Say Yes Cleveland

What Say Yes Cleveland does

Say Yes Cleveland is a Cleveland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in January 2019 as the fourth chapter of the national Say Yes to Education initiative, operating as two legally separate entities — Say Yes Cleveland Scholarship, Inc. (governing the 25-year scholarship endowment) and Say Yes Cleveland Operations, Inc. (delivering PreK-12 support services). The organization's mission is twofold: to provide tuition gap-funding scholarships for every eligible Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) and partnering charter high school graduate attending an Ohio public college, university, or Pell-eligible training program, and to deliver wraparound support services to all 37,000+ CMSD and partner charter students in grades PreK-12.

Core products include the Say Yes Cleveland Scholarship (gap-funding the difference between tuition/fees and federal/state aid for families earning $75,000 or less), the Family Support Specialist program (with specialists embedded in all 104 CMSD and partner charter schools), a Mentor Program with a 97% retention rate in its first three years, and a Postsecondary Planning System (PPS) — an online platform that collects student and family information through surveys and routes needs to appropriate services. Supporting digital tools include the My College Checklist and Find a School Tool. Workforce certificate pathways were added in 2025 via a pilot with Cuyahoga Community College, Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, and Polaris Career Center.

The business model is philanthropic: Say Yes Cleveland is funded through donations, foundation grants, and public/government sources. Major donors include Cleveland Foundation, KeyBank Foundation ($11 million aggregate), The George Gund Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, Eaton, and the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation. Cumulative scholarship fundraising reached $100.5 million toward a $125 million goal to fully fund 25 years of scholarships. Since 2019, the program has paid out $8 million+ in scholarships, enrolled 1,600+ scholars in postsecondary in Spring 2023, and produced 298 postsecondary degrees by December 2023. The organization operates as a convening-organization model rather than a service provider in the conventional sense, with College Now Greater Cleveland administering the scholarship portal and 100+ colleges participating in the Say Yes National Higher Education Compact. Leadership transitioned to Derrick Fulton as Executive Director effective February 9, 2026, succeeding Diane Downing.

Name

Say Yes Cleveland

Legal name

Say Yes Cleveland

Website

https://sayyescleveland.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Say Yes Cleveland is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides tuition gap-funding scholarships and wraparound support services to all 37,000+ Cleveland Metropolitan School District students, funded by a $100.5 million endowment-style campaign.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Support 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

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

Keywords

• Tuition gap scholarships
• Wraparound student support
• College access programs
• Postsecondary planning services
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

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. Philanthropic Donations: Say Yes Cleveland operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Donations support both the Support Services Fund (for PreK-12 support services) and the Scholarship Fund (for tuition gap-funding scholarships).
2. Foundation Grants: Major foundation grants from organizations like Cleveland Foundation, KeyBank Foundation, George Gund Foundation, and Jack Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation provide significant funding for operations and scholarships.
3. Public/Government Funding: Support services are funded separately through public sources, distinct from the privately-funded scholarship program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Say Yes Cleveland is a nonprofit organization that provides two complementary offerings: (1) tuition gap-funding scholarships for eligible Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) high school graduates attending public four-year or two-year institutions, Pell-eligible certificate programs, or Say Yes Compact colleges; and (2) free wraparound support services for all CMSD and partner charter school students from PreK through 12th grade, delivered through Family Support Specialists embedded in every school.

Product overview

Say Yes Cleveland is a nonprofit organization that operates two complementary core programs: (1) gap-funding tuition scholarships for eligible CMSD high school graduates to attend public four-year or two-year institutions or accredited training programs, and (2) comprehensive wraparound support services delivered through Family Support Specialists stationed in every CMSD and partner charter school. The organization also provides a Mentor Program connecting scholars with adult mentors, a Postsecondary Planning System for identifying student needs, and digital tools including My College Checklist and Find a School Tool to guide students through the college planning process. Support services span academic support, basic needs assistance, health and wellness referrals, and enrichment opportunities from PreK through high school graduation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,600+ students enrolled in college or career training with Say Yes scholarship in Spring 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• University of Mount UnionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Providing 5 full-tuition scholarships annually to eligible CMSD students. Covers full tuition and technology fees for up to 8 semesters for students from households earning $75,000 or less.
• Allegheny CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Joined the Say Yes National Higher Education Compact. Offers 2-5 scholarships annually. For families earning $75,000 or less, provides full tuition. Others receive up to $5,000 Choice Grant.
• Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019CMSD is the primary educational partner, with Say Yes Cleveland providing support services to all CMSD students in grades PreK-12 and scholarships for CMSD graduates. Dr. Warren Morgan serves as CEO of CMSD and Board President of Say Yes Cleveland's Board of Trustees.
• Cleveland FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019One of the founding convening organizations; provides significant funding and leadership. Helen Williams serves as Program Director for Education. Contributed over $10 million to the scholarship fund.
• College Now Greater ClevelandcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2019Administers the scholarship and mentor programs with 50 years of experience. College Now advisors provide on-campus support, help with scholarship applications, and mentor matching for Say Yes scholars.
• United Way of Greater ClevelandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019One of the founding convening organizations that helped launch Say Yes Cleveland in 2019.
• City of ClevelandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019One of the founding convening organizations; Mayor Frank Jackson and Cleveland City Council made significant leadership contributions.
• Cuyahoga CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019One of the founding convening organizations that helped establish Say Yes Cleveland.
• Cleveland Institute of ArtmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined the Say Yes National Higher Education Compact, offering 2-5 new Say Yes Scholarships annually. For families earning $75,000 or less, CIA provides full tuition and fees. Others receive up to $5,000 Choice Grant.
• Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for workforce certificate programs including IT, Healthcare, and Skilled Trades programs. Eligible for Say Yes tuition funding pilot.
• Cuyahoga Valley Career CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for workforce certificate programs. Eligible for Say Yes tuition funding pilot for workforce-focused certificates.
• Polaris Career CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for workforce certificate programs. Eligible for Say Yes tuition funding pilot for workforce-focused certificates.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• OneGoal: College persistence organization delivering in-school programming and direct student support to low-income high school students through college completion, with a comparable mission of combining academic support, personal development, and postsecondary access for underserved youth.
• Bottom Line: Nonprofit providing 1-on-1 college access and persistence coaching to low-income and first-generation students, directly comparable to Say Yes Cleveland's wraparound advising and mentoring model that supports students from high school through college completion.
• Year Up: Workforce development nonprofit combining training, education, and corporate partners to move low-income young adults into professional careers, comparable to Say Yes Cleveland's recent expansion into workforce certificate funding at Tri-C and Polaris Career Center.
• College Now Greater Cleveland: Cleveland-based college access organization administering the Say Yes scholarship portal and providing on-campus advising, directly comparable as an implementation partner running the same scholarship and advising workflow for the same target students.
• iMentor: Nonprofit pairing low-income high school students with adult volunteer mentors for multi-year relationships aimed at college access and graduation; directly comparable to Say Yes Cleveland's Mentor Program that pairs scholars with adult mentors for postsecondary navigation.
• City Year: AmeriCorps national service program placing near-peer mentors in K-12 schools to support attendance, behavior, and course performance; highly comparable to Say Yes Cleveland's embedded Family Support Specialist model in CMSD schools, including similar school-based delivery and student-facing intervention design.

Broad incumbents

• Cleveland Foundation: Founding convener contributing $10M+ to Say Yes Cleveland and operating as a broader community foundation making education-related grants across Greater Cleveland; relevant as the largest single financial backer and comparable ecosystem funder.
• United Way of Greater Cleveland: Founding convener of Say Yes Cleveland and a broader-scope community impact organization funding education, income, and health initiatives across the region; comparable as a regional nonprofit partner addressing student and family needs through grants and convening.
• KIPP Foundation: National charter school network providing in-school academic support and dedicated college persistence programming (KIPP Through College) through high school and beyond, comparable to Say Yes Cleveland's combination of in-school wraparound services and postsecondary scholarship support for similar student populations.

Emerging players

• ScholarMatch: Nonprofit providing scholarships, advising, and career support to first-generation and low-income students from high school through college completion, with overlapping focus on affordability barriers and advising that mirrors Say Yes Cleveland's scholarship-plus-support framework.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SayYesCleveland
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCD6sMquO8lngQtxhyFcHTvA
• Facebookfacebook.com/SayYesCleveland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sayyescleveland
• Instagraminstagram.com/sayyescleveland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Say Yes Cleveland