Philadelphia Futures

What Philadelphia Futures does

Philadelphia Futures, founded in 1989, is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit educational organization that merged with Steppingstone Scholars to operate as Heights Philadelphia, an Economic Mobility Catalyst serving low-income, first-generation-to-college youth in Philadelphia — particularly Black, Latino, and first-generation students. The organization runs a multi-stage program portfolio spanning middle school (Steppingstone Academy), high school (Step Up to College), college support, and career exploration, augmented by the College App Classroom course co-developed with the University of Pennsylvania and available at up to eight School District of Philadelphia high schools. Services are delivered through 25 partner schools in the School District of Philadelphia, supplemented by direct enrollment via an online Apply portal and the Connect a Student referral program, reaching 3,300+ students annually with a 75% college matriculation rate among participants and 100% participation in career exploration programs.

Heights Philadelphia operates on a non-commercial funding model: all student services are free, with the organization's $12.5M operating budget funded through donations, grants, and partnerships. The technology footprint is minimal — a website (heights.org) serving as the primary digital hub, an online application portal, and social media channels (Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) — with no disclosed proprietary platform, mobile applications, APIs, or AI/ML components. The headquarters is located at 123 South Broad Street, Suite 850, Philadelphia, and headcount is reported at 11–50 employees.

The organization's core strategic assets are its institutional relationships — 25 School District of Philadelphia partner schools, the University of Pennsylvania, and a multi-decade mission-aligned brand — rather than technology. Its distribution is anchored in school-based delivery and community referral, and its unit economics are driven by grant and donor flows rather than per-student pricing. Following the 2024 merger, the combined entity has positioned itself as the city's leading educational nonprofit for economic mobility, with a unified pathways framework from middle school through career.

Name

Philadelphia Futures

Legal name

Heights Philadelphia

Website

https://philadelphiafutures.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heights Philadelphia (formerly Philadelphia Futures) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that provides free academic, college, and career support to 3,300+ low-income and first-generation-to-college students annually through 25 School District of Philadelphia partner schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Support Services (Youth College Access Nonprofit)

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Vocational Evaluation & Career Assessment (Transition-Age) (EDAKANAC)

Keywords

• College access programs
• Youth education services
• Workforce development
• First-generation college support
• Academic enrichment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Philadelphia Futures (now operating as Heights Philadelphia) is a nonprofit educational organization that provides low-income, first-generation-to-college Philadelphia youth with multi-stage academic, college, and career support services. Its offerings span middle school through college and early career, including academic enrichment, individualized advising, college admission preparation, internship opportunities, and financial support, delivered through 25 partner schools within the School District of Philadelphia.

Product overview

Heights Philadelphia (formerly Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars) operates as an Economic Mobility Catalyst offering a comprehensive suite of educational and workforce programs. The organization provides a multi-stage pathway approach including Middle School programs (Steppingstone Academy), High School programs (Step Up to College), College support services, and Career exploration programs. The portfolio integrates academic enrichment, individualized advising, internship opportunities, and financial support services designed to promote economic mobility for Philadelphia youth, particularly Black, Latino, and first-generation-to-college students from low-income communities. In 2025, Heights launched 'The College App Classroom' in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania to provide college admission preparation at District of Philadelphia schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Steppingstone Academy: Middle school program component of Heights Philadelphia
• Step Up to College
• College App Classroom

Products and services

• Steppingstone Academy A middle school program providing academic enrichment and preparation designed to build foundational skills for future educational success for Philadelphia youth.
• Step Up to College A high school program offering college admission support and preparation services for Philadelphia high school students.
• College Programs Comprehensive college support services including advising, financial support, and transition assistance for students pursuing higher education.
• Career Programs Workforce development and career exploration programs connecting students to internship opportunities and professional development.
• Community Programs Community engagement initiatives providing resources and support services to students and families.
• The College App Classroom A college admission course developed in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, available at up to eight School District of Philadelphia schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% college matriculation rate among program participants
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2025Heights Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania launched 'The College App Classroom,' a new college admission course for Philadelphia high schoolers. The course is available at up to eight School District of Philadelphia schools, building on Heights' and Penn's previous partnerships on college admissions.
• Steppingstone ScholarscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhiladelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars have merged to form Heights Philadelphia, bringing together the city's two strongest educational nonprofits to do more for Philadelphia students. The merger offers sustainable access to academic and workforce opportunities through expansive programming and partnerships.
• School District of PhiladelphiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeights Philadelphia partners with 25 schools within the School District of Philadelphia to deliver educational and workforce programming to students.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• iMentor: Pairs low-income high school students with college-ready mentors and structured college-access curriculum. Overlaps with Heights' Steppingstone Academy and Step Up to College programming in population and approach.
• College Possible: Operates college-access and persistence programs for low-income and first-generation students via near-peer coaching, with strong outcome metrics. Comparable in student population served and program structure.
• OneGoal: Runs a multi-year college persistence program embedded in high schools serving low-income students. Directly comparable in cohort-based, school-partnership delivery and college-outcome focus.
• College Advising Corps: Places recent college graduates as full-time college advisers in underserved high schools to drive matriculation. Comparable mission and school-embedded delivery model, similar target population.
• Say Yes to Education: National nonprofit providing comprehensive college-access, scholarship, and support services to low-income students and families. Comparable in combining advising, scholarships, and post-secondary persistence support.
• Bottom Line: National college-access nonprofit providing one-on-one advising to low-income and first-generation students from high school through college completion. Closely matches Heights' mission, target population, and advising-driven model.

Broad incumbents

• Uncommon Schools: Large charter management organization serving low-income students with a college-prep focus. Comparable in mission and target population but operates schools directly rather than partnering with district schools.

Regional players

• Philadelphia Education Fund: Philadelphia-focused education nonprofit supporting college access, advising, and teacher pipelines across the School District of Philadelphia. Direct geographic and thematic overlap with Heights' work.
• KIPP Philadelphia Schools: Local K-12 charter network serving low-income Philadelphia students with a college-prep mission. Operates in the same city and serves an overlapping student population, though as a school operator rather than an external college-access partner.

Others

• National College Attainment Network (NCAN): National membership and advocacy organization supporting college-access programs. Thematically related ecosystem participant rather than a direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PhillyFutures
• Facebookfacebook.com/HeightsPhilly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heightsphilly
• Instagraminstagram.com/heightsphilly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Philadelphia Futures