Name

Chicago Scholars

Legal name

Chicago Scholars Foundation

Website

https://chicagoscholars.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Access Programs

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• College access programs
• College readiness mentoring
• Scholarship administration services
• Career preparation programs
• Youth education nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Contributions: Chicago Scholars relies heavily on individual donations from the Chicago community. The organization promotes donations through its website (give.chicagoscholars.org), direct mail, events, and newsletter. Donors include community members, alumni, board members, and volunteers who invest in the organization's programming.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants and Sponsorships: Chicago Scholars receives significant funding from foundations (e.g., A Better Chicago contributed $2.7M) and corporate sponsors. Corporate sponsors support events and gain brand visibility to Chicago's future leaders. The organization also receives grants such as the $2M Institute of Education Sciences (IES) grant for its RCT study with NORC at the University of Chicago.
3. Event Revenue (Gala, College Fair Sponsorships): Revenue is generated through signature events including the annual gala (tickets, after-party tickets, program book ads), corporate sponsorships for events like the Onsite College and Leadership Forum, and career fair participation fees from corporate partners.
4. Donor-Advised and Endowment Gifts: Chicago Scholars accepts planned gifts, endowment contributions, and deferred gifts from individuals, partnerships, corporations, foundations, and government agencies. The Scholar Dollars endowment program allows alumni and donors to contribute to a permanent endowment providing emergency aid and grants.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Chicago Scholars is a nonprofit organization that runs free, multi-year college access and success programs for first-generation and low-income Chicago high school students. It provides personalized mentoring, college counseling, financial aid navigation, emergency grants, career development, and paid internship placements through its Chicago Scholars Classic (in-person) and Chicago Scholars Virtual (CSV) programs, supported by an AI-driven curriculum platform called REACH Pathways and a network of 100+ college and corporate partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REACH Pathways: A web app owned by Chicago Scholars that provides college, career, and leadership resources through quests personalized to users. Built by Chicago Scholars based on 30 years of proven curriculum, designed to bring access and resources to a national audience.
• Chicago Scholars Virtual (CSV)
• Chicago Scholars Classic (CSC)

Products and services

• Chicago Scholars Classic (CSC) In-person college access and success program serving 500-600 new Scholars per year, delivered from Chicago Scholars' Loop headquarters. Includes monthly college readiness workshops, 1:1 college counseling, mentor cohort meetings, the annual Onsite College and Leadership Forum (with 100+ college partner representatives), New Scholar Orientation, College Fair, College Send-Off, Writing Labs, Interview Labs, and signature events for accepted first-generation and low-income Chicago high school students.
• Chicago Scholars Virtual (CSV) Fully virtual, asynchronous version of the Chicago Scholars Classic curriculum delivered through the REACH Pathways web app. Designed for Scholars who cannot attend in-person programming, with 375 seats allocated for the Class of 2031 in addition to Classic seats. Scholars complete the full Classic curriculum at their own pace through specialized quests within REACH, from any location.
• REACH Pathways Proprietary AI-driven web app owned by Chicago Scholars that delivers gamified, quest-based college and career exploration content to Scholars and to the public for free. Powers the Chicago Scholars Virtual (CSV) program for asynchronous curriculum delivery and provides personalized, AI-tailored college and career resources to any user with a Gmail address via reachpathways.com.
• EMERGE Summer Career and Leadership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of Scholars graduate within 6 years of college matriculation vs. 48% (CPS six-year) and 56% (CPS benchmark)
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

39 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Amherst College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmherst College is a Platinum Partner, committing to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need through graduation for admitted Scholars, sponsor campus visits prior to enrollment confirmation, and provide an on-campus liaison for Scholars.
• Babson College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBabson College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Bates College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBates College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Boston University (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston University holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Brandeis University (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrandeis University holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Colby College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerColby College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Colorado College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerColorado College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Emory University (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmory University holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• George Washington University (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorge Washington University holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Gettysburg College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGettysburg College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Grinnell College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrinnell College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Illinois Institute of Technology (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllinois Institute of Technology holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Illinois Wesleyan University (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllinois Wesleyan University holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Johns Hopkins University (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohns Hopkins University holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Knox College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnox College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Macalester College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMacalester College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Mount Holyoke College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMount Holyoke College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• National Louis University (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Louis University holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Ohio Wesleyan University (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio Wesleyan University holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Ripon College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRipon College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• University of Chicago (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Chicago holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• University of Richmond (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Richmond holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Vanderbilt University (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVanderbilt University holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Washington University in St. Louis (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington University in St. Louis holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Williams College (Platinum Partner)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWilliams College holds Platinum Partner status with Chicago Scholars, committing to 100% demonstrated financial need through graduation, pre-enrollment campus visits, and on-campus liaison support.
• Yale University (Gold Plus Partner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYale University is a Gold Plus Partner of Chicago Scholars, providing financial support, academic advising, and leadership opportunities for admitted Scholars.
• Northwestern University (Gold Plus Partner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthwestern University is a Gold Plus Partner of Chicago Scholars, providing financial support, academic advising, and leadership opportunities for admitted Scholars.
• Dartmouth College (Gold Plus Partner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDartmouth College is a Gold Plus Partner of Chicago Scholars, providing financial support, academic advising, and leadership opportunities for admitted Scholars.
• Cornell University (Gold Partner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornell University is a Gold Partner of Chicago Scholars, supporting Scholars' enrollment, persistence, and graduation through various programs.
• Purdue University — Main Campus (Gold Partner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurdue University — Main Campus is a Gold Partner of Chicago Scholars, supporting Scholars' enrollment, persistence, and graduation through various programs.
• McKinsey & Company (Company Service of the Year 2024)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMcKinsey & Company was named Company Service of the Year 2024 by Chicago Scholars for its outstanding volunteer support. McKinsey provides pro-bono consulting support including a partnership with Chicago Scholars and Chicago Community Consultants on impact metrics analysis, examining lifetime earnings and financial social contributions of Scholars.
• Magid Glove & Safety (Company Service of the Year 2024)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMagid Glove & Safety was named Company Service of the Year 2024 by Chicago Scholars. The company hosts events introducing Scholars to Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) and other business careers, and partners on the Rusty Cohen Legacy Scholarship which includes a summer internship.
• Levenfeld Pearlstein (Reach Innovation Award Winner 2024)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLevenfeld Pearlstein received the 2024 Reach Innovation Award for their support of the REACH Pathways L3C initiative. Multiple LP colleagues are actively involved in the Chicago Scholars and REACH Pathways community.
• EMERGE Corporate Partners (Career Partners)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCareer Partners work with Chicago Scholars to provide career development, internship, and employment opportunities to Scholars through the EMERGE Summer Career and Leadership Program, powered by Invest for Kids. These partners give Scholars early exposure to career paths and provide companies with a first look at upcoming talent. Named partner: CIBC (hosted a risk intern who discovered her passion for risk management and insurance).
• Chicago Cubs / Cubs CharitiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Cubs Scholars program partners with Chicago Scholars to support a cohort of Scholars, providing financial contributions and mentorship designed to promote academic achievement and post-secondary educational advancement. Students are recommended for Cubs Scholars by Cubs Charities nonprofit partners during their junior year of high school.
• Community-Based Organization (CBO) Referral PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChicago Scholars partners with community-based organizations to collectively impact high-potential, underserved students. CBO partners include Common Ground Foundation, HFS Chicago Scholars, Hope Ignites Chicago, Jack and Jill Chicago Chapter, Kappa Leadership Institute of Chicago, LEARN Charter Schools Network, Metrosquash, Morgan Park Academy, and others. These partners refer students who gain automatic admission upon meeting eligibility requirements.
• Invest for KidscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInvest for Kids powers the EMERGE Summer Career and Leadership Program in partnership with Chicago Scholars, matching Scholars with meaningful, paid internships at partner businesses and organizations.
• NORC at the University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago Scholars is partnering with NORC at the University of Chicago to conduct a randomized control trial (RCT) to evaluate college enrollment and success. This research is supported by a $2 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) National Center for Education Research, U.S. Department of Education (Grant R305A210484). The study involves over 1,700 students from under-resourced communities.
• Inclusive Economy Lab at the University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago Scholars partnered with the Inclusive Economy Lab at the University of Chicago to measure the impact of its programming. Using ten years of data, the study compared outcomes of over 3,500 Scholars to outcomes of CPS students with similar profiles, producing validated impact results.

Scale indicators23 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• iMentor: Mentoring-driven college access and success nonprofit pairing low-income students with adult mentors for multi-year support. Closely comparable in mentor-led engagement model and Chicago program presence; relevant peer for REACH-style platform play.
• College Track: Multi-year college access and completion program for first-generation and low-income students from high school through college graduation and career. Directly comparable in cohort model, college partnerships, and outcome metrics reporting structure.
• Bottom Line: College access and success nonprofit focused on low-income, first-generation students from Boston, Chicago, New York, and Washington DC. Directly comparable in urban-program model, multi-year engagement, and outcomes focus.
• College Possible: National nonprofit that uses near-peer coaching to help low-income students get into and graduate from college. Closely comparable in coaching/mentoring model, target demographic, multi-year engagement, and outcome-driven focus.
• OneGoal: Three-year college persistence program for low-income high school students in select cities including Chicago. Comparable in target population, structured programming, and measurement of college persistence/completion as primary outcomes.
• QuestBridge: National nonprofit that connects high-achieving, low-income students with leading colleges and universities, including full scholarships. Direct peer to Chicago Scholars on mission, target student (first-generation, low-income), and partnering colleges (e.g., UChicago, Northwestern, Yale all appear on both partner rosters).
• Posse Foundation: National college access and persistence program supporting underrepresented students from urban areas through cohorts, mentoring, and full-tuition scholarships. Closely comparable in cohort-based, multi-year, leadership-and-mentorship model—Chicago is actually one of Posse's program cities.

Broad incumbents

• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Large national scholarship foundation providing multi-year scholarships to high-achieving, low-income students. Overlaps with Chicago Scholars on financial-aid mission but operates as a broader incumbent funder rather than a per-city programmatic operator.

Others

• A Better Chicago: Chicago-focused intermediary that funds and partners with high-performing youth-serving nonprofits including Chicago Scholars (>$2.7M contributed). Not a competitor but an adjacent funder/effort in the same outcomes ecosystem and Chicago geography.
• Invest for Kids: Foundation that powers the EMERGE Summer Career and Leadership Program partnership with Chicago Scholars and Invest for Kids. Relevant as an ecosystem enabler connecting Scholars with paid corporate internships—a complementary rather than directly competing peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chicagoscholars
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChicagoScholarsFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-scholars-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/chicagoscholars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Chicago Scholars