San Antonio Education Partnership

What San Antonio Education Partnership does

San Antonio Education Partnership (SAEP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 and headquartered at 131 El Paso Street in San Antonio, Texas. SAEP delivers free college advising, scholarship administration, and ongoing scholar support services to youth and adult learners in the San Antonio region. Its service portfolio consists of four interconnected programs: cafécollege, a one-stop physical college-advising center in downtown San Antonio offering free in-person and virtual advising; High School-based Services, which stations College Access and Success Advisors at 29 partner high schools across six local school districts (Edgewood ISD, San Antonio ISD, Harlandale ISD, Southwest ISD, Southside ISD, and South San ISD); the SAEP Scholarship, a renewable scholarship that disburses $2.1 million annually to approximately 3,000 local college students graduating from partner high schools and enrolling at 12 partner higher-education institutions (including UTSA, the Alamo Colleges District, Texas A&M-San Antonio, Trinity University, St. Mary's University, and UT Health San Antonio); and Scholar Success, a post-2022 program providing ongoing persistence support, professional development, and mentorship (notably the SAEP-USAA Mentorship Program) to scholarship recipients.

SAEP's revenue model is that of a community-supported nonprofit: it receives donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and municipal funding — primarily from the City of San Antonio's Human Services department, USAA, Valero Energy Corporation, the Trellis Foundation, the Greehey Family Foundation, and the H.E. Butt Foundation. All services are provided to students and families at no charge; there is no tuition, fee, or pay-for-service revenue stream. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors that includes representatives from partner higher-education institutions, partner school districts, the City of San Antonio, and corporate sponsors. SAEP publishes IRS Form 990 filings and audited financial statements and holds a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency.

According to the most recent disclosed scale metrics, SAEP serves 9,000+ individuals annually, with a beneficiary mix of approximately 76% low-to-moderate-income students, 73% first-generation college goers (96% BIPOC), and 18,000+ degrees and credentials earned by SAEP scholars since founding. Operational data show a first-to-second-semester persistence rate of 99% for 2023–24 first-year scholars. The organization is led by CEO Dr. Ana Acevedo and entered a 2025–2027 Strategic Plan focused on adapting services to community needs, strengthening brand identity, and investing in people, processes, technology, and data.

Name

San Antonio Education Partnership

Legal name

San Antonio Education Partnership

Website

https://saedpartnership.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

San Antonio Education Partnership is a San Antonio-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1989, that provides free college advising, a $2.1M annual renewable scholarship program, and scholar persistence support to youth and adult learners across 29 partner high schools, 6 school districts, and 12 partner colleges and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Access and Success Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support (EDAMAKAF), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• College advising services
• Scholarship programs
• Nonprofit education services
• College access programs
• Student support services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: SAEP operates as a nonprofit organization funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and government partnerships. The organization awards $2.1 million in scholarships annually to approximately 3,000 local college students, with funding sourced from partners like the City of San Antonio, USAA, Valero, and various foundations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

San Antonio Education Partnership provides free college advising, renewable scholarships, and ongoing scholar success services to youth and adults in San Antonio. The organization places advisors in 29 partner high schools, operates cafécollege as a one-stop advising center, and awards $2.1 million in scholarships annually to approximately 3,000 local college students. Services cover admissions and financial aid (FAFSA/TASFA) assistance, ACT/SAT test prep, and degree-completion support including a USAA mentorship program.

Product overview

San Antonio Education Partnership (SAEP) operates as a unified college access and success ecosystem offering multiple interconnected services: cafécollege provides free in-person and virtual college advising; High School-based Services places advisors at 29 partner high schools; the SAEP Scholarship awards $2.1 million annually to 3,000+ students; and Scholar Success provides ongoing support to scholarship recipients including mentorship with USAA. The services work together to guide students from high school through college degree completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• cafécollege: A one-stop shop for all things college, centrally located in downtown San Antonio, offering free in-person and virtual advising for youth and adults.
• High School-based Services
• SAEP Scholarship
• Scholar Success

Products and services

• cafécollege A one-stop college advising center offering free in-person and virtual advising services for youth and adults seeking higher education guidance, centrally located in downtown San Antonio.
• High School-based Services College Access and Success Advisors stationed at 29 partner high schools across 6 local school districts, providing personalized college guidance and connecting students to the SAEP Scholarship.
• SAEP Scholarship A renewable scholarship program awarding $2.1 million annually to approximately 3,000 local college students who graduate from partner high schools and attend partner colleges and universities.
• Scholar Success Ongoing support service for SAEP Scholarship recipients from the high school graduating class of 2022 onward, offering scholar-specific college success workshops, campus and community resource connections, and professional development opportunities including a mentorship program with USAA.
• Road to Success Program A SAEP program aimed at helping students achieve college success, directed by Program Director Christi Garza.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,000+ degrees and credentials earned by SAEP Scholars since 1989
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major, strategic and supporting.

• Edgewood ISDcoreOthersPartner school district providing SAEP advising services at Edgewood Fine Arts STEAM Academy, Memorial HS, Kennedy HS, and other district high schools
• San Antonio ISD (SAISD)coreOthersMajor partner school district with SAEP advisors at 17+ district schools including Brackenridge HS, Burbank HS, Edison HS, Jefferson HS, Lanier HS, Sam Houston HS, and various magnet schools
• Harlandale ISDcoreOthersPartner district with SAEP services at Harlandale HS, Harlandale STEM ECHS, McCollum HS
• Southwest ISDcoreOthersPartner district with SAEP services at Southwest HS, Southwest Legacy HS, CAST STEM HS
• Southside ISDcoreOthersPartner district with SAEP services at Southside HS
• South San ISDcoreOthersPartner district with SAEP services at South San HS
• UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio)coreOthersMajor four-year university partner accepting SAEP scholarship recipients for bachelor's degree programs
• Alamo Colleges DistrictcoreOthersCommunity college partner including Northeast Lakeview College, Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, St. Philip's College, San Antonio College
• University of the Incarnate WordcoreOthersPrivate four-year university partner accepting SAEP scholarship recipients
• Our Lady of the Lake UniversitycoreOthersPrivate four-year university partner accepting SAEP scholarship recipients
• St. Mary's UniversitycoreOthersPrivate four-year university partner accepting SAEP scholarship recipients
• Trinity UniversitycoreOthersPrivate four-year university partner accepting SAEP scholarship recipients
• Texas A&M University – San AntoniocoreOthersPublic four-year university partner accepting SAEP scholarship recipients
• UT Health San AntoniocoreOthersHealth science university partner accepting SAEP scholarship recipients
• Hallmark UniversitycoreOthersPrivate university partner accepting SAEP scholarship recipients
• City of San AntoniocoreOthersKey municipal partner providing funding for SAEP Scholarship program ($2.1M annually) and supporting cafécollege through Human Services department
• USAAflagshipOthersCorporate sponsor providing funding support and running the SAEP-USAA Mentorship Program connecting scholars with professional mentors
• Trellis FoundationmajorOthersFoundation partner supporting SAEP's scholarship and college access programs
• Greehey Family FoundationmajorOthersFoundation partner supporting SAEP's educational initiatives
• Valero Energy CorporationmajorOthersCorporate partner supporting SAEP through employee involvement and board representation (Treasurer San Juanita (Janie) Rosales)
• H.E. Butt FoundationmajorOthersFoundation partner supporting SAEP programs
• UP PartnershipstrategicOthersCollective impact organization leading Future Ready Bexar County Plan to increase college enrollment, SAEP participates in initiatives
• National College Attainment Network (NCAN)strategicOthersNational organization supporting college access and success, SAEP is a member
• Ready To WorkstrategicOthersCity initiative focused on upskilling adult community members through credential attainment, SAEP partners to support
• AvancesupportingOthersCommunity-based organization partnering with SAEP for community outreach
• Credit HumansupportingOthersCredit union partner supporting SAEP through board representation
• FirstMark Credit UnionsupportingOthersCredit union partner supporting SAEP initiatives
• Lone Star National BanksupportingOthersBanking partner supporting SAEP

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• uAspire: Nonprofit focused specifically on financial aid advising and FAFSA completion support for low-income students. Overlaps heavily with SAEP's scholarship administration and FAFSA/TASFA advising offerings.
• Bottom Line: National nonprofit that pairs low-income and first-generation students with dedicated advisors from college access through graduation. Closely mirrors SAEP's end-to-end advising + persistence model and demographics served.
• College Advising Corps: Places recent college graduates as full-time college advisors in underserved high schools. Directly comparable to SAEP's High School-based Services, which stations College Access and Success Advisors at 29 partner high schools.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: National nonprofit providing scholarships, college readiness, and career support to Hispanic students. Highly comparable to SAEP's 96% BIPOC / 73% first-generation demographic and renewable scholarship structure.
• College Track: Multi-site college access and success program for first-generation and low-income students from high school through college graduation and career. Comparable in mission, demographics served, and end-to-end pipeline model.
• I Have A Dream Foundation: Long-running college access and scholarship program for underserved youth cohorts from K-12 through postsecondary completion. Directly comparable mission and cohort-based scholarship model.

Regional players

• Raise Texas: Texas statewide nonprofit focused on college and career access for underrepresented students. Operates in the same geography as SAEP and addresses overlapping student populations, though with a policy/advocacy rather than direct-service orientation.
• AVANCE: San Antonio-based nonprofit serving low-income Hispanic families through early childhood and parent education. SAEP lists AVANCE as a community outreach partner, and both serve overlapping demographics in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Trellis Foundation: Texas-based foundation supporting college access, persistence, and student success programs including SAEP itself. Overlaps in mission and serves as both peer funder and partner within the same regional ecosystem.
• National College Attainment Network (NCAN): National membership and advocacy organization for college access programs; SAEP is an explicit member. Comparable as the umbrella network aggregating outcomes, policy work, and capacity-building across the sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SAEducationPartnership
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-antonio-education-partnership
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_saep

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles32 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Antonio Education Partnership