About
Bottom Line is a national college access and success nonprofit founded in 1997 and headquartered in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Its mission is to serve as a "relentless ally" to degree-aspiring students from first-generation and low-income backgrounds as they get into college, graduate, and go far in life. The organization is a nearly 100% privately funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit that holds a 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator and Platinum status from GuideStar/Candid.
Mission
Bottom Line's stated mission is to "serve as a relentless ally to degree-aspiring students from first-generation and low-income backgrounds as they get into college, graduate, and go far in life." The organization was established on the belief that personalized one-on-one guidance improves student success, and it has focused for more than two decades on improving college access and graduation rates in under-resourced communities.
What they do
- College Access Program: helps high school students get into college; in fiscal year 2025, 1,089 students were served through the Access program and 91.7% of them committed to college by June 1.
- College Success Program: College Success Advisors provide individualized support for up to six years after college enrollment, through graduation and into first jobs.
- Bluprint, Get Schooled, and Learning Labs: additional tools and programs that extend Bottom Line's advising approach.
Bottom Line partners with 53 Target Colleges and operates in Massachusetts, New York City, Chicago, Ohio, Detroit, and Houston.
Scale and impact
Bottom Line currently serves over 7,000 students. The organization reports that 94% of its students persisted to their second semester, a leading indicator for graduation. A randomized controlled trial found that Bottom Line's intensive advising during high school and college leads to significant increases in bachelor's degree attainment: students in the program are 13% more likely to attend four-year institutions and 7.6% more likely to earn a bachelor's degree within five years of high school graduation. Bottom Line also reports that its students typically earn over twice their family's income in their first jobs.
Financials
According to IRS filings compiled by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (The Bottom Line Inc, EIN 04-3351427), the organization reported total revenue of about $36.5 million and total expenses of about $19.2 million in the fiscal year ending June 2023, with year-end total assets of about $39.7 million.