LINK Unlimited Scholars

What LINK Unlimited Scholars does

LINK Unlimited Scholars is a private nonprofit educational organization founded in 1966 and headquartered at 17 N. State St., Suite 1250, Chicago, Illinois. The organization operates a six-year longitudinal fellowship for Black students in Chicago, spanning middle school through high school graduation, and structured around four programmatic pillars: Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, Career Exposure, and College Access. The program recruits students through community outreach and school partnerships concentrated in 10 neighborhoods on the south and west sides of Chicago, with scholars drawn from over 60 zip codes across Chicagoland. Junior LINK, a middle-school fellowship launched in 2020, extends the upstream pipeline for rising 6th-8th graders from Chicago Public Schools.

The core technology is a Salesforce-based student portal (linkunlimitedscholars.my.site.com) that supports application processing, resource distribution, and program management; no proprietary AI or ML systems are deployed. Programmatic delivery is human-intensive and includes Saturday Academy (monthly leadership gatherings), a mandatory four-week Summer Learning Program, one-on-one mentoring, college counseling, and standardized test preparation. Collegiate Partners (Williams College, Oberlin College, Hamilton College) and partner high schools (Catholic and selective-enrollment schools across the region) form an integrated pipeline through college matriculation.

As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, LINK generates revenue exclusively through individual donations, corporate sponsorships (U.S. Bank, FedEx Cares, Old National Bank), foundation grants (NBA Foundation 2023, Opus Foundation $150K grant for FY2026-2027), planned giving vehicles, and corporate matching gift programs. Programs are provided at no cost to students meeting HUD Low-Income Guidelines for Cook County. The organization tracks a 60% four-year college graduation rate among its scholars versus a 41% national average for underrepresented students, and reports 100% acceptance to selective colleges since 2001.

Name

LINK Unlimited Scholars

Legal name

LINK Unlimited Scholars

Website

https://linkunlimited.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LINK Unlimited Scholars is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 1966 that operates a six-year longitudinal fellowship supporting Black students in Chicagoland through academic enrichment, leadership development, career exposure, and college access programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Equity & College Access Fellowship Programs

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research, Capstone & Extended Essay Mentoring (IB EE, independent research) (EDANAKAH), Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF)

Keywords

• College access fellowships
• Academic enrichment programs
• Youth leadership development
• Mentorship programs
• Educational equity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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: Direct contributions from individual donors supporting scholarship programs and operational costs. The organization accepts one-time and recurring donations through its website, with options for monthly giving.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners sponsor specific programs, events, and scholarships. Examples include U.S. Bank sponsoring Saturday Academy, FedEx Cares contributions, and Old National Bank sponsoring Scholar Celebration.
3. Foundation Grants: Major grants from foundations including NBA Foundation for fellowship expansion, Opus Foundation ($150,000 for FY 2026-2027), and other institutional funders supporting specific programmatic initiatives.
4. Planned Giving: Estate planning vehicles including bequests, beneficiary designations, and appreciated securities donations that provide long-term sustainable funding.
5. Matching Gifts: Corporate employee matching gift programs that multiply individual donations, encouraged through employer gift matching partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LINK Unlimited Scholars operates a six-year educational fellowship for Black/African American students in Chicago that begins in middle school (Jr. LINK, launched in 2020) and continues through high school. The fellowship delivers four programmatic pillars — Academic Enrichment, College Access, Leadership Development, and Career Exposure — supplemented by volunteer mentorship. All programming is offered at no cost to eligible students whose families meet HUD Low-Income Guidelines.

Product overview

LINK Unlimited Scholars operates as a single unified educational fellowship program focused on advancing educational equity for Black students in Chicago. The core offering is a six-year High School Fellowship spanning middle school through college, complemented by the Jr. LINK middle-school program launched in 2020. The fellowship advances through four interconnected programmatic elements: Academic Enrichment (Summer Learning, Saturday Academy, tutoring), College Access (application assistance, campus exposure), Leadership Development (personal growth, professional networking), and Career Exposure. One-on-one mentoring from LINK Mentors is woven throughout the entire fellowship journey to support Scholar development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jr. LINK: A middle-school fellowship program for 6th-8th grade CPS students launched in summer 2020, preparing students for future success through core subject enrichment and high school selection process guidance.

Products and services

• LINK Unlimited Scholars High School Fellowship A multi-year high-school fellowship for Black/African American students in Chicago that delivers academic enrichment, college access, leadership development, and career exposure programming along with volunteer mentorship, free to eligible families meeting HUD Low-Income Guidelines.
• Jr. LINK Middle School Fellowship A middle-school fellowship for Black/African American students in Chicago that serves as the entry point to the LINK Unlimited Scholars six-year pipeline, delivering academic-enrichment and leadership-development programming to eligible students meeting HUD Low-Income Guidelines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% four-year college graduation rate vs 41% national average for underrepresented students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Oberlin CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Oberlin College joined LINK's Collegiate Partner network in 2026, located 35 miles from Chicago. The partnership expands college options for LINK Scholars.
• Hamilton CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Hamilton College renewed its partnership as a Collegiate Partner, with the original relationship dating back many years. LINK Scholars have attended Hamilton College historically.
• Williams CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWilliams College is a Collegiate Partner in LINK's network, with many LINK Scholars attending the college. The partnership provides college access opportunities and support for LINK alumni attending the institution.
• Jordan WingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJordan Wings partnership provides a debt-free path to college for selected Scholars each year. The Jordan brand also provides shoes for LINK Scholars.
• SikichsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional services firm partnership providing mentorship opportunities and professional development support for LINK Scholars. Sikich leaders and employees engage with Scholars for connection, learning, and shared growth.
• U.S. BanksecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for Saturday Academy and Career Exploration Day programming, providing financial support for LINK's monthly programming events.
• FedEx CaressecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting LINK programming and events, contributing to the organization's operational capacity.
• Old National BanksecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerScholar Celebration event sponsor for multiple years, supporting the annual event honoring graduating Scholars and their achievements.
• American Field Service (AFS)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFS partnership enables LINK Scholars to participate in international study abroad programs, with LINK and donor support covering program costs for selected students.
• UIC College of EducationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UIC College of Education provides educational resources and support for LINK Scholars and programming.
• Partner High SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of partner high schools where LINK Scholars enroll with scholarship support. The LINK scholarship applies specifically to these partnering institutions, including Catholic and selective enrollment schools.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• College Possible: College access nonprofit providing coaching and support to low-income students. Comparable model of structured college preparation, ACT/test prep, and application support for underrepresented students.
• SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity): Educational nonprofit providing college access and career support to underrepresented students. Comparable pipeline programming that runs from high school through career placement.
• iMentor: Mentoring-based college access nonprofit pairing low-income students with adult mentors. Directly comparable through its mentoring-centered approach to college readiness for underrepresented youth.
• OneGoal: College persistence program for low-income high school students. Comparable as a multi-year college access/persistence nonprofit serving underrepresented students with structured programming.
• Bottom Line: College access and success nonprofit focused on low-income and first-generation students. Comparable longitudinal college-access model with one-on-one advising and persistence support.
• Chicago Scholars: Chicago-based college access and persistence nonprofit serving low-income students. Highly comparable as a Chicagoland college-access program serving similar underrepresented student populations with mentoring and scholarship support.
• Posse Foundation: National college-access nonprofit that recruits diverse student cohorts and places them in selective colleges. Comparable in targeting underrepresented students for selective college placement and awarding competitive scholarships.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Foundation: National charter school network serving low-income communities with a college-prep focus. Comparable in serving underrepresented students through the K-12 college-prep pipeline, but operates schools directly rather than a fellowship/grant model.
• UNCF (United Negro College Fund): Largest national scholarship organization for Black students and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Comparable mission focus on Black students and college access, but operates at much greater national scale and breadth.

Others

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago: Mentoring nonprofit serving Chicago-area youth. Adjacent comparable as a youth-mentoring organization in the same geography, though its mission is broader than college access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LINKUnlimited
• Facebookfacebook.com/linkunlimitedscholars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/link-unlimited-scholars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 LINK Unlimited Scholars