$1 Million Salesforce Grant Aims to Scale Career Coaching, AI-Powered Support for Students from Low-Income Backgrounds

With funding from Salesforce, College Possible plans to expand AI-powered college and career planning and advising to serve high school students in underserved communities

ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- College Possible, the pioneering national nonprofit on a mission to boost college access and success by connecting high school and college students with near-peer coaches, today announced that it has received a $1 million grant from Salesforce that will enable it to scale high-touch, tech-enabled student support. Over the next three years, the organization will expand its signature high school program, strengthen career advising, and leverage powerful new AI technologies to help remove barriers to college access and success for high school students nationwide.

"With rising costs, declining enrollment, and mounting confusion surrounding the financial aid process, millions of students from low-income and underserved communities are at a critical juncture in their educational and career paths," said Dr. Siva Kumari, CEO of College Possible. "This work is about removing those barriers and ensuring students not only make it to college but thrive in their journey, with the skills and preparation needed to succeed in life beyond the degree."

Recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center highlights the urgency of this work, with freshman enrollment hitting record lows—a 5% decline in Fall 2023 compared with Fall 2022. Freshmen students were also the demographic most impacted by complications from the delayed FAFSA rollout, which contributed to this steeper-than-usual decline. Students from low-income communities, particularly students of color, have been disproportionately affected, facing compounded challenges in accessing and succeeding in higher education.

To help close gaps in college access and completion, College Possible will use a newly-designed service model that provides high-quality, tech-enabled virtual coaching paired with in-person support services delivered through participating schools districts The organization trains and deploys AmeriCorps service members as college access and success mentors to help high school juniors and seniors from low-income backgrounds enroll in—and complete—college.

Over the next three years, College Possible will leverage the grant from Salesforce to support three areas of focus:

• Strengthening High School Partnerships. Expanding and revitalizing partnerships with high schools to boost recruitment for its signature College Access Program, which delivers targeted coaching and support to high school students. Through the program, students receive guidance from their College Possible coach, focusing on identifying best-fit colleges, making financial plans, submitting applications, and navigating enrollment successfully.
  
  
• Removing Barriers to Workforce Readiness. College Possible will introduce new career-building programming designed to help high school students develop foundational career planning skills, such as resume building, cover letter writing, finding an internship, and interview preparation. The organization will transition its career readiness curriculum into a more engaging video format to help students prepare for and build early career experiences as they navigate the path from high school to college and the workforce.
  
  
• Using AI to Scale Student Support. The grant will also enable College Possible to integrate advanced AI technologies to make student-coach interactions more seamless, provide easier access to personalized resources, and create a more efficient support system. By using tech-enabled tools and a centralized student-facing system, the integration of AI will reduce administrative burdens, while allowing coaches to focus on engaging directly with students.

"Right now, as too many low-income students face new barriers to accessing college, completing their education, and building meaningful careers, we're reminded that we're just beginning to tap into the potential of AI and other emerging technologies to expand opportunity," said Suzanne DiBianca, executive vice president and chief impact officer at Salesforce. "This grant is a testament to what's possible when social sector organizations embrace innovation—not just to scale what works, but to build a future where every student, no matter their background, has a real shot at success."

Since its founding in 2000, College Possible has supported over 93,000 students through its innovative near-peer coaching model, which has been proven to significantly increase college enrollment and completion rates. Annually, the organization works with nearly 25,000 high school and college students from underinvested communities at 129 high schools and 51 colleges spanning eight cities.

For more information about College Possible, visit www.collegepossible.org.

About College Possible: As one of the largest and most successful college access and success programs in the country, since 2000 College Possible has helped put more than 90,000 students from disinvested communities on the path to economic mobility via completion of a college degree. Its proven near-peer coaching model, delivered by recent college graduates serving as AmeriCorps members, provides high-touch interventions proven to help students navigate and overcome the most common barriers to college access, retention and degree completion. Nationwide, College Possible students are three times more likely to earn a bachelor's degree within six years than their peers from similar backgrounds. Headquartered in Saint Paul, MN, College Possible operates: regional sites in Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Omaha, NE; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA;  and Austin, TX; and has Catalyze partnerships in California, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee. Learn more at CollegePossible.org

SOURCE College Possible