Steppingstone Scholars
Heights Philadelphia is a Philadelphia nonprofit formed in 2022 via the merger of Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars, delivering individualized college and career programming to 3,300+ low-income youth annually through 25 School District of Philadelphia partner schools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Steppingstone Scholars does
Heights Philadelphia, formed in 2022 through the merger of Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars, is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit educational organization serving 3,300+ Philadelphia youth annually across 25 partner schools in the School District of Philadelphia. Its core product is a continuum of youth-development programs spanning middle school (Steppingstone Academy), high school (Step Up to College), college support, and career-stage services, delivered through individualized advising, academic enrichment, internship placement, and financial support targeting primarily Black, Latino, and first-generation-to-college students from low-income communities.
The organization operates with an 11-50 person staff and a $12.5M operating budget, funded through donations, grants, and partnerships rather than fees to participants. Its distribution model is anchored by direct school-district partnerships and supplemented by a "Connect a Student" community referral channel. Notable documented outcomes include a 75% college matriculation rate among program participants and 100% participation in career-exploration programs. Strategic partnerships include the School District of Philadelphia (delivery channel) and University of Pennsylvania (College App Classroom, launched August 2025).
There is no proprietary technology platform or AI component; the value proposition rests on human-intensive advising relationships, programmatic IP, and institutional relationships built over 25+ years since Steppingstone Scholars' 1999 founding. The organization is governed as a privately held nonprofit under the legal name Heights Philadelphia, with Sean Vereen serving as President.
Steppingstone Scholars firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Steppingstone Scholars
- Legal name
- Heights Philadelphia
- Website
- https://steppingstonescholars.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Heights Philadelphia is a Philadelphia nonprofit formed in 2022 via the merger of Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars, delivering individualized college and career programming to 3,300+ low-income youth annually through 25 School District of Philadelphia partner schools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Steppingstone Scholars industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Education and Workforce Development Services
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alternative Education & Dropout Prevention / Re-Engagement Programs (EDANAJAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community College / Training Provider Workforce Pathways Programs (EDAAAOAO)
Keywords
Where Steppingstone Scholars is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Steppingstone Scholars business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Steppingstone Scholars product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Steppingstone Scholars, now operating as part of Heights Philadelphia, provides free educational and career-readiness programs for Philadelphia youth — primarily low-income, Black, Latino, and first-generation-to-college students — from middle school through career. Core offerings include the Steppingstone Academy middle-school academic enrichment program and the Step Up to College high-school college-admission support program, delivered through 25 partner schools within the School District of Philadelphia.
Product overview
Heights Philadelphia (formerly Steppingstone Scholars and Philadelphia Futures) operates as an Economic Mobility Catalyst offering educational and workforce development programs. The organization provides a continuum of programs including Steppingstone Academy (middle school enrichment), Step Up to College (high school college preparation), college support services, career programs, and community initiatives. These programs work together to connect Philly youth to careers and college through individualized advising, academic enrichment, internship opportunities, and financial support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Steppingstone Academy Middle school academic enrichment program providing college-preparatory academic support and preparation for Philadelphia students served through the School District of Philadelphia partner schools.
- Step Up to College High school program offering college admission support, application assistance, and college transition preparation for Philadelphia students served through the School District of Philadelphia partner schools.
Quantifiable outcome
- 75% college matriculation rate among program participants
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Steppingstone Scholars
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Steppingstone Scholars technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Steppingstone Scholars partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- University of PennsylvaniacoreHeights Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania launched 'College App Classroom,' a new college admission course for Philadelphia high schoolers. The program is available at up to eight School District of Philadelphia schools and builds on previous partnerships between Heights and Penn on college admissions initiatives.
- Philadelphia FuturescorePhiladelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars merged to form Heights Philadelphia, bringing together the city's two strongest educational nonprofits to do more for Philly students through sustainable access to academic and workforce opportunities.
- District of PhiladelphiacoreHeights Philadelphia partners with 25 schools within the School District of Philadelphia to deliver educational and workforce programs to students.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Steppingstone Scholars competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- iMentor: College-access nonprofit pairing low-income high school students with mentors through structured curriculum; comparable in target demographic (first-generation-to-college) and long-horizon student-support model to Heights Philadelphia.
- uAspire: Nonprofit focused on college affordability and financial-aid advising for low-income students; adjacent to but slightly narrower than Heights Philadelphia, given the latter's broader pipeline into career programming.
- College Possible: Nonprofit delivering near-peer coaching and college-application support to low-income high school students, with reported matriculation outcomes — closely mirrors Heights Philadelphia's Step Up to College program in mission and delivery model.
- Bottom Line: National college-access nonprofit providing individualized advising and support to low-income and first-generation students from high school through college completion — directly comparable mission, target population, and student-outcome model to Heights Philadelphia.
- Say Yes to Education: National nonprofit providing comprehensive supports — academic, financial, and mentoring — to help low-income students get to and through college; closely parallels the integrated advising+financial-support framework of Heights Philadelphia.
Broad incumbents
- Year Up: Large national workforce-development nonprofit providing career training and corporate internships to young adults from low-income communities; comparable career-program and economic-mobility outcomes to Heights Philadelphia's career track, though serving a different age cohort.
- KIPP Foundation: National charter-school network supporting underserved students from middle school through college with an "alumni support" model — broader and school-based vs. Heights Philadelphia's school-partnership approach, but overlapping K–college-through-career mission for first-generation students.
- Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free tech-skills training and career pathways to adults from low-income communities; overlaps with Heights Philadelphia's workforce/career programs in target population and economic-mobility outcomes.
Regional players
- Philadelphia Education Fund: Philadelphia-based nonprofit focused on college access and postsecondary readiness across the School District of Philadelphia; serves the same geography and district partners as Heights Philadelphia, with overlapping student population.
Others
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth-mentoring nonprofit pairing adult volunteers with youth for sustained relationships; comparable "network of people who invest in students' talents" community-ecosystem framing used in Heights Philadelphia's value proposition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Steppingstone Scholars social profiles
Digital presenceSteppingstone Scholars financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Steppingstone Scholars leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Steppingstone Scholars funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Steppingstone Scholars M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Steppingstone Scholars
What does Steppingstone Scholars do?
Steppingstone Scholars, now operating as part of Heights Philadelphia, provides free educational and career-readiness programs for Philadelphia youth — primarily low-income, Black, Latino, and first-generation-to-college students — from middle school through career. Core offerings include the Steppingstone Academy middle-school academic enrichment program and the Step Up to College high-school college-admission support program, delivered through 25 partner schools within the School District of Philadelphia.
Is Steppingstone Scholars a public or private company?
Steppingstone Scholars is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Steppingstone Scholars founded?
Steppingstone Scholars was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Steppingstone Scholars based?
Steppingstone Scholars is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Steppingstone Scholars's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are iMentor, uAspire, College Possible, Bottom Line and Say Yes to Education. Broad incumbents are Year Up, KIPP Foundation and Per Scholas. Philadelphia Education Fund is listed as a regional player. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is listed as an others.
Does Steppingstone Scholars have an API?
No public API is recorded for Steppingstone Scholars.
What industry is Steppingstone Scholars in?
Steppingstone Scholars's product category is Youth Education and Workforce Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDANAJAF, Alternative Education & Dropout Prevention / Re-Engagement Programs, with a secondary code of EDAAAOAO, Community College / Training Provider Workforce Pathways Programs. Its NAICS code is 6113.