Project Grad
GRADcafé by Project GRAD Houston is a free, nonprofit college and career advisory service for Harris County, Texas residents of all ages. Operated under the Tejano Center for Community Concerns (est. 1992), it delivers enrollment, financial aid, career, and transition support via physical locations, a mobile unit, and virtual appointments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersKnoxville, Tennessee, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Project Grad does
Project GRAD Houston operates GRADcafé, a free, intergenerational college and career advisory service for residents of Harris County, Texas. The organization is a program of the Tejano Center for Community Concerns, a 501(c)-style nonprofit established in 1992 that delivers social, health, educational, economic, and housing services. GRADcafé provides guided support across five functional areas: college enrollment, financial aid navigation, career planning, college transition, and goal setting — covering both degree-seeking students and adults pursuing professional trade certificates.
The service is delivered through three channels: multiple fixed physical locations throughout Harris County, a mobile outreach unit branded "GRADcafé on the Go" that brings advisors to community events, schools, and neighborhoods, and a virtual appointment system (project-grad-hou.appointlet.com) for remote video or phone consultations with GRAD Advisors. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is service-based, supported by a small team of approximately 24 employees and an online scheduling tool. Marketing and awareness run through the gradcafe.org website, organic Facebook and Instagram accounts, an email newsletter, and referral partnerships with high schools, charter schools, community colleges, universities, and community organizations.
The business model is grant- and donation-funded nonprofit operations, with all services provided at no cost to end users. Revenue derives from institutional fundraising rather than commercial pricing; no pricing tiers, subscription fees, or transactional revenue streams exist. The customer base is geographically constrained to Harris County residents of all ages, with the Tejano Center serving as the institutional parent providing governance, infrastructure, and funding relationships.
Project Grad firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Project Grad
- Legal name
- Project GRAD Houston
- Website
- https://projectgradhouston.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- GRADcafé by Project GRAD Houston is a free, nonprofit college and career advisory service for Harris County, Texas residents of all ages. Operated under the Tejano Center for Community Concerns (est. 1992), it delivers enrollment, financial aid, career, and transition support via physical locations, a mobile unit, and virtual appointments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Project Grad industry classification
Industry- Product category
- College and Career Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support Platforms (EDAFAMAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support (EDAMAKAF), Financial Aid, Scholarships & FAFSA/CSS Profile Support (EDANAEAI)
Keywords
Where Project Grad is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Project Grad business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Grant-Funded Nonprofit Operations: GRADcafé and Project GRAD Houston operate as services of the Tejano Center for Community Concerns, a nonprofit established in 1992. All services are provided free of charge to Harris County residents. Revenue appears to come from grants, donations, and institutional funding rather than commercial revenue streams.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free services for all Harris County residents |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Project Grad product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Project GRAD operates GRADcafé, a free intergenerational one-stop shop providing college and career guidance to Harris County residents. Services include college enrollment planning, financial aid navigation, career planning, college transition support, and goal setting, delivered through multiple physical locations, a mobile outreach unit (GRADcafé on the Go), and virtual appointments. All services are provided at no cost to residents and are operated under the nonprofit Tejano Center for Community Concerns.
Product overview
GRADcafé by Project GRAD is a single, unified service providing free intergenerational college and career guidance to Harris County residents. The offering consists of three interconnected delivery channels: the core GRADcafé service (providing college enrollment, financial aid, career planning, college transition, and goal setting support), GRADcafé on the Go (mobile outreach bringing services to community events), and Virtual Appointments (remote advisory sessions via video conferencing). All services are offered free of charge through multiple physical locations and the mobile service.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- GRADcafé on the Go: Mobile service that brings college and career services to events or communities.
Products and services
- GRADcafé
Companies that use Project Grad
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Project Grad technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Project Grad partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Tejano Center for Community ConcernscoreThe Tejano Center for Community Concerns is the parent organization of both Project GRAD and GRADcafé. Established in 1992, the Tejano Center provides social, health, educational, economic, housing services and community institutions that empower families to transform their lives. GRADcafé operates as a service under this nonprofit umbrella, benefiting from institutional infrastructure, funding relationships, and community trust built over decades.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Project Grad competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- KIPP Through College: KIPP's alumni and college persistence programming supports KIPP graduates through college completion, including advising and career support. Comparable through-college support focus and target demographic.
- Communities In Schools: National nonprofit that places site-based coordinators inside K-12 schools to connect students with college, career, and wraparound supports. Comparable mission of removing barriers to graduation and postsecondary access for at-risk youth.
Direct peers
- Bottom Line: Nonprofit delivering one-on-one college access and success advising to first-generation students from low-income communities, with explicit focus on college graduation. Direct peer given its free advising model, persistence emphasis, and target demographic.
- College Possible: National nonprofit providing free college access and persistence coaching to students from low-income backgrounds, including financial aid application support. Highly comparable to GRADcafé's free, near-peer advisory model serving underrepresented students.
- uAspire: Nonprofit focused specifically on FAFSA completion, financial aid advising, and college affordability for low-income students. Strongest direct comparison to GRADcafé's financial aid navigation service line.
- OneGoal: Nonprofit that pairs high school students with college and career success coaches and provides programming through grade 12 and into postsecondary. Comparable to GRADcafé's intergenerational, multi-year support model.
- iMentor: Nonprofit pairing students with volunteer mentors for college access and success, with technology-enabled matching. Comparable service model and target demographic; iMentor is even referenced on the GRADcafé website via testimonials.
- Project GRAD USA: The original Project GRAD national office serves multiple cities, providing college access programming and partner-school services. Closely comparable mission, name overlap, and service design to Project GRAD Houston.
Others
- Federal Student Aid (FSA) — Department of Education: Federal source-of-truth for FAFSA application, federal grants, and student loans. Adjacent enabling/ecosystem participant — GRADcafé's financial aid navigation directly routes residents into the FSA system.
- NCAN (National College Access Network): National membership and capacity-building organization for college access programs like GRADcafé. Adjacent enabling peer — provides the network, training, and advocacy infrastructure GRADcafé would engage with.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Project Grad social profiles
Digital presenceProject Grad financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Project Grad leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Project Grad funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Project Grad 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 Project Grad
What does Project Grad do?
Project GRAD operates GRADcafé, a free intergenerational one-stop shop providing college and career guidance to Harris County residents. Services include college enrollment planning, financial aid navigation, career planning, college transition support, and goal setting, delivered through multiple physical locations, a mobile outreach unit (GRADcafé on the Go), and virtual appointments. All services are provided at no cost to residents and are operated under the nonprofit Tejano Center for Community Concerns.
Is Project Grad a public or private company?
Project Grad is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Project Grad founded?
Project Grad was founded in 1992. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Project Grad based?
Project Grad is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, in the North America region.
How does Project Grad make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant-Funded Nonprofit Operations.
Who are Project Grad's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are KIPP Through College and Communities In Schools. Direct peers are Bottom Line, College Possible, uAspire, OneGoal, iMentor and Project GRAD USA. Others are Federal Student Aid (FSA) — Department of Education and NCAN (National College Access Network).
Does Project Grad have an API?
No public API is recorded for Project Grad.
What industry is Project Grad in?
Project Grad's product category is College and Career Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAMAF, Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAMAKAF, Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.