and a direct predecessor, providing college scholarships and persistence support to East Bay high school graduates. Operates in the same Oakland/East Bay geography with a narrower college-focused scope.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Foundation: KIPP is a national network of public charter schools serving K-12 students in low-income communities, including Oakland. Operates at much larger national scale and shares the college-bound identity building mission, though KIPP runs schools directly while Oakland Promise partners with existing schools.

Others

• College Promise (national movement): College Promise is a national policy and advocacy movement Oakland Promise engages with via the Northern California College Promise Coalition. Operates as an enabling/advisory ecosystem rather than direct service provider, focused on expanding tuition-free college access.

Emerging players

• ScholarMatch: ScholarMatch is a San Francisco-based nonprofit supporting first-generation students with college advising, scholarships, and mentorship. Comparable in college access focus but smaller in scale and narrower in scope (no cradle-to-career continuum).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/oakpromise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oakland-promise
• Instagraminstagram.com/oaklandpromise
• Xx.com/OaklandPromise

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oakland Promise