College Bound, Inc.
College Bound, Inc. is a DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1991, providing free one-on-one academic mentoring, SAT prep, college tours, scholarships, and ongoing virtual mentoring to over 200 DC public/charter school students and 150+ college alumni across 68 universities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What College Bound, Inc. does
College Bound, Inc. is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1991 that prepares public and public charter school students in grades 8–12 in the DC metropolitan area for college success. Its core product is the Academic Mentoring Program, which pairs students one-on-one with college-educated volunteer mentors at community sites (recreation centers, libraries, churches, partner schools) across the District. The program is supplemented by SAT/ACT preparation, college tours, Junior and Senior Retreats, Career Night and Career Exploration, STEM in Your Hood tutoring, MediTech Tuesday, Senior Seminar workshops, and an annual Scholarship Program awarding ten scholarships per cohort (typically $6,000 with awards up to $10,000).
The organization extends support beyond high school through its Virtual Mentoring Program (VMP), which provides remote mentor support to over 150 College Bound alumni currently enrolled at 68 colleges and universities across 22 states and Washington, D.C., supplemented by the CB2 (College Buddy) peer-mentoring initiative and a Mentor Bank of industry professionals. VMP reports an 84% first-year-to-sophomore retention rate, materially above the 61% national average, and the organization cites 100% high school graduation, 100% college acceptance, and over 70% college graduation rates for its participants.
College Bound operates without proprietary technology and provides all student-facing services free of charge. Its revenue model is entirely donation-based, drawing on individual donations, corporate sponsorships (Deloitte, Apple, Ben's Chili Bowl, University Club of Washington DC, and others), corporate matching gifts, event sponsorships across its Golf Invitational and Taste of College Bound gala, and a tiered Honor Society donor-recognition program with pledges from $1,000 to $50,000+. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on DC public/charter school partnerships for student recruitment and signature annual events for both fundraising and community building. The organization is led by Executive Director Kenneth Ward with a Board chaired by Dr. Treneisha Jones Gaston.
College Bound, Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- College Bound, Inc.
- Legal name
- College Bound, Inc.
- Website
- https://collegebound.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- College Bound, Inc. is a DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1991, providing free one-on-one academic mentoring, SAT prep, college tours, scholarships, and ongoing virtual mentoring to over 200 DC public/charter school students and 150+ college alumni across 68 universities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
College Bound, Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Education and College Access Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)
Keywords
Where College Bound, Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
College Bound, Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute one-time or recurring gifts to support the organization's programs. Donations fund academic mentoring, virtual mentoring, scholarships, college tours, and SAT preparation.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners sponsor specific programs and events. Notable sponsors include Deloitte (SAT prep), Ben's Chili Bowl (Junior Retreat), Apple (MediTech Tuesday), and The University Club of Washington DC (Career Night).
- Honor Society Membership: The Honor Society is a donor recognition program requiring minimum pledges of $5,000, with tiered membership levels (Scholar $1,000-$4,999, Salutatorian $5,000-$9,999, Valedictorian $10,000-$24,999, Dean $25,000-$49,999, Provost $50,000+).
- Corporate Matching Gifts: Corporate matching gift programs allow donors to maximize their contributions by having employers match personal donations, effectively doubling or tripling the impact of individual gifts.
- Event Sponsorships: Signature events like Taste of College Bound and Golf Invitational offer sponsorship opportunities at various levels (Chancellor $25,000, Provost $10,000, Valedictorian $5,000, Dean's List Table $2,500, General Admission Table $1,500).
- Scholarship Endowments: Named scholarship funds are established by donors to honor individuals and support students. These include memorial scholarships for deceased students, family-sponsored scholarships, and corporate-sponsored scholarships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | All programs and services are provided at no cost to students |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
College Bound, Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
College Bound, Inc. is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free academic mentoring, college preparation, SAT/ACT training, scholarships, college tours, career exploration, and ongoing virtual mentoring support to public and public charter school students in grades 8-12 in the DC metropolitan area, with alumni engagement continuing through college graduation. The organization's flagship offering is the Academic Mentoring Program, supplemented by the Virtual Mentoring Program, SAT prep, college tours, retreats, scholarship awards, and STEM/career enrichment activities.
Product overview
College Bound, Inc. is a nonprofit educational organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs and services focused on preparing public and public charter school students in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for college success. The core offerings include the Academic Mentoring Program (one-on-one tutoring and mentoring with volunteer partners), the Virtual Mentoring Program (support for alumni in college), and SAT/ACT Preparation. These are supplemented by enrichment programs including College Tours, Taste of College Night college fair, Career Night and Career Exploration events, Junior and Senior Retreats, STEM in Your Hood (math/science tutoring), MediTech Tuesday (healthcare/STEM career exposure), CB2 college buddy program, Mentor Bank, Senior Seminar workshops, and an annual Scholarship Program. The organization also operates an Honor Society donor program and hosts annual events including the End of Year Celebration and Golf Invitational. College Bound emphasizes a holistic approach combining academic support, college preparation, career guidance, and ongoing alumni support to help students enter, persist through, and complete college.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Academic Mentoring Program One-on-one matching of public/charter school students in grades 8-12 with college-educated volunteer mentors ('partners') who meet weekly at community sites throughout the school year to strengthen math, language arts, and social skills while preparing students for college.
- Virtual Mentoring Program (VMP)
- SAT/ACT Preparation Program
- College Tours
- Senior Retreat
- Junior Retreat
- Taste of College Night
- Career Night
- Career Exploration
- Scholarship Program
- STEM in Your Hood
- MediTech Tuesday
- CB2 (College Buddy)
- Mentor Bank
- Senior Seminar
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% high school graduation rate for participating students
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use College Bound, Inc.
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
College Bound, Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
College Bound, Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Deloitte ConsultingcoreDeloitte Consulting is a key strategic partner providing sponsorship for SAT prep courses, one-on-one SAT tutoring programs, and career exploration events including the Career Night workshop. The partnership includes Deloitte staff volunteering to conduct workshops on topics like responding to rejection letters and hosting career exploration sessions at their office.
- Ben's Chili BowlminorBen's Chili Bowl sponsored the 2024 Junior Retreat by hosting College Bound students for lunch, demonstrating community support for local youth programs.
- ApplecoreApple partnered with College Bound for the MediTech Tuesday program, beginning with a creative media workshop at the Apple Carnegie Library. Students learned photography and videography techniques using iPhones as part of the monthly series aimed at developing digital literacy and exposing students to technology and media career pathways.
- The University Club of Washington DCcoreThe University Club co-sponsors College Bound's annual Career Night event and hosts the parent financial aid workshop during the event.
- FishScaleminorFishScale restaurant partnered with College Bound for a 3-night dining experience, with a percentage of proceeds from food purchases donated to the College Bound Scholarship Fund.
- Various RestaurantsminorMultiple restaurants participate in the annual Taste of College Bound event, providing tastings for guests while supporting the organization's scholarship fundraising efforts.
- DC Public SchoolscorePartnership with DC public and public charter schools for student recruitment. College Bound serves students from more than 50 public schools in the Washington, D.C. area.
- Community Site PartnerscorePartnerships with recreation centers, libraries, churches, and community organizations throughout DC provide physical sites for academic mentoring sessions. Partners include Sherwood Recreation Center, Arena Stage, Shaw Library, MLK Library, Beacon House, Catholic University, and various churches.
- 68 Colleges and UniversitiescoreVMP alumni are enrolled at 68 diverse colleges and universities across 22 states and Washington, D.C., where they receive virtual mentoring support. Institutions include Rutgers-Camden, Villanova, NYU, Columbia, Temple, Swarthmore, Lincoln University, and Delaware State.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
College Bound, Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bottom Line: Nonprofit delivering near-peer coaching to first-generation college students from application through graduation, with rigorous RCT-validated outcomes. Closely comparable in outcome focus and 1:1 coaching model.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area: DC-area chapter of national mentoring nonprofit pairing youth with adult volunteer mentors for sustained relationships. Comparable on volunteer-driven youth mentoring in the same DC metro market.
- College Advising Corps: National nonprofit placing recent college graduates as near-peer advisers in underserved high schools to support college access. Comparable on college access mission and recent-graduate mentoring model.
- College Possible: National 501(c)(3) providing college access coaching and AmeriCorps-driven mentoring to low-income high school students, with similar cradle-to-college support model. Closest direct peer to College Bound in mission, structure, and outcome-driven approach.
- iMentor: Nonprofit pairing low-income high school students with volunteer mentors for sustained multi-year relationships aimed at college success. Direct peer in volunteer-mentoring model targeting underserved students.
- uAspire: Nonprofit focused on college affordability advising and financial aid navigation for low-income students. Comparable on college access mission, complementary on financial aid specialization.
- QuestBridge: National nonprofit connecting high-achieving low-income students with full four-year scholarships at partner colleges. Comparable on college access/scholarship mission, though serves higher-achieving students.
Broad incumbents
- Year Up: National workforce development nonprofit serving young adults with job training and corporate partnerships. Comparable on workforce-development and corporate-partnership dimensions, though targets post-college rather than pre-college students.
Regional players
- KIPP DC Public Charter Schools: DC-based public charter school network serving predominantly low-income students through college-prep K-12 education. Comparable in serving DC public/charter school students on the college access pipeline, though delivers K-12 instruction rather than supplemental mentoring.
Emerging players
- Matriculate: Nonprofit providing virtual near-peer coaching to high-achieving low-income high school students through the college application process. Comparable on virtual mentoring delivery and target demographic.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
College Bound, Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceCollege Bound, Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
College Bound, Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
College Bound, Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
College Bound, Inc. 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 College Bound, Inc.
What does College Bound, Inc. do?
College Bound, Inc. is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free academic mentoring, college preparation, SAT/ACT training, scholarships, college tours, career exploration, and ongoing virtual mentoring support to public and public charter school students in grades 8-12 in the DC metropolitan area, with alumni engagement continuing through college graduation. The organization's flagship offering is the Academic Mentoring Program, supplemented by the Virtual Mentoring Program, SAT prep, college tours, retreats, scholarship awards, and STEM/career enrichment activities.
Is College Bound, Inc. a public or private company?
College Bound, Inc. is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was College Bound, Inc. founded?
College Bound, Inc. was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is College Bound, Inc. based?
College Bound, Inc. is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does College Bound, Inc. make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships, honor Society Membership, corporate Matching Gifts, event Sponsorships and scholarship Endowments.
Who are College Bound, Inc.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bottom Line, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area, College Advising Corps, College Possible, iMentor, uAspire and QuestBridge. Year Up is listed as a broad incumbent. KIPP DC Public Charter Schools is listed as a regional player. Matriculate is listed as an emerging player.
Does College Bound, Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for College Bound, Inc..
What industry is College Bound, Inc. in?
College Bound, Inc.'s product category is Youth Education and College Access Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAE, College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGADAC, After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.