Evanston Scholars

What Evanston Scholars does

Evanston Scholars is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by ETHS alum Steve Newman (Class of '86) and a veteran Evanston Township High School English teacher. It operates a single, place-based, six-year college access and success program for first-generation college entrants, low-income students, and students of color drawn from Evanston Township High School (ETHS). The program is structured in three sequential phases — Getting TO College (admissions preparation, ACT/SAT prep, financial aid counseling), Getting THROUGH College (persistence support through the undergraduate years), and Launching A Career (internship networking and career counseling) — supported by a mentor model in which volunteers, many of them ETHS alumni, are paired with scholars for the full six-year arc. Reported outcomes include a 55% college graduation rate among enrolled students, versus a 23% national benchmark for low-income students.

The organization does not operate a technology platform; service delivery is in-person and human-led. Its product surface is centered on the six-year program and the annual POMP! benefit event, with auxiliary services such as care packages for College Scholars. The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial. Revenue is assembled from individual donations (with a Leadership Circle tier for donors giving $1,000 or more), foundation grants (notably from the Evanston Community Foundation, including a $100,000 Partners for the Future matching grant in 2016, a $50,000 anonymous donor supplement, and a $20,000 E-Town Innovation Grant in 2022), and the POMP! benefit event, which generates funds through $150 individual tickets and corporate sponsorships ranging from $550 (Honor Roll) to $30,000 (Lead Sponsor). The organization is staffed by 1-10 employees and is governed by an independent volunteer Board of Directors, with no parent company or outside equity ownership.

The go-to-market motion is community-led: students are recruited via a formal partnership with ETHS during their junior year, supported by community events, local media coverage (Evanston Round Table, Chicago Tribune), an email newsletter reaching 4,000+ subscribers (mostly Evanston residents), and a combined 3,500+ social media following. Strategic partnerships extend the program's reach without altering its geographic footprint, including collaborations with Youth & Opportunity United (Y.O.U.), Parker Dewey (career-launch internships), Northwestern University, the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA), and the Chessmen Club of the North Shore. Operating geography is restricted to Evanston, Illinois.

Name

Evanston Scholars

Legal name

Evanston Scholars

Website

https://evanstonscholars.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Access and Success Non-profit Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services (EDAIAOAN)

Keywords

• College access programs
• Student mentorship services
• College readiness support
• Nonprofit education services
• College persistence programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to the organization through direct monetary donations, with a matching donor program active during certain periods. Donors who give $1,000 or more are automatically enrolled in the Leadership Circle.
2. Annual Benefit Events (POMP!): The organization hosts an annual POMP! benefit event that generates revenue through ticket sales ($150 per ticket) and corporate sponsorships at various levels ($550 to $30,000). The 2026 event celebrated 15 years of Evanston Scholars.
3. Foundation Grants: Evanston Scholars receives grant funding from organizations such as the Evanston Community Foundation, including a $100,000 Partners for the Future matching grant and $20,000 E-Town Innovation Grant for partnership with Y.O.U.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Evanston Scholars is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that improves college access and success for first-generation, low-income students, and students of color in Evanston, Illinois. It delivers a comprehensive six-year program that begins in the junior year of high school and continues through college graduation and career launch, providing workshops, one-on-one mentors, ACT/SAT preparation, college counseling, financial aid guidance, and career development support.

Product overview

Evanston Scholars operates as a single, unified nonprofit program focused on college access and success for first-generation, low-income students and students of color. The core offering is a six-year comprehensive program with three sequential phases: Getting TO College (high school preparation), Getting THROUGH College (persistence support), and Launching A Career (professional development). The organization also runs POMP!, its annual marquee benefit event, and provides care packages to college students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• POMP!: Annual marquee benefit event that galvanizes hundreds of supporters to celebrate the success of graduates and support their futures.

Products and services

• Six-Year Comprehensive Program A six-year program supporting Evanston students from high school through college graduation and career launch, offering workshops, one-on-one mentors, ACT/SAT preparation, and college counseling. Designed for first-generation college entrants, students from low-income families, and students of color recruited through Evanston Township High School.
• POMP! Annual Benefit Event Annual benefit event that celebrates the success of Evanston Scholars graduates and raises funds for programming and support services. Open to supporters through individual tickets ($150 per ticket including buffet dinner and open bar) and corporate sponsorships at tiers from $550 to $30,000.
• Care Packages for College Scholars Physical care packages sent to Evanston Scholars College Scholars to provide encouragement and support during their college years. Funded through individual donations, with $50 covering care packages for three College Scholars.

Quantifiable outcome

• 55% of all students who enroll in college graduate (vs 23% of low-income students nationally) - Evanston Scholars alumni demonstrate higher completion rates
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Youth & Opportunity United (Y.O.U.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022Evanston Community Foundation awarded $20,000 E-Town Innovation Grant for partnership between Y.O.U. and Evanston Scholars to expand and deepen impact and collaboration in serving Evanston youth.
• Parker DeweyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvanston Scholars partnered with Parker Dewey, a mission-oriented organization that connects highly motivated college students with great companies for short-term, paid, project-based remote assignments. Students can create profiles to identify and apply for opportunities.
• The Chessmen Club of the North ShoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvanston Scholars received a community foundation grant in collaboration with The Chessmen Club of the North Shore, representing a joint initiative to support Evanston youth.
• Northwestern UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the 2017 ETHS publication 'Preparing for College Success' and general community engagement; Northwestern's financial aid initiatives benefit Evanston Scholars students.
• National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvanston Scholars participates in NPEA member programming including the Evanston Scholar Summer Series Success, Fresh Start program for rising first-year students, and RISE Program for second-year college students.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• uAspire: Nonprofit dedicated to ensuring all students have the financial support to attend and complete college, addressing the same first-generation and low-income college access challenge as Evanston Scholars.
• Bottom Line: Nonprofit focused on college access and degree completion for first-generation students from low-income backgrounds, with multi-year case-management support conceptually identical to Evanston Scholars' program.
• iMentor: Matches low-income students with volunteer mentors for multi-year college access and persistence support, directly comparable to Evanston Scholars' mentoring-first service model.
• OneGoal: College access and success program for low-income students operating in select U.S. cities, providing cohort-based mentoring and postsecondary persistence support comparable to Evanston Scholars.
• College Possible: National nonprofit providing college access and success coaching to low-income and first-generation students, with a multi-year mentoring continuum closely paralleling Evanston Scholars' six-year model.

Emerging players

• Opportunity Network: Nonprofit providing career and college access programming for high-achieving students from underrepresented backgrounds, overlapping in target demographics and 'career launch' focus area with Evanston Scholars.
• ScholarMatch: Scholarship and mentoring nonprofit for first-generation college students, addressing an overlapping use case (financial and mentorship support) though with a more scholarship-centric delivery model than Evanston Scholars.

Others

• National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA): Membership network of college access programs that convenes and supports organizations like Evanston Scholars; Evanston Scholars already participates in NPEA programming, evidencing a direct ecosystem relationship.

Broad incumbents

• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC): Industry body whose Journal of College Admission featured Evanston Scholars' high-touch model. Operates broadly in the college admissions space rather than as a direct program provider.

Regional players

• Evanston Community Foundation: Local Evanston-focused foundation providing multi-year grants to Evanston Scholars. While a funder rather than a competitor, it defines the regional philanthropic ecosystem in which Evanston Scholars operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmBczZ9vLPDXkIBxlGhw7Sg
• Facebookfacebook.com/EvanstonScholars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3010215
• Instagraminstagram.com/evanstonscholars
• Xx.com/evanstonscholar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Evanston Scholars