Evolve502
Evolve502 is a Louisville, Kentucky nonprofit that provides tuition-free, last-dollar college scholarships and student success coaching to Jefferson County Public Schools graduates, partnering with KCTCS, Simmons College of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville, and funded by foundation grants and corporate donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Evolve502 does
Evolve502 is a Louisville, Kentucky-based nonprofit organization founded in 2018 (rebranded from the predecessor initiative Louisville Promise) that delivers tuition-free college scholarships and wraparound student support services to graduates of Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS). The organization operates a last-dollar scholarship covering tuition at partner institutions—primarily the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) schools led by Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC), Simmons College of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville (via a 2+2 transfer program)—after federal and state aid is applied. Eligible students with household income of $47,000 or below receive an Opportunity Grant of $1,100 per semester, up to $2,200 per year, and an Emergency Fund is available for in-college scholars facing unexpected hardship.
The core delivery model combines a web-based online application portal with in-person outreach: Student Success Coordinators are embedded in every JCPS high school to assist with applications, while Student Support Coaches conduct ongoing check-ins with enrolled scholars at partner colleges. Beyond scholarships, Evolve502 operates community programs including the Summer Backpack League (reaching 12,000+ students in 2023), Community Learning Hub Tutoring (35 sites, 750+ students in 2023–2024), Community and Family Nights, and FAFSA completion workshops. The technology stack is a standard scholarship management platform with student tracking and coordination tools; no proprietary AI/ML capability is disclosed.
Evolve502 is funded by foundation grants, corporate donations, and individual giving, with major commitments from the James Graham Brown Foundation ($3 million for Opportunity Grants in April 2021), Humana ($1 million in November 2020), and the One Louisville: Covid-19 Response Fund ($100,000 in July 2020). It operates as a community convenor with more than 15 programmatic partners including JCPS, JCTC, Simmons College of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, Louisville Metro Government, Greater Louisville Inc., Metro United Way, YMCA of Greater Louisville, and the National Center for Families Learning. The organization reports 34 employees and is led by Executive Director Marland Cole.
Evolve502 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Evolve502
- Legal name
- Evolve502
- Website
- https://evolve502.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Evolve502 is a Louisville, Kentucky nonprofit that provides tuition-free, last-dollar college scholarships and student success coaching to Jefferson County Public Schools graduates, partnering with KCTCS, Simmons College of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville, and funded by foundation grants and corporate donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Evolve502 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Nonprofit Scholarship Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Transition Programs (Reentry, Workforce Readiness & Life Skills for At-Risk Youth) (EDAJAEAF), Charter Special Education & Inclusive Programs (EDAJACAF)
Keywords
Where Evolve502 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Evolve502 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Foundation Grants: Evolve502 receives major gifts from foundations such as the James Graham Brown Foundation ($3 million for Opportunity Grants) to fund scholarship programs and operational costs.
- Corporate Donations: Corporate partners contribute significant funding, including Humana's $1 million gift to fund scholarships for JCPS students. Donations support scholarship funding and organizational operations.
- Individual Donations: The organization accepts individual donations through its website donation portal to support scholarship programs and operational expenses.
- Donations: Evolve502 raises funds from donors to provide tuition-free college opportunities and opportunity grants for eligible JCPS graduates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free tuition scholarship for eligible JCPS Class of 2026 graduates |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Evolve502 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Evolve502 is a Louisville, Kentucky-based nonprofit that provides a last-dollar tuition scholarship to eligible Jefferson County Public Schools graduates, covering up to 60 credit hours, an associate degree, or a workforce credential at partner institutions including Jefferson Community and Technical College, other KCTCS schools, and Simmons College of Kentucky. The organization supplements the scholarship with Opportunity Grants of up to $2,200 per year for low-income students, an Emergency Fund for enrolled scholars, and a 2+2 transfer pathway with the University of Louisville, while embedding Student Success Coordinators in each JCPS high school to support applications and ongoing college persistence.
Product overview
Evolve502 is a community-focused nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of scholarship and educational support programs. The core product is the Evolve502 Scholarship, a last-dollar program covering tuition for eligible JCPS graduates at partner colleges (KCTCS institutions and Simmons College of Kentucky). Add-on financial support includes Opportunity Grants for lower-income students and an Emergency Fund. Student support is delivered through Student Success Coordinators (application support) and Student Support Coaches (ongoing scholar support). Beyond scholarships, Evolve502 operates community programs including summer learning (Backpack League), tutoring initiatives (Community Learning Hubs), and Family Engagement Nights. A 2+2 partnership with University of Louisville enables scholars to transfer and complete a four-year degree.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Evolve502 Scholarship A last-dollar scholarship that covers tuition costs after federal and state aid, allowing eligible Jefferson County Public Schools graduates to earn an associate degree, workforce credential, or up to 60 undergraduate credit hours tuition-free at KCTCS institutions or Simmons College of Kentucky.
- Impact Scholarship (Jefferson County Impact Scholarship)
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 12,000 students reached through Summer Backpack League in 2023
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Evolve502
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Evolve502 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Evolve502 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Americana World Community CentercoreProgrammatic partner working collaboratively to identify barriers to success and create systems change in Louisville's education ecosystem.
- Greater Louisville Inc.coreRegional economic development organization supporting Evolve502's education and workforce development initiatives.
- Jefferson Community and Technical CollegecorePrimary partner college where Evolve502 scholars enroll to receive tuition-free education. JCTC serves as the main institution for scholarship disbursement.
- Jefferson County Public SchoolscoreCore educational partner whose graduating seniors are eligible for Evolve502 scholarships. Student Success Coordinators are embedded in JCPS high schools.
- Jefferson County Teachers AssociationminorTeachers association partner supporting educational initiatives and student success programs.
- Kentucky Council for Postsecondary EducationcoreState-level postsecondary education authority supporting Evolve502's college access mission.
- La Casita CentercoreCommunity center partner providing venue for Family Engagement Nights and community programming.
- Louisville Metro GovernmentcoreCity government partner supporting Evolve502's education initiatives and community programs.
- Louisville Urban LeaguecoreCivil rights organization providing support for Family Engagement Nights and community resource connections.
- Metro United WaycoreMajor nonprofit partner supporting community impact initiatives and resource coordination.
- National Center for Families LearningcoreNational organization supporting family learning initiatives and providing resources for Evolve502 programs.
- Out of School Time CouncilminorCouncil supporting expanded learning opportunities and summer programs for students.
- Simmons College of KentuckycoreHistorically Black college in Louisville where Evolve502 scholars can use their tuition-free scholarship benefits.
- University of LouisvillecoreFour-year university partner for the Evolve502 2+2 Program, allowing scholars who complete 48 credit hours to transfer and complete a bachelor's degree.
- YMCA of Greater LouisvillecoreCommunity partner supporting summer learning programs and family engagement activities.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Evolve502 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- El Dorado Promise: Tuition-free scholarship for graduates of El Dorado High School (Arkansas) funded by a corporate donor; shares the tuition-guarantee mechanism and corporate-philanthropy funding approach with Evolve502.
- The College Crusade of Rhode Island: College-access nonprofit providing advising, scholarships, and support services to low-income Rhode Island students; comparable in combining direct scholarships with sustained advising and student success programming.
- Say Yes to Education: National nonprofit operating city-based scholarship and student support partnerships; Louisville's Promise (now Evolve502) was explicitly built in partnership with Say Yes to Education, making it the closest architectural and operational peer.
- Detroit Promise: Last-dollar scholarship for Detroit high school graduates to attend partner Michigan colleges with student support services; operates the same tuition-gap model and similar urban, equity-focused mission as Evolve502.
- Kalamazoo Promise: Place-based, tuition-free scholarship for graduates of Kalamazoo Public Schools; widely cited model for city-based Promise scholarships and structurally aligned with Evolve502's tuition guarantee for JCPS graduates.
- The Pittsburgh Promise: City-based last-dollar scholarship program for Pittsburgh Public Schools graduates with wraparound supports and a defined partner ecosystem — directly comparable in mission, mechanism, and target population.
- New Haven Promise: Place-based college scholarship and support program for New Haven Public Schools graduates tied to partner institutions; comparable structure of eligibility, scholarship, and in-college supports.
Broad incumbents
- KIPP Foundation: National nonprofit network of K-12 public charter schools focused on college readiness for underserved students; overlaps in mission (K-12-to-college pipeline for low-income students) and student-success programming though focused on K-12 delivery rather than postsecondary scholarships.
- UNCF (United Negro College Fund): National scholarship and college-access organization supporting minority students and HBCUs; broader geographic scope than Evolve502 but operates the same fundamental scholarship-plus-support mission and Simmons College of Kentucky is one of its member institutions.
Others
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana: Regional youth-mentoring nonprofit serving the Louisville area; adjacent in mission and geography but focused on mentoring rather than scholarships, illustrating the broader Louisville youth-services ecosystem in which Evolve502 operates.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Evolve502 social profiles
Digital presenceEvolve502 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Evolve502 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
Evolve502 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Evolve502 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 Evolve502
What does Evolve502 do?
Evolve502 is a Louisville, Kentucky-based nonprofit that provides a last-dollar tuition scholarship to eligible Jefferson County Public Schools graduates, covering up to 60 credit hours, an associate degree, or a workforce credential at partner institutions including Jefferson Community and Technical College, other KCTCS schools, and Simmons College of Kentucky. The organization supplements the scholarship with Opportunity Grants of up to $2,200 per year for low-income students, an Emergency Fund for enrolled scholars, and a 2+2 transfer pathway with the University of Louisville, while embedding Student Success Coordinators in each JCPS high school to support applications and ongoing college persistence.
Is Evolve502 a public or private company?
Evolve502 is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Evolve502 founded?
Evolve502 was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Evolve502 based?
Evolve502 is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Evolve502 make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Foundation Grants are the primary driver. The others are corporate Donations, individual Donations and donations.
Who are Evolve502's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are El Dorado Promise, The College Crusade of Rhode Island, Say Yes to Education, Detroit Promise, Kalamazoo Promise, The Pittsburgh Promise and New Haven Promise. Broad incumbents are KIPP Foundation and UNCF (United Negro College Fund). Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana is listed as an others.
Does Evolve502 have an API?
No public API is recorded for Evolve502.
What industry is Evolve502 in?
Evolve502's product category is Educational Nonprofit Scholarship Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAB, K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDAJAEAF, Transition Programs (Reentry, Workforce Readiness & Life Skills for At-Risk Youth). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.