Boston Coaching for Completion/Social Innovation Fund

In 2014, the Boston Foundation was awarded $2.7 million through the federal Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a key White House initiative and program of the National and Community Service, to expand and accelerate the Success Boston transition coaching intervention. 

This Social Innovation Fund award gives the Foundation the resources necessary to expand Success Boston’s transition coaching model, Boston Coaching for Completion, from 300 to 1,000 students annually.

Coaching primarily focuses on the non-academic challenges: financial need, personal and emotional support, career and life planning, and better use of existing academic supports on campuses.

In April 2015, the Boston Foundation concluded its four-month subgrantee due diligence and selection process, which entailed an assessment of each organization’s strengths across four categories: 1) Impact and Results; 2) Capacity for BosC4C and SIF Engagement; 3) Financial and Governance Capacity; 4)  Partnership, Fit and Potential for Impact. Nine subgrantee organizations were selected, out of a pool of fifteen applicants.

The awardees are high-performing nonprofits that will provide transition coaching to a cohort of 1,000 Boston high school graduates, beginning with the class of 2015.

In 2015, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) awarded the Boston Foundation a second Social Innovation Fund grant of $3.3M to support implementation of Success Boston's innovative coaching model for an additional two years.

This $6M total investment will allow Success Boston to support more than 1,000 students each from the Boston Public Schools classes of 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Social Innovation Fund Details

• Request for Proposals
• Subgrantee Selection Process
• Review Team
• External Reviewer Comments
• Frequently Asked Questions

Awarded Subgrantees

Bottom Line ($400,000) is dedicated to helping disadvantaged students get in to college, graduate from college, and go far in life. They provide low-income and first-generation students with one-on-one guidance through the application process and during college. Bottom Line provides outcomes-based support driven by a rigorous curriculum and delivered by full-time staff members, who communicate regularly with students.

Click here to view Bottom Line’s SIF Application.

Boston Private Industry Council ($300,000) is a nonprofit organization that connects business, the Boston Public Schools, higher education, government, labor, and community organizations to create innovative workforce and education solutions that benefit Boston residents and businesses alike. PIC postsecondary coaches connect students to valuable campus and community resources, navigate deadlines and requirements, and balance the demands of school, life, and employment.

Click here to view the Boston Private Industry Council’s SIF Application.

College Bound Dorchester ($130,000) provides educational services to the underserved and lays the foundation for future academic, economic and social success. By providing a continuum of services, College Bound Dorchester works to ensure a path to higher education for all students.

Click here to view College Bound Dorchester’s Application.

Freedom House ($150,000) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to transform the economic and cultural fabric of high-need communities through education and leadership development. The Preparing Urban Students for Success in Higher Education (PUSH) program supports students through the individual challenges that stand in the way of persistence along the academic pipeline from high school to successfully earning a post-secondary degree or entering the workforce.

Click here to view Freedom House’s Application.

Hyde Square Task Force ($160,000) is a community-based organization that develops the skills of youth and their families so that they are empowered to enhance their own lives and build a strong and vibrant urban community. Their educational programs serve over 1,000 elementary, middle, and high school students each year.

Click here to view Hyde Square Task Force’s Application.

Match Beyond ($110,000) empowers young adults and college non-completers to earn postsecondary degrees. The organization provides personal coaching, study support, and job placement services to high school graduates in Boston who enroll in low-cost Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree programs at College for America, an innovative online arm of Southern New Hampshire University.

Click here to view Match Beyond’s Application.

Sociedad Latina ($100,000) works in partnership with Latino youth and families to end destructive cycles of poverty, health inequities, and lack of educational and professional opportunities. Their Pathways to Success Model is an array of comprehensive programs, aligned to engage youth throughout their development, from age 10-21, and lead them to successful futures in higher education, in careers, and in their communities.

Click here to view Sociedad Latina’s Application.

Steppingstone ($100,000) offers after school and summer college preparation for 1,000 Boston students each year, beginning in fifth grade and continuing through college. Steppingstone develops and implements programs that prepare underserved students for educational opportunities that lead to college success.

Click here to view Steppingstone’s Application.

West End House Boys & Girls Club ($150,000) is an independent Boys and Girls Club in the City of Boston. The West End House offers its members an integrated array of programs across four broad areas: leadership and life skills; academic support and college success; sports, fitness and nutrition; and visual and performing arts.

Click here to view West End House Boys & Girls Club’s Application.