Graduate! Philadelphia

What Graduate! Philadelphia does

Graduate! Philadelphia is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The organization's mission is to advance social and economic mobility for non-traditional adult learners through postsecondary degree attainment, workforce advancement, and living-wage employment. It operates a coordinated service portfolio centered on its proprietary Career Integrated Learning Advising (CILA) framework, which delivers individualized advising from enrollment through completion by addressing credit transfer, financial aid navigation, persistence support, and wraparound services. Primary beneficiaries are Greater Philadelphia adults with some prior postsecondary experience but no degree — a population the organization sizes at more than 100,000 native Philadelphians based on its 2005 founding study.

The organization's core programs include Skills Plus, a workforce initiative delivered in partnership with Accenture's Skills to Succeed Learning Exchange that offers access to 150+ classes and industry tracks across IT, Health Tech, Entrepreneurship, Digital Literacy, General Business, and Workplace Skills; a Digital Literacy Program operated at the North10 Lenfest Center; degree-completion advising for adult learners; and an employer solutions line that builds diverse talent pipelines and incumbent-worker upskilling programs. Services to adult learners are provided free of charge (freemium pricing), while the organization monetizes through philanthropic grants from foundations (Kresge, Lumina, Philadelphia Foundation, Walmart, Trellis), corporate partners (Accenture, Independence Blue Cross), and government funding from the City of Philadelphia. Higher-education partnerships with 10+ institutions including Temple University, Community College of Philadelphia, Peirce College, Saint Joseph's University, Holy Family University, Cheyney University, Lincoln University, LaSalle University, Chestnut Hill College, and Neumann University serve as referral channels and postsecondary pathway providers.

Since founding, the organization reports having helped more than 18,000 adults and conferred more than 10,000 postsecondary credentials, with two-thirds of the current participant population comprised of African American adults, low-income adults, and women. Graduate! Philadelphia is led by President and CEO Malik Brown (in role since 2020) and operates as a Lumina Foundation-designated Talent Hub. The organization separated as an independent nonprofit from The Graduate! Network in 2020, and its current strategic priorities are replicating the Independence Blue Cross employer model to additional corporates and scaling Skills Plus workforce credentialing across the region.

Name

Graduate! Philadelphia

Legal name

Graduate Philadelphia, Inc.

Website

https://graduatephiladelphia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Graduate! Philadelphia is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps non-traditional adult learners in the Greater Philadelphia region return to and complete college, providing free advising, workforce credentialing via the Skills Plus program, and employer and institutional partnership services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fundraising and Donations: Graduate Philadelphia relies on philanthropic support from individuals, corporations, and institutional funders. The organization accepts one-time and monthly donations to support adult learner programs and workforce development initiatives.
2. Employer and Institutional Partnerships: Graduate Philadelphia provides consulting services to employer partners for diverse talent solutions and works with higher education institutions to support enrollment and retention services. These partnerships generate revenue through service agreements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Graduate! Philadelphia provides free advising, coaching, and wraparound support to help non-traditional adult learners in the Greater Philadelphia region return to college and complete postsecondary credentials. The organization delivers individualized career-aligned advising through its Career Integrated Learning Advising (CILA) framework and offers the Skills Plus workforce program (with Accenture) providing access to over 150 classes and industry tracks in IT, Health Tech, Digital Literacy, Entrepreneurship, and Business at no cost to participants.

Product overview

Graduate! Philadelphia is a nonprofit organization that operates as a service-oriented platform rather than a software product. The organization provides a coordinated portfolio of adult education and workforce development services centered around its Career Integrated Learning Advising (CILA) framework. Core offerings include the Skills Plus workforce program (in partnership with Accenture's Skills to Succeed Learning Exchange), degree completion advising, community engagement services for partner institutions, employer solutions, and the Digital Literacy Program. Services are delivered through one-on-one advising, group sessions, and institutional partnerships with colleges, universities, and employers across the Greater Philadelphia region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Career Integrated Learning Advising (CILA) Graduate! Philadelphia's signature advising framework that helps adult learners align their educational goals with career aspirations, providing individualized guidance from enrollment through completion. Designed for non-traditional adult learners in the Greater Philadelphia region.
• Skills Plus A workforce program in partnership with Accenture's Skills to Succeed Learning Exchange offering access to over 150+ classes and industry tracks including Information Technology, Health Tech & Administration, Entrepreneurship, Digital Literacy, General Business, and Workplace & Professional Skills, provided at no cost to participants.
• Higher Education Institution Services Integrated services for colleges and universities including community engagement and outreach (boots-on-the-ground approach), student referral services, pre-enrollment and enrollment services (helping address institutional back balances, financial resources, persistence planning), and staff professional development on fostering belonging and empowerment for non-traditional adult learners.
• Employer Solutions Education and talent solutions providing responsive, curated services for employers across industries, including customized learner programs, incumbent workforce solutions, employee engagement, training and professional development, and sourcing diverse talent. Includes the Talent Hub initiative under the Lumina Foundation collective impact model.
• Digital Literacy Program A program building digital skills and empowering adult learners through technology education, with sessions held at the North10 Lenfest Center at 3890 N 10th Street.
• Talent Hub Initiative A Lumina Foundation-designated initiative implementing a collective impact model to advance postsecondary credentialing efforts and tackle poverty through collaborative regional partnerships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 18,000 adults helped earn credentials since 2005
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• AccenturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate Philadelphia partnered with Accenture to leverage their expertise in responding to workforce disruptions, innovative solutions, and global Skills to Succeed Learning Exchange platform. The Skills Plus program provides over 150 classes and industry tracks including IT, Health Tech, Entrepreneurship, Digital Literacy, and Business at no cost to participants.
• Independence Blue CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong partnership with Independence Blue Cross to provide upskilling and economic mobility services for frontline workers. This partnership is being replicated and scaled to partner with additional companies.
• Temple UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTemple University is a current partner providing adult-friendly educational opportunities. Graduate Philadelphia works with Temple's University College to help adult learners complete degrees through the Bachelor of General Studies program.
• Community College of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent higher education partner providing pathways for adult learners to complete associate and bachelor's degrees.
• Peirce CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent higher education partner offering flexible degree programs for adult learners in the Philadelphia region.
• Saint Joseph's UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partner providing graduate and undergraduate programs for adult learners through Graduate Philadelphia referrals.
• Holy Family UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent higher education partner offering degree programs for adult learners.
• Cheyney UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorically Black university partner providing programs for adult learners.
• Lincoln UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorically Black university partner offering adult learner and undergraduate programs.
• LaSalle UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partner through College of Professional and Continuing Studies.
• Chestnut Hill CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner offering accelerated adult academic programs.
• Neumann UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partner providing programs for adult learners.
• City of Philadelphia Department of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished partnership to take a community-level approach to recruiting and supporting adult learners and front-line workers. The city supports increasing postsecondary credential attainment rates in Philadelphia.
• Philadelphia WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner facilitating employment and service options for adult learners.
• North10 Lenfest CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing Impact Center services and hosting community events and programs including the Digital Literacy Program at 3890 N 10th Street.
• The Graduate NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of organizations working to increase adult degree attainment. Graduate Philadelphia joined The Graduate Network in 2018.
• Free Library of PhiladelphiasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing neighborhood access points for adult learner services and outreach.
• Episcopal Community Services (Mindset Program)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing services to adult learners through the Mindset Program.
• Chamber of Commerce for Greater PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber partner supporting workforce development initiatives and economic prosperity for the region.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• InsideTrack: InsideTrack is a national student-success coaching organization serving higher education institutions to improve adult and non-traditional learner persistence and completion. It competes head-to-head with Graduate! Philadelphia's Career Integrated Learning Advising (CILA) framework in the institutional retention services market.
• Per Scholas: Per Scholas is a national nonprofit providing tuition-free tech workforce training to underserved adults, with an active Philadelphia site. It overlaps directly with Graduate! Philadelphia's Skills Plus IT and digital literacy tracks and competes for the same employer upskilling pipeline.
• Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL): CAEL is a national nonprofit connecting adult learners to education and career pathways through advising, prior-learning assessment, and employer partnerships. CAEL's consulting and workforce services overlap directly with Graduate! Philadelphia's employer solutions and pre-enrollment advising offerings.
• Nido (Graduate! NYC): Nido is the New York City affiliate of The Graduate! Network and operates the same adult learner 'comebacker' advising model as Graduate! Philadelphia. It is the closest analog and was part of the same parent network before Graduate! Philadelphia's 2020 independence.

Others

• Workforce Opportunity for Investment and Lifelong Learning (WOILL) / Philadelphia Works: Philadelphia Works is the regional workforce development board and a Core referral partner of Graduate! Philadelphia. It is a system-level funder and pipeline source rather than a competitor, but its public workforce investments shape the addressable funding for Graduate! Philadelphia's programs.
• Community College of Philadelphia: Community College of Philadelphia is a public urban community college and a Core higher education partner of Graduate! Philadelphia. It is an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, but represents the destination credentialing institution for many Graduate! Philly learners.

Broad incumbents

• Year Up: Year Up is a large, established workforce development nonprofit serving young adults with training, wraparound support, and corporate partnerships. It addresses a broader age range and longer program duration than Graduate! Philadelphia but is a key Philadelphia-area workforce nonprofit with overlapping employer and funder relationships.

Emerging players

• StraighterLine: StraighterLine is an online provider of low-cost college courses accepted for credit by partner institutions, targeting adult learners seeking affordable paths to degree completion. It addresses the same prior-credit and low-cost pathway challenges Graduate! Philadelphia helps adult learners navigate.
• Guild Education: Guild Education is a for-profit employer-sponsored education platform that funds adult learners' college degrees at scale. It represents a commercial counterpart to Graduate! Philadelphia's employer solutions business and competes for the same corporate upskilling budgets.
• NPower: NPower offers free IT training and job placement for underserved young adults and veterans, including a Philadelphia chapter. It is a partial-overlap peer on the workforce/IT training dimension of Graduate! Philadelphia's Skills Plus program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GraduatePhilly
• Facebookfacebook.com/graduatephiladelphia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/graduate-philadelphia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Graduate! Philadelphia