College Possible

What College Possible does

College Possible is a Saint Paul, Minnesota-based nonprofit founded in 2000 that provides free college access and success coaching to first-generation and low-income students across seven U.S. regional locations (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, and Texas). The organization delivers at least six years of continuous support — from a student's junior year of high school through college graduation — using a near-peer coaching model staffed primarily by AmeriCorps volunteers and recent college graduates, supplemented by professional staff. Programs are offered at no cost to students or families, with eligibility typically requiring a minimum 2.5 GPA and demonstrated financial need; partner schools and colleges (180+ and 866 respectively) refer students into the program.

The organization's core technology stack is built on the Salesforce platform and includes two proprietary products: CoPilot, a student information system providing 360-degree visibility into academic, financial, and social journeys (used by 1,700+ users across 50 organizations); and Coach Possible, an AI-powered student support platform launched in 2025 that incorporates Salesforce Agentforce to deliver 24/7 personalized guidance, milestone tracking, and a 30-module learning management system, with secure/ethical AI architecture that keeps student data masked and encrypted. Common App and Student Tracker integrations extend platform utility. The organization also operates distinct program brands including the Flagship site-based coaching program, Catalyze (campus-embedded near-peer coaching for community college students), Navigate (hybrid tech-enabled coaching), and CollegePoint (virtual coaching in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies).

College Possible's revenue model is entirely philanthropic: programs are funded through grants, corporate and foundation partnerships, and individual donations rather than tuition or fees. Notable major donors include Ballmer Group ($20 million record-setting gift in 2017), Salesforce ($1 million in 2025 over three years), Travelers ($300,000 in 2022 and a 20+ year relationship), and others such as the NBA Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, Green Bay Packers Foundation, Healy Foundation, and Ascendium. The organization also receives AmeriCorps federal support for its coaching corps and accepts stock donations, matching gifts, donor-advised funds, and workplace giving through United Way. Customer concentration on the funder side is moderate, while student reach is broad and distributed.

Name

College Possible

Legal name

College Possible

Website

https://collegepossible.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

College Possible is a nonprofit providing free college access and success coaching to first-generation and low-income students across seven U.S. regions. It uses near-peer AmeriCorps coaches and the AI-powered Coach Possible platform to serve over 25,000 students annually from high school through graduation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Access and Success Coaching Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transfer/University-Parallel Community Colleges (EDAHADAF)

Keywords

• College access coaching
• College success programs
• Near-peer mentoring
• Student support services
• Nonprofit education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations and Grants: College Possible operates as a nonprofit organization funded entirely by charitable contributions. The organization receives grants from foundations (Salesforce, Ballmer Group, Travelers, Wells Fargo, etc.) and individual donors. Programs are provided at no cost to students or families.
2. Corporate and Foundation Partnerships: Major corporate partners including Salesforce, Ballmer Group, Travelers, Wells Fargo Foundation, NBA Foundation, and others provide significant funding. The organization also accepts stock donations, matching gifts, donor-advised fund contributions, and workplace giving through United Way.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

College Possible is a nonprofit organization that provides free college access and success coaching to first-generation and low-income students from their junior year of high school through college graduation. The organization delivers near-peer coaching support through AmeriCorps volunteers and professional staff at seven U.S. regional locations, supported by its AI-powered Coach Possible platform and CoPilot student information system built on Salesforce.

Product overview

College Possible offers a comprehensive portfolio of college access and success programs centered on near-peer coaching and AI-powered technology. The core technology products are Coach Possible (AI-powered student support platform) and CoPilot (student information system built on Salesforce). Coach Possible provides 24/7 AI-powered guidance to students, while CoPilot enables data-driven tracking across student journeys. These are complemented by program offerings including the Flagship in-person coaching program, the Catalyze campus-based coaching program, Navigate (hybrid tech-connected coaching), CollegePoint (virtual coaching), and Virtual Coaching services. All programs leverage near-peer AmeriCorps coaches and aim to support students from high school through college graduation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coach Possible: AI-powered student support platform that provides personalized guidance and resources to college students. Built on the Salesforce platform, it delivers 24/7 support, progress tracking, and integrates ethical AI features to support student success.
• Catalyze
• CoPilot
• CollegePoint

Products and services

• Coach Possible AI-powered student support platform that provides personalized guidance and resources to college students, enhancing coach capacity and expanding access through ethical AI features. Built on Salesforce platform, enables coaches to manage caseloads from 60 to 250+ students.
• CoPilot Industry-leading student information system built on the Salesforce platform providing 360-degree visibility into every aspect of a student's academic, financial, and social journey. Licensed to over 1,700 users across 50 organizations including nonprofits, scholarship foundations, and school districts.
• Catalyze Campus-based near-peer coaching program that embeds AmeriCorps coaches on college campuses to help first-generation and Pell-eligible students navigate challenges to college persistence and degree completion.
• Flagship Program Primary site-based college access and success program providing at least six years of near-peer coaching support to help students navigate and overcome common barriers to college admission and graduation. Available at seven U.S. regional locations.
• Navigate

Quantifiable outcome

• Students are 3x more likely to earn a bachelor's degree than peers from similar backgrounds
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bloomberg Philanthropies (CollegePoint)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration to provide virtual college coaching to high school students across the U.S. through the CollegePoint program.
• AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partnership where AmeriCorps members volunteer as College Possible coaches on college campuses. Many coaches are recent college graduates with first-hand experience navigating higher education.
• Common AppcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Common App allows Coach Possible to help students manage college exploration and applications more efficiently through the AI-powered platform.
• United Way of the MidlandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting College Possible Omaha's programs and student success initiatives.
• The Simple FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting back-to-school initiatives and student support in Omaha.
• Dominican UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in Chicago providing pathways for College Possible students.
• Austin Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in Texas supporting student enrollment and persistence.
• Texas State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege partner in Texas for student recruitment and support.
• 1,700+ CoPilot Users Across 50 OrganizationsminorOthersOrganizations using CoPilot student information system for data-driven student success management.
• 866 Colleges and UniversitiescoreOthersColleges and universities that College Possible students attend and have partnerships with for student support and retention.
• 180+ High School PartnerscoreOthersPartner high schools where eligible students receive College Possible coaching services.

Scale indicators22 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• QuestBridge: Connects high-achieving low-income students with selective colleges through the National College Match and partner programs. Comparable mission of expanding college access for underrepresented students with strong college partnership networks.
• Schuler Scholar Program: College access program serving high-achieving, low-income students through high school and into college graduation. Comparable mission, population, and emphasis on individualized advising.
• Bottom Line: Nonprofit providing one-on-one college access and success advising to low-income and first-generation students from high school through college graduation. Closely mirrors College Possible's mission, population, and 6+ year coaching cycle.
• College Track: Comprehensive college access and success program supporting first-generation students from high school through college graduation and into careers. Directly comparable 10-year coaching model and target population.
• iMentor: Builds mentoring relationships between college-educated adults and high school students to support college access and persistence. Comparable population (low-income, first-generation) and pairing-based coaching approach.
• Posse Foundation: Identifies, trains, and supports diverse cohorts of students from urban areas to persist and graduate from partner colleges. Comparable in target population (first-generation/low-income) and college persistence focus.
• OneGoal: Nonprofit that partners with high schools to deliver college and career readiness programming to low-income students. Similar high school–anchored delivery model and population focus, though with shorter intervention cycle.
• National College Advising Corps: A nonprofit that places recent college graduates as advisers in underserved high schools to help students navigate the college application process. Highly comparable to College Possible's near-peer, high-school-focused model and target population.

Emerging players

• CollegeVine: For-profit EdTech company offering AI- and human-powered college admissions advising, essay review, and counseling tools. Comparable in target customer (prospective college students) but uses a paid B2C model rather than nonprofit coaching.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP (KIPP Through College): Large charter school network with a dedicated alumni support program that helps KIPP graduates persist through and graduate from college. Overlap in college persistence mission for low-income students, but KIPP operates its own K-12 schools rather than partnering broadly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CollegePossible
• Facebookfacebook.com/CollegePossible
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-possible
• Instagraminstagram.com/collegepossible

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about College Possible