What South County Cal-SOAP does

South County Cal-SOAP is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization (Tax ID 94-1167402) founded in 2003 and headquartered at 290 I.O.O.F. Avenue in Gilroy, California. The organization provides college access and success services to low-income and first-generation students in grades 6 through 12 across four member school districts in California's South County region: Gilroy Unified School District (GUSD), Morgan Hill Unified School District (MHUSD), Aromas-San Juan Unified School District (ASJUSD), and San Benito High School District (SBHSD). Its core service model centers on embedding College Success Coaches directly into partner high schools and middle schools, where they deliver in-class academic mentoring alongside credentialed teachers, after-school drop-in mentoring, one-on-one college and financial aid application assistance, classroom presentations, and monthly grade and A-G requirement reviews. Physical College Access Centers operate across 15+ school sites in Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Hollister, and San Juan Bautista, including locations at Christopher High School, Gilroy High School, Live Oak High School, Sobrato High School, Hollister High School, Anzar High School, and multiple middle school campuses.

The organization's product surface includes formal High School Services and Middle School Services programs, dedicated FAFSA and California Dream Act Application (CADAA) assistance workshops, and the Cal-SOAP Scholarship Fund, which has cumulatively disbursed over $1.8 million in scholarships to qualifying students over 18 years. In the 2024-2025 academic year, Cal-SOAP intensively served 2,050 high school seniors and 4,837 total 6th-12th grade students. Community engagement is supported by the SOAP Box email newsletter (over 2,000 subscribers, delivered via Mailchimp), the annual AlumNight alumni fundraising event, and a tiered Giving Partner Circle donor recognition program.

South County Cal-SOAP operates as a donation- and grant-funded nonprofit; all services are provided free of charge to qualifying students. The underlying technology stack is commodity SaaS — Classy (GoFundMe Pro) for donation processing, Microsoft Forms for student intake, and Mailchimp for email — with no proprietary platform or AI/ML capabilities. Revenue mechanics rely on individual and corporate charitable contributions routed through 501(c)(3) tax-deductible donations. The go-to-market motion is community-led: students and families are reached through school-based College Access Centers and embedded coaches rather than direct outbound sales or paid acquisition.

Name

South County Cal-SOAP

Legal name

South County Cal-SOAP

Website

https://southcountycalsoap.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

South County Cal-SOAP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing embedded college advising, academic mentoring, FAFSA assistance, and scholarships to low-income and first-generation students in grades 6-12 across four California South County school districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Support Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

School Counseling & Guidance Services (Academic/Social-Emotional) (EDAJALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM), Academic Tutoring Services (Subject-Specific & General) (EDAJALAA), Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK)

Keywords

• College access services
• Academic mentoring programs
• Financial aid assistance
• Scholarship funding
• Pre-college advising

Headquarters

HQ city

Gilroy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: South County Cal-SOAP is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals and corporate partners. Donations are tax-deductible within U.S. law guidelines and go toward scholarships for low-income and first-generation students.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

South County Cal-SOAP delivers free academic mentoring, college and career advising, financial aid application assistance, and scholarship funding for low-income and first-generation K-12 students. Services are delivered through College Success Coaches embedded directly in partner schools and through four walk-in College Access Centers located in Gilroy, Hollister, Morgan Hill, and San Juan Bautista, with programming segmented into a six-year middle school track and a four-year high school track.

Product overview

South County Cal-SOAP operates as a pre-college access program with a core service delivery model centered on College Success Coaches who provide academic mentoring and college/career advising at partner schools, supplemented by physical College Access Centers across four cities. The organization connects students to financial aid through FAFSA/CADA application assistance and a scholarship fund that has distributed over $1.8 million. Additional offerings include the SOAP Box newsletter subscription, AlumNight alumni events, and services for both middle and high school students. The organization primarily serves low-income and first-generation students in California's South County region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College Success Coaches Coaches embedded directly inside partner school districts who deliver academic mentoring, college and career advising, and ongoing college-preparation support to students during the school day. Service is targeted at low-income and first-generation K-12 students enrolled in GUSD, MHUSD, ASJUSD, and SBHSD.
• College Access Centers Walk-in physical centers located in Gilroy, Hollister, Morgan Hill, and San Juan Bautista that provide students and families with college advising, financial aid assistance, and access to program resources beyond school hours.
• FAFSA and CADA Application Assistance Hands-on help completing the FAFSA and the California Dream Act Application (CADA) for students and families, addressing financial aid access barriers for low-income and first-generation college-bound students.
• Cal-SOAP Scholarship Fund Scholarship funding program for participating students that has awarded $1.8 million in scholarships over 18 years of operation, providing direct financial support for postsecondary enrollment.
• Middle School Services Six-year program offering monthly sessions to 6th-8th grade students designed to prepare them academically for high school and eventual college enrollment, covering early college awareness, study skills, and goal setting.
• High School Services Four-year program offering regular sessions to 9th-12th grade students to prepare them for college, including advising, mentoring, financial aid support, and scholarship guidance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1.8 million in scholarships granted to students over 18 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Gilroy Unified School District (GUSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district partner. Cal-SOAP provides on-site College Success Coaches at Mt. Madonna High School, Christopher High School, Gilroy High School, Solorsano Middle School, Brownell Middle School, and South Valley Middle School.
• Morgan Hill Unified School District (MHUSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district partner. Cal-SOAP provides on-site College Success Coaches at Ann Sobrato High School, Central High School, Live Oak High School, Britton Middle School, Martin Murphy Middle School, and San Martin/Gwinn Environmental Science Academy.
• Aromas-San Juan Unified School District (ASJUSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district partner. Cal-SOAP provides on-site College Access Center services at Anzar High School in San Juan Bautista.
• San Benito High School District (SBHSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember school district partner. Cal-SOAP provides on-site College Access Center services at Hollister High School.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• uAspire: National nonprofit focused on college affordability and financial aid advising for low-income students. Overlaps with Cal-SOAP's FAFSA/CADAA application assistance and financial aid counseling services.
• Bottom Line: Nonprofit providing one-on-one college access and success advising to low-income and first-generation students. Closely aligned mission, intensive coaching model, and persistence-through-college support approach.
• College Possible: National nonprofit providing near-peer coaching for college access and success for low-income students. Directly comparable in mission, target population (low-income/first-gen), and intensive coaching delivery model.
• National College Advising Corps: Places recent college graduates as college advisers in underserved high schools. Shares Cal-SOAP's embedded-in-school delivery model and target population of first-generation and low-income students.
• Cal-SOAP (other regional consortia): Cal-SOAP operates as a statewide network of regional consortia across California providing college access services to low-income and first-generation students. Other regional Cal-SOAPs share the same mission, funding model, and embedded school-based service delivery framework.

Emerging players

• CollegeSpring: Nonprofit providing college access programming and SAT/ACT test preparation to low-income high school students. Overlaps with Cal-SOAP's test prep-adjacent academic mentoring and college application support.

Broad incumbents

• QuestBridge: National nonprofit connecting high-achieving low-income students to selective colleges through scholarships and partnerships. Comparable mission targeting low-income/first-gen students seeking college access support.
• ECMC Foundation: Foundation focused on improving college access and success for underserved students through grants and programs. Comparable mission in the college access nonprofit space with broader geographic and programmatic scope.
• AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination): Large-scale K-12 college readiness system used in thousands of schools. Operates a broader academic-preparation framework that overlaps with Cal-SOAP's college and career advising and academic mentoring services for underrepresented students.

Regional players

• 10,000 Degrees: California-based nonprofit serving low-income and first-generation students in the Bay Area with scholarships and college success support. Comparable mission and target population within overlapping California geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UComaxT9gAtKN4KkIvoYi5pA/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthCountyCalSOAP
• Instagraminstagram.com/sc_calsoap
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-county-cal-soap

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 South County Cal-SOAP