College Success Foundation - DC

What College Success Foundation - DC does

College Success Foundation - DC is a Washington, DC-based 501(c) educational nonprofit founded in 2006 that supports students from underserved communities through a sustained college-access pipeline. The organization is headquartered in DC and explicitly targets students in Wards 7 and 8, historically under-resourced neighborhoods in the District, with programming that spans grades 7 through 12 and continues through college and up to two years post-baccalaureate.

Its core product is a longitudinal advising and academic-preparation program delivered through direct school partnerships and a national college transition network. The organization partners with 12 DC schools to recruit and serve students, and maintains relationships with 120 colleges and universities to support matriculation and persistence. A central program component is the federally funded TRIO Upward Bound initiative, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Education and provides structured academic preparation, tutoring, and college-readiness services to eligible low-income and first-generation students. No proprietary technology platform, software, or AI/ML capability is described in the source material; service delivery appears to be in-person and relationship-driven.

The business model is donation-and-grant funded, consistent with its nonprofit status. Revenue is sourced from federal TRIO grants, foundation grants, corporate contributions, and individual donations. The board of directors includes representatives from major employers and professional services firms including J.P. Morgan, TD Bank, Dorsey & Whitney, Marriott, and Costco, which signals active corporate fundraising relationships. The organization has been recognized as a SPUR Local Critical Nonprofit, indicating its positioning within the DC nonprofit ecosystem as a strategically important service provider for college access.

Name

College Success Foundation - DC

Legal name

College Success Foundation-District of Columbia

Website

https://dccollegesuccessfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

College Success Foundation - DC is a 2006-founded DC nonprofit that prepares students in underserved Wards 7 and 8 for college through grades 7-12 and post-baccalaureate programming, partnering with 12 DC schools and 120 colleges and operating a federally funded TRIO Upward Bound program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM)

Keywords

• College readiness programs
• Youth education services
• Scholarship support programs
• Academic mentoring services
• College access programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a non-profit foundation, CSF-DC operates primarily through charitable donations and grants from foundations and community partners to fund its educational programs and scholarship services.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

College Success Foundation - DC provides direct, in-person college access and success services to underserved students residing in Washington, DC's Wards 7 and 8. Its portfolio spans the Scholars Program for students in grades 7 through 12, the federally funded Upward Bound TRIO program, college persistence and completion support, out-of-school time programming, and parent and community outreach initiatives. All services are delivered at no cost to participants and supported by partnerships with 12 DC public schools and approximately 120 colleges and universities.

Product overview

College Success Foundation-District of Columbia (CSF-DC) offers a multi-tiered portfolio of education programs designed to support underserved, low-income, and first-generation students from middle school through college completion. The core offerings include: (1) CSF-DC Scholars Program for Grades 7-12, which increases college awareness and academic readiness; (2) CSF-DC Upward Bound (TRIO), a federally funded college prep program for Grades 9-12; (3) CSF-DC College Programs providing remote coaching, advisement, academic monitoring, and career planning for college students; (4) CSF-DC Out-of-School Time Programming offering after-school and summer enrichment activities; and (5) CSF-DC Parent and Community Outreach through Parent University. Programs feature research-based best practices for academic excellence, positive youth development, and self-concept and matriculation support, serving students in 12 public and public charter schools in DC's Wards 7 and 8 and supporting students at 120 colleges and universities nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholars Program (Grades 7-12)

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• uAspire: uAspire is a national nonprofit dedicated to college affordability, advising students on financial aid and scholarships. Its financial-aid navigation and scholarship-advisory work directly overlaps with CSF-DC's scholarship and financial aid support services.
• College Success Foundation: CSF-DC's national parent organization, also operating cradle-to-career college success programs (most prominently in Washington State). Comparable mission, programmatic structure, and target population make it the closest strategic peer.
• iMentor: iMentor pairs underserved students with college-educated mentors for one-on-one support through high school and college. Comparable target population and outcomes focus on college persistence and graduation.
• College Advising Corps: College Advising Corps places recent college graduates as advisers in underserved high schools to expand college access. Comparable college-access mission and school-based delivery model, with national scale.
• Bottom Line: Bottom Line is a college access and success nonprofit focused on first-generation students from low-income backgrounds, providing one-on-one advising from college application through graduation. Comparable programmatic model with similar cradle-to-career advising emphasis, though operating in different metros.
• Higher Achievement: Higher Achievement is a DC-based nonprofit providing year-round academic enrichment, mentoring, and college access support to middle and high school students from underserved communities. Directly comparable to CSF-DC's Scholars and OST programs in both geography and target demographic.
• DC College Access Program (DC-CAP): DC-CAP is a DC-based college access nonprofit serving low-income and underrepresented students with advising and scholarship support. It is the most direct peer to CSF-DC, operating in the same geography and serving an overlapping student population with comparable college-readiness programming.

Broad incumbents

• College Board: College Board administers the SAT, AP, and FAFSA-related tools and operates large-scale college access and affordability programs. Compares as a broad incumbent in the college-readiness and access space with overlapping student population, though it operates at national scale.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): UNCF is a major education-focused nonprofit providing scholarships and college access support to underrepresented students. Comparable scholarship-management and college-success mission at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• KIPP DC: KIPP DC operates public charter schools in Washington DC, including in Wards 7 and 8, with a strong college-prep orientation and alumni support through college. Compares as a regional peer serving the same DC wards and overlapping student pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CollegeSuccessFoundationDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-success-foundation-dc
• Instagraminstagram.com/csfoundationdc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about College Success Foundation - DC