Breakthrough Miami
Breakthrough Miami is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 that runs an 8-year, tuition-free academic enrichment program for under-resourced 5th–12th graders across South Florida using a Students-Teaching-Students near-peer model delivered at eight private-school host sites, serving 1,800 Scholars and 600+ Teaching Fellows annually.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersMiami, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Breakthrough Miami does
Breakthrough Miami is a Miami-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 that runs an 8-year, tuition-free academic enrichment program for motivated, under-resourced 5th–12th grade students in South Florida. Its core operating model is a Students-Teaching-Students near-peer instructional approach in which high school and college-age Teaching Fellows, Teaching Assistants, and Volunteer Changemakers deliver academic enrichment, mentorship, and college access programming to younger Scholars, supported by a full-time Site Director embedded at each of eight host-site private school partners across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Programming is structured around a 6-week Summer Institute, a Saturday school-year program, and BreakthroughU college access and leadership development, with ancillary sub-brands including Growlight and a Changemaker volunteer track; the organization has produced multiple Gates Scholarship recipients and was ranked a Top Ten Service Learning internship by Princeton Review. Revenue is generated entirely from philanthropic sources—individual and corporate donations (including a recent $2 million gift from Kenneth C. Griffin), foundation grants (New York Life Foundation, Helios Education Foundation, NFL Inspire Change), and special-event fundraising (Wine Women & Shoes, Race to Breakthrough, Brunching for Breakthroughs)—with all services provided free of charge to Scholar families. The organization operates with 11–50 paid employees, serves approximately 1,800 Scholars and engages more than 600 Teaching Fellows and volunteers annually, and is pursuing a stated 40% expansion in reach by 2030.
Breakthrough Miami firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Breakthrough Miami
- Legal name
- Breakthrough Miami
- Website
- https://breakthroughmiami.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Breakthrough Miami is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 that runs an 8-year, tuition-free academic enrichment program for under-resourced 5th–12th graders across South Florida using a Students-Teaching-Students near-peer model delivered at eight private-school host sites, serving 1,800 Scholars and 600+ Teaching Fellows annually.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Breakthrough Miami industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Education Nonprofit
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Summer School & Extended-Year Academic Catch-Up (EDANAJAH), Campus Events, Programming & Student Engagement (EDALAHAC), Student Engagement & Belonging Initiatives (EDALABAJ)
Keywords
Where Breakthrough Miami is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Miami
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Breakthrough Miami business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual and Corporate Donations: Breakthrough Miami is a nonprofit that relies on charitable contributions from individuals, corporate sponsors, and foundations. The $2 million gift from Kenneth C. Griffin exemplifies major donor contributions.
- Foundation Grants: Funding from educational foundations such as Helios Education Foundation (competitive postsecondary success grants), New York Life Foundation (Aim High grants for middle school transition), and NFL Inspire Change (social justice grants).
- Special Event Fundraising: Annual events including Wine Women & Shoes ($675,000 raised in 2024), Race to Breakthrough, and Brunching for Breakthroughs generate significant revenue while engaging the community.
- Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners provide financial support, host Career Day events, offer workplace tours, conduct mock interviews, and sponsor various programs. Partners include banks, law firms, healthcare organizations, and hospitality companies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free tuition-free 8-year academic enrichment program for Scholars |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Breakthrough Miami product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Breakthrough Miami is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers tuition-free academic enrichment, mentoring, and college access programming to under-resourced 5th-12th grade students in South Florida. The organization uses a Students-Teaching-Students model, recruiting and training high-achieving college undergraduates (Teaching Fellows) to deliver instruction and near-peer mentorship. It serves roughly 1,800 Scholars and 600+ Teaching Fellows each year through 8 host-site partners across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
Product overview
Breakthrough Miami is an educational nonprofit organization operating as a single unified program—the Students-Teaching-Students model—rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is an 8-year academic enrichment program for motivated, under-resourced 5th-12th grade students, delivered through multiple integrated components: the Scholars Program (serving 5th-12th graders with Summer Institute and Saturday School Year), BreakthroughU (leadership development for high school/college Teaching Fellows and Volunteers), Teaching Fellows Program (AmeriCorps-affiliated fellowship), and Growlight (scholar development support). The programs work together using a near-peer teaching model where older students serve as volunteer teachers, teaching assistants, and teaching fellows to guide younger scholars toward high school graduation and college success.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BreakthroughU: Breakthrough Miami's program for high school and college-age students providing leadership development, college access support, and extended programming.
- Growlight
Products and services
- Scholars Program
- BreakthroughU
- Summer Institute
- Teaching Fellows Program
- Growlight
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,800 Scholars served annually with aim to expand 40% by 2030
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Breakthrough Miami
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Breakthrough Miami technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Breakthrough Miami partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, core and minor.
- Young Coders InitiativesecondaryCollaboration to empower young minds through computational literacy and serve under-resourced students. Arihant Jaggi, a founding member, took on the role of president to continue the impactful partnership with Breakthrough Miami.
- Genesis Inspiration FoundationsecondaryArts education partnership advancing shared commitment to expanding access to arts education for Breakthrough Miami Scholars.
- Miami Dolphins FOOTBALL UNITES™coreMulti-year partnership hosting Breakthroughs and Bridges workshops addressing diversity and inclusivity. Combines 50+ students with Miami Dolphins players for facilitated dialogue on race, identity, and inclusion. Aligns with NFL Inspire Change platform.
- Belen Jesuit Preparatory SchoolcoreEighth official Host Site Partner launching year-round program beginning June. Full-time Site Director embedded on campus, expanding reach to more communities in West Miami-Dade and opening new doors for Scholars and student leaders.
- Rubell MuseumsecondaryEvent host for Wine Women & Shoes 2024. Generously provided event space showcasing artistic creativity and contemporary perspectives.
- MissonisecondaryFashion partnership for Wine Women & Shoes event, showcasing shared commitment to excellence and innovation. Reached beyond spotlights of fashion show to demonstrate authentic partnership impact.
- Justin Vineyards & WineryminorGenerous wine tasting sponsorship for Wine Women & Shoes 2024 event.
- Carrollton School of the Sacred HeartcoreFounding host site partner where Site Director Alexa Reichbaum has served for five years, leading programming for Scholars, families, Changemakers, and Teaching Fellows.
- Gulliver Preparatory SchoolcoreHost site partner with strong engagement including Gulliver Basketball Team participating in Race to Breakthrough and hosting Career Day activities.
- Miami City Ballet (Barre None Program)secondaryArts access partnership providing Breakthrough Scholar families with world-class ballet performances at Arsht Center for Performing Arts, making arts accessible to all.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Breakthrough Miami competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- QuestBridge: National nonprofit connecting high-achieving low-income students with selective college opportunities and full scholarships. Multiple Breakthrough Miami Scholars have won QuestBridge matches, positioning it as both a peer and downstream partner in the college access funnel.
- Bottom Line: College access and success nonprofit focused on first-generation students from under-resourced communities. Operates with similar near-peer mentorship and intensive advising model, providing directly comparable college persistence outcomes.
- College Track: National college access and success nonprofit serving under-resourced high school students through graduation and college completion. Operates a multi-year cohort model similar to Breakthrough Miami's 8-year pathway with comparable Scholar/fellow pipeline structure.
- Summer Search: National youth development nonprofit combining summer experiential learning with college access mentoring for under-resourced high school students. Overlaps with Breakthrough Miami's Summer Institute and long-term mentorship model.
- Breakthrough Collaborative: National umbrella network of Breakthrough programs operating the same Students-Teaching-Students near-peer model across multiple cities. Breakthrough Miami is an affiliate site, making this the most direct structural peer for programming and outcomes benchmarking.
- Prep for Prep: NYC-based nonprofit placing high-achieving students of color into independent schools with multi-year support. Closely comparable to Breakthrough Miami's school options counseling and private school placement components for under-resourced students.
- AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination): College readiness system serving under-resourced students K-12 with similar college access and academic preparation mission. Operates at much larger scale across thousands of schools but shares the core focus on closing opportunity gaps for first-generation college students.
- Posse Foundation: College access and leadership program identifying and supporting diverse cohorts of students from under-resourced backgrounds for top-tier universities. Comparable model targeting first-generation college students with peer-cohort mentoring.
Broad incumbents
- KIPP Foundation: Largest US charter school network serving under-resourced K-12 students with college-prep focus. While operating schools rather than enrichment programs, KIPP represents the broader incumbent ecosystem pursuing similar college access outcomes at greater scale.
Regional players
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami: Miami-based youth mentoring nonprofit serving similar under-resourced student populations. Operates a different (1:1 mentorship) model but competes for the same regional donor pool, volunteers, and school partnerships in the South Florida market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Breakthrough Miami social profiles
Digital presenceBreakthrough Miami financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Breakthrough Miami leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Breakthrough Miami funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Breakthrough Miami M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Breakthrough Miami
What does Breakthrough Miami do?
Breakthrough Miami is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers tuition-free academic enrichment, mentoring, and college access programming to under-resourced 5th-12th grade students in South Florida. The organization uses a Students-Teaching-Students model, recruiting and training high-achieving college undergraduates (Teaching Fellows) to deliver instruction and near-peer mentorship. It serves roughly 1,800 Scholars and 600+ Teaching Fellows each year through 8 host-site partners across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
Is Breakthrough Miami a public or private company?
Breakthrough Miami is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Breakthrough Miami founded?
Breakthrough Miami was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Breakthrough Miami based?
Breakthrough Miami is headquartered in Miami, United States, in the North America region.
How does Breakthrough Miami make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual and Corporate Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation Grants, special Event Fundraising and corporate Partnerships.
Who are Breakthrough Miami's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are QuestBridge, Bottom Line, College Track, Summer Search, Breakthrough Collaborative, Prep for Prep, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) and Posse Foundation. KIPP Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami is listed as a regional player.
Does Breakthrough Miami have an API?
No public API is recorded for Breakthrough Miami.
What industry is Breakthrough Miami in?
Breakthrough Miami's product category is Youth Education Nonprofit. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAOAB, Fundraising & Annual Giving, with a secondary code of EDANAJAH, Summer School & Extended-Year Academic Catch-Up. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.