act six
Act Six, operated by Degrees of Change, is a nonprofit leadership development and full-tuition college scholarship program serving diverse local emerging leaders from seven U.S. cities through 17 partner colleges, with 1,500+ alumni over 22 years.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersTacoma, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What act six does
Act Six is a leadership development and college scholarship program operated by Degrees of Change, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 by Tim Herron. The program selects and supports diverse, local emerging leaders from seven U.S. city markets — Tacoma-Seattle, Yakima Valley, Spokane, Portland-Salem, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Indianapolis, and Chicago — placing them at 17 partner colleges on full-tuition scholarships with cohort-based mentorship and leadership training. Over 22 years, Act Six served approximately 1,500 scholars, building an alumni network and a multi-stakeholder model linking community affiliates, colleges, and philanthropic funders.
The organization's business model is philanthropic rather than commercial: revenue is generated through foundation grants, institutional philanthropy, and individual donations, while the scholarship itself is funded in-kind by partner colleges. Core delivery is human-mediated — selection processes, cohort retreats, mentorship pairings, and community-based leadership practicums — with no documented technology platform or AI/ML infrastructure. Degrees of Change has expanded its programmatic surface beyond the flagship scholarship via Seed Internships (2018), Seed Teachers (2023), and the Strickland Fellowship (January 2026), diversifying the pipeline from pre-college through early-career stages.
In May 2024 the organization announced that Act Six's incoming class would be its last, with the final cohort graduating by spring 2028. Founder Tim Herron stepped into a Chief Innovation Officer role in May 2023 with Marquise Dixon appointed CEO, followed by Kelly Bay-Meyer's appointment as CEO in October 2025. In early 2026, Degrees of Change reduced staff by approximately half amid financial challenges, reflecting a contraction phase as the flagship winds down and successor programs take a larger share of organizational focus.
act six firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- act six
- Legal name
- Degrees of Change
- Website
- https://actsix.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Act Six, operated by Degrees of Change, is a nonprofit leadership development and full-tuition college scholarship program serving diverse local emerging leaders from seven U.S. cities through 17 partner colleges, with 1,500+ alumni over 22 years.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
act six industry classification
Industry- Product category
- College Scholarship and Leadership Development Programs
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Resume / Activities List / Portfolio Development (EDANAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Student Government & Leadership Programs (EDAJAJAH), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)
Keywords
Where act six is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tacoma
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
act six business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Philanthropic donations and foundation grants: Act Six is funded through donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships. The program provides full-need full-tuition scholarships to selected scholars at partner colleges.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
act six product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Act Six is a leadership development and college scholarship program that recruits diverse emerging leaders through community affiliates in 7 U.S. cities, selects them through a rigorous 3-phase process, and awards full-need, full-tuition scholarships at partner colleges. Selected scholars participate in a cohort-based 'cadres' model with a pre-college Summer Expedition and ongoing mentorship, committing to use their education to make a difference on campus and in their home communities.
Product overview
Act Six is a suite of programs operated by Degrees of Change, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The core offering is the Act Six leadership development and college scholarship program, which provides full-tuition scholarships and cohort-based training for emerging diverse leaders. Supporting programs include Seed Internships (career readiness internships), Seed Teachers (educator preparation), and the Strickland Fellowship (engineering pathways). Programs are designed to create college-to-career pathways for historically underrepresented students who want to lead and serve their home communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Act Six: Leadership development and college scholarship program that brings together diverse cadres of emerging leaders who want to use their college education to make a difference on campus and in their home communities.
- Seed Internships
- Seed Teachers
- Strickland Fellowship for Career Pathways
Products and services
- Act Six Leadership Development and College Scholarship Program Leadership development and college scholarship program that brings together diverse cadres of emerging leaders who want to use their college education to make a difference on campus and in their home communities; provides full-need, full-tuition scholarships at partner universities with cohort-based training. The program is no longer recruiting new cohorts (final class announced May 2024) but continues to support existing scholars through spring 2028.
- Seed Internships Summer internship program that matches college students from diverse backgrounds with top local employers in the Puget Sound region, combined with weekly professional development sessions provided by Degrees of Change.
- Seed Teachers Program for Tacoma students interested in careers as educators, preparing future teachers to enter classrooms as culturally fluent leaders who reflect the students they serve.
- Strickland Fellowship for Career Pathways Engineering fellowship program in partnership with UW Tacoma and City of Tacoma, providing students with hands-on experience working on municipal projects to prepare them for engineering careers close to home.
Quantifiable outcome
- 81% graduate within 6 years (12 points higher than rate for all students at partner colleges)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use act six
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
act six technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
act six partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Urban Ventures (Minneapolis-St. Paul)coreCommunity affiliate partner that led the launch of Act Six Twin Cities in 2014. Largest site with 200 scholars across six different colleges.
- Whitworth UniversitycoreFirst college partner for Act Six, made a million-dollar commitment to launch the program. Whitworth was the first Act Six site starting with Cadre 1 in 2002.
- Augsburg UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars in Minneapolis-St. Paul
- Bethel UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars in Minneapolis-St. Paul
- University of Northwestern – St. PaulcorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars in Minneapolis-St. Paul
- Gonzaga UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- Pacific Lutheran UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- Saint Martin's UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- Heritage UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- North Central UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- Northwest UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- George Fox UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- Bethany Lutheran CollegecorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- Concordia College MoorheadcorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- Corban UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- Taylor UniversitycorePartner college providing full-tuition scholarships to Act Six scholars
- The Contingent (Portland-Salem)coreCommunity affiliate partner for Act Six in Portland-Salem region
- Yakima Valley Community FoundationcoreCommunity affiliate partner for Act Six in Yakima Valley region
- UW TacomacorePartner in Strickland Fellowship for Career Pathways program, providing engineering education and career pathways
- City of TacomacorePartner in Strickland Fellowship, providing municipal projects and engineering career exposure for students
- CHOOSE 180minorNonprofit employer partner for Seed Internships program
- City of SumnerminorEmployer partner for Seed Internships program
- Comprehensive Life ResourcesminorNonprofit employer partner for Seed Internships providing behavioral health, primary care, and dental care internships
- MacDonald-Miller Facility SolutionsminorEmployer partner for Seed Internships, full-service mechanical contractor
- Palmer ScholarsminorEmployer partner for Seed Internships, bridging opportunity for young adults of color in Pierce County
- Virginia Mason Franciscan HealthminorEmployer partner for Seed Internships, leading health system in Washington
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
act six competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- College Track: College completion program serving first-generation and low-income students from high school through college graduation and career; highly comparable multi-year cohort-based model.
- Posse Foundation: Provides full-tuition scholarships and cohort-based leadership development for diverse cohorts of students at partner colleges; the closest direct peer to Act Six's model and target population.
- QuestBridge: National college match program connecting high-achieving, low-income students with full four-year scholarships at partner colleges; comparable in scholar demographics and scholarship-led approach.
- America Needs You: College-to-career mentorship and intensive career development program for first-generation college students; comparable cohort model and bridge from college to professional career.
- Bottom Line: College access and success nonprofit focused on first-generation students from low-income backgrounds, with intensive one-on-one coaching from admissions through graduation; comparable target population and outcome metrics.
- Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: National scholarship provider for high-achieving students with financial need, including the Cooke College Scholarship Program; comparable in serving high-achieving, underrepresented college-bound students.
- College Possible: Nonprofit providing near-peer coaching and college access support to low-income students from high school through college graduation; comparable mission, cohort model, and outcome orientation.
Emerging players
- ScholarMatch: College access and scholarship support nonprofit serving low-income students, with narrower geographic scope and a more tech-enabled delivery model; emerging alternative to Act Six-style regional programs.
Others
- StriveTogether: National cradle-to-career network coordinating place-based efforts to improve educational outcomes for every child; adjacent ecosystem player that supports similar college-success work through community partnerships.
Broad incumbents
- KIPP Foundation: Large national education nonprofit operating a network of public charter schools with a through-college program; overlaps in mission to serve low-income students through to college success at much greater scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
act six social profiles
Digital presenceact six financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
act six leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
act six funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
act six 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 act six
What does act six do?
Act Six is a leadership development and college scholarship program that recruits diverse emerging leaders through community affiliates in 7 U.S. cities, selects them through a rigorous 3-phase process, and awards full-need, full-tuition scholarships at partner colleges. Selected scholars participate in a cohort-based 'cadres' model with a pre-college Summer Expedition and ongoing mentorship, committing to use their education to make a difference on campus and in their home communities.
Is act six a public or private company?
act six is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was act six founded?
act six was founded in 2002.
Where is act six based?
act six is headquartered in Tacoma, United States, in the North America region.
How does act six make money?
One revenue line is on record: philanthropic donations and foundation grants.
Who are act six's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are College Track, Posse Foundation, QuestBridge, America Needs You, Bottom Line, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and College Possible. ScholarMatch is listed as an emerging player. StriveTogether is listed as an others. KIPP Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does act six have an API?
No public API is recorded for act six.
What industry is act six in?
act six's product category is College Scholarship and Leadership Development Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDANAEAG, Resume / Activities List / Portfolio Development, with a secondary code of EDAJAJAH, Student Government & Leadership Programs. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.