By Degrees Foundation

What By Degrees Foundation does

By Degrees Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, that delivers an integrated K-12 college and career readiness program through partnerships with four Des Moines Public Schools campuses — Findley Elementary, Madison Elementary, Harding Middle, and North High. Founded in 2015, the foundation served 2,231 K-12 students during the 2024-25 academic year, focused on students from under-resourced communities and built around a "whole-neighborhood, whole-school" model that delivers future-focused planning and saving culture across all grade levels. Its core product is the K-12 Partner School Model, which bundles four programs: the 529 Expansion Program (675+ student savings accounts opened and $405,000 invested since inception), College and Career Readiness Activities (92% participation at North High in 2024-25), the Sweet Dreams bedding program, and Support a Scholar mentorship. The foundation does not license technology or charge fees; programs are delivered on-site by a small staff of 1–10 employees embedded within partner schools, and the operating model depends entirely on donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships. Notable institutional relationships include Bank of America as a corporate sponsor and Candid's 2026 Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest accountability designation for U.S. nonprofits.

Name

By Degrees Foundation

Legal name

By Degrees Foundation

Website

https://bydegreesfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Nonprofit Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• K-12 education support
• 529 college savings programs
• College readiness services
• Financial literacy education
• Youth education nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

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, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

By Degrees Foundation is an Iowa-based education nonprofit that delivers K-12 college and career readiness programming to students in four Des Moines partner schools. Its core offerings include 529 savings account expansion support, college and career readiness activities, the Sweet Dreams program, and a Support a Scholar donor-funded initiative. All services are provided free of charge to students, families, and partner schools, funded through donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

By Degrees Foundation operates as a single, unified education nonprofit program focused on increasing high school graduation and postsecondary readiness rates through an interconnected K-12 culture of future-focused planning and saving. The organization does not offer a modular platform architecture; rather, it delivers a cohesive set of integrated programs including the 529 Expansion Program (which has opened 675+ student 529 savings accounts since 2015), College and Career Readiness Activities (reaching 92% of North High students), the Sweet Dreams bedding program, and Support a Scholar mentorship. These programs work together through partnerships with four Des Moines public schools (serving over 2,200 K-12 students), combining financial education, 529 savings account development, and postsecondary readiness activities into a comprehensive whole-neighborhood approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 529 Expansion Program
• College and Career Readiness Activities
• Sweet Dreams Program
• Support a Scholar
• K-12 Partner School Direct Service Model

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• College Possible: National college access nonprofit that coaches low-income students toward postsecondary enrollment, mirroring By Degrees' college readiness mission for underserved high schoolers.
• uAspire: College affordability nonprofit providing advising and financial aid support, directly comparable to By Degrees' financial education and 529 savings focus.
• Bottom Line: College success nonprofit serving first-generation students from high school through college, comparable to By Degrees' K-12 to postsecondary pipeline model.

Emerging players

• EMWC (Earn More Work Central) / similar asset-building nonprofits: Smaller, regionally focused nonprofits running children's savings account programs, overlapping with By Degrees' 529 Expansion work.
• Reading Partners: K-12 literacy nonprofit that partners with schools to deliver tutoring programs, comparable to By Degrees' school-based service delivery model though focused on literacy rather than college readiness.
• City Year: Education nonprofit placing near-peer coaches in K-12 schools to drive student success, sharing By Degrees' whole-school, school-partnership approach.

Others

• America Saves: Savings-promotion nonprofit focused on building savings habits, thematically adjacent to By Degrees' 529 and financial literacy programming.
• GreatSchools: K-12 information and resources nonprofit serving families navigating school choice and college prep, with overlapping parent-facing audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ByDegreesFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bydegreesfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/bydegreesfoundation
• Xx.com/ByDegreesDSM

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 By Degrees Foundation