Heights Philadelphia

What Heights Philadelphia does

Heights Philadelphia is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit that operates as an "Economic Mobility Catalyst," delivering college and career advising, academic enrichment, paid internships, and financial support to Philadelphia youth from middle school through college graduation. Formed on December 13, 2022 through the merger of Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars, the organization currently serves approximately 3,629 students in core programming (with 3,500+ additional one-time participants) across 24 School District of Philadelphia partner schools (18 high schools, 6 middle schools). Its service portfolio includes the Steppingstone Academy (middle school), Summer Bridge programs, the 35-year-old Step Up to College Guide (35,000 copies distributed), the College App Classroom (co-developed with the University of Pennsylvania), career pathway programs across biomedical/healthcare, financial services, computer science, and human services, summer institutes, and post-secondary college success advising including stipends and scholarships ($2.8M awarded in FY25).

The organization's core products are human-delivered, school-embedded services supported by proprietary content assets (Step Up to College Guide, College App Classroom curriculum) and standard educational technology tools; it does not develop proprietary technology products. Heights distributes services through embedded advising staff in schools, 13 college/university partnerships (including Temple, UPenn, Arcadia, Bucknell, Haverford, Penn State, Villanova), and a network of 100+ employer partners providing paid internships. Outcomes are demonstrably strong: 96% high school graduation rate among cohorted students (vs. 87% national average), 75% college matriculation, 77% six-year college graduation (vs. 63% national), and 84% of recent college graduates in full-time employment or graduate school within six months.

The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial: all student services are free, with FY25 unaudited revenue of approximately $12.6M sourced from contributions and donations (73%), program contracts (16%), endowment draw (9% from a $31M+ endowment), and interest/other income (3%). The organization has 700+ active donors and is supported by major foundation and corporate partners including the Hess Foundation (endowed the Steppingstone Academy), William Penn Foundation, Hirtle Callaghan & Co., Accenture, Comcast NBCUniversal, and Lincoln Financial Group. Governance rests with an independent Board of Directors; leadership includes President & CEO Sean E. Vereen, Ed.D., and Co-President Olenga Anabui.

Name

Heights Philadelphia

Legal name

Heights Philadelphia

Website

https://heights.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Heights Philadelphia is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit that provides college and career advising, enrichment, and paid internships to roughly 3,629 Philadelphia youth from middle school through college graduation, operating through staff embedded in 24 School District of Philadelphia schools and partnerships with 100+ employers and 13 colleges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education and College Access Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

akta.pro primary industry

Dual Enrollment / Early College Programs (via Community Colleges) (EDAHADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic Acceleration & Grade-Skipping Support (EDANAKAE), Volunteer Management & Alumni Leadership Programs (EDALAOAH)

Keywords

• College access programs
• Career readiness services
• Youth development
• College advising
• Workforce preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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. Contributions and Donations: The primary revenue source at 73% of total revenue. Heights raises funds from individual donors, foundation grants, and corporate contributions. The organization has 700+ donors and received $9.2M in donations during FY25.
2. Program Contracts: Revenue from program service contracts representing 16% of total revenue. Includes contracts with educational institutions and government agencies for specific programming.
3. Endowment Draw: Draws from endowment fund representing 9% of revenue. The endowment has a market value of $31M+ as of August 2025.
4. Interest and Other Income: Interest income and miscellaneous revenue streams representing 3% of total revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Heights Philadelphia is a nonprofit that connects Philadelphia youth to college and career opportunities through an embedded school model. It delivers college access advising, career pathway programming, summer pre-college experiences, and postsecondary success support to students from middle school through college completion.

Product overview

Heights Philadelphia operates as an Economic Mobility Catalyst offering a comprehensive suite of educational access programs spanning middle school through career. The portfolio includes Steppingstone Academy (middle school academic enrichment), Summer Bridge transition programs, the Step Up to College Guide (35th edition college access resource), College App Classroom (in-person course developed with UPenn), Applying to College 101 (online course), Career Pathway Programs across five industries, Summer Programming Suite, and College Success Advising. These programs integrate advising, enrichment, career exploration, and financial support to serve over 3,500 students annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Step Up to College Guide
• College App Classroom
• Applying to College 101
• Steppingstone Academy
• Summer Bridge Program Summer bridge program supporting Philadelphia students' transition into and through postsecondary education.
• Career Pathway Programs Career exploration and workforce readiness programs for Philadelphia youth connected to career pathways.
• Summer Programming Suite Suite of summer programs for Philadelphia students combining pre-college academic preparation, college exposure, and career readiness activities.
• College Success Advising Postsecondary success advising provided to Heights Philadelphia students enrolled in and graduating from college to support degree completion.

Quantifiable outcome

• 77% six-year college graduation rate (vs 63% national average)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• University of Pennsylvania Admissions OfficeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2025Strategic co-development partnership to create and expand the College App Classroom curriculum - an in-person college admissions course now available at up to 8 School District of Philadelphia schools. Built on two years of successful curriculum pilots with nearly 1,000 students. Also collaborated on the free online Applying to College 101 course serving nearly 10,000 students worldwide since 2023.
• School District of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal partnership with 24 schools (18 high schools, 6 middle schools) where Heights staff are embedded to provide direct college and career advising services to students. Includes collaboration on career programming, school-based events, and Temple Future Scholars middle school pipeline program.
• Temple UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor college partner with 125 Heights students receiving 1:1 advising and on-campus support. Partnership includes Temple Promise, Cecil B. Moore Scholarship, Temple Future Scholars program (120 seventh-graders from 7 partner middle schools), and Healthcare Career Pathway programming.
• AccenturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship employer partner through Skills to Succeed (S2S) program providing early-career exposure, hands-on internships, and mentorship. Has consistently advocated for 4-6 Heights students annually in their 10-week summer internship program, often leading to full-time employment offers.
• Hirtle Callaghan & Co.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner and anchor supporter of the Financial Services & Business Career Pathway. Renewed $1M Anchor Partnership commitment for FY25-FY28. Provides mentorship, thought leadership, board service, and internship opportunities through the Summer Business & Entrepreneurship Program. Also employs Heights alumni.
• Comcast NBCUniversalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting Heights through the Comcast Women's Network ERG, which welcomed female-identifying Heights students from Kensington High School CAPA to Comcast's Philly HQ for career exploration including product tours, career panels, AI 101 sessions, and speed networking with 20 volunteers.
• Lincoln Financial GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner in the Financial Services & Business pathway and employer partner providing internship opportunities. Staff participated in collegian care package assembly for Heights students.
• Wistar InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEM research partner hosting the Wistar High School Program in Biomedical Research and supporting Heights students in cancer metastasis and host-pathogen interaction studies during Summer Institute.
• Free Library of PhiladelphiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing resources and hosting community programming including strategic plan unveiling event in March 2024.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew partnership announced April 22, 2024 (Earth Day) to provide Heights students in college programming and SDP partner high schools with opportunities in environmental sciences and environmental justice through education, mentorship, and hands-on experiences.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bottom Line: National college access and persistence nonprofit providing one-on-one advising to low-income and first-generation students from junior year through college graduation. Closest operational peer to Heights' advising, persistence, and outcomes model.
• OneGoal: College and career persistence nonprofit supporting low-income high school students through graduation and postsecondary success. Comparable embedded-in-schools model with similar student demographics and outcome metrics.
• College Possible: National nonprofit deploying near-peer coaches in high schools to support college access and persistence for low-income students. Directly comparable coaching-based model with school partnerships similar to Heights' embedded-staff approach.
• iMentor: College access nonprofit pairing low-income high school students with college-educated mentors for multi-year advising. Comparable long-horizon, relationship-driven college access model targeting first-generation students.
• Say Yes to Education: Comprehensive college and career access nonprofit combining scholarships, advising, and community-wide support. Operates similar cradle-to-career pipeline with employer and higher-education partners analogous to Heights' four-pillar model.
• uAspire: College affordability and advising nonprofit focused on financial aid navigation for low-income students. Highly comparable on the college access and financial aid portion of Heights' Step Up to College programming.
• Year Up: Workforce development nonprofit providing career pathway training and paid internships with major employers to young adults. Comparable career exposure, internship placement, and employer partnership model across healthcare, tech, and financial services.

Regional players

• Philadelphia Education Fund: Philadelphia-focused education nonprofit working with the School District of Philadelphia on college readiness and equity. Operates in the same geographic service area with overlapping school district partnerships and college access mission.

Broad incumbents

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Large national youth mentoring nonprofit with local Philadelphia affiliates connecting youth to adult mentors for educational and career outcomes. Comparable youth development scale and employer partnership ecosystem in education-to-career pipeline.
• KIPP Philadelphia Schools: Charter school network operating within Philadelphia serving low-income students with college-prep focus. Adjacent to Heights as an alternative K-12 college-readiness provider in the same city and student demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/heightsphilly
• Facebookfacebook.com/HeightsPhilly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heightsphily
• Instagraminstagram.com/heightsphilly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Heights Philadelphia