About
QuestBridge is a national nonprofit that connects the nation's most exceptional students from low-income backgrounds with leading colleges and opportunities. Founded in 1994 by Stanford University students Ana Rowena Mallari and Dr. Michael McCullough, the Palo Alto, California-based organization (legally registered as Quest Scholars Program) has become a primary pipeline through which top colleges recruit and enroll high-achieving, low-income students on full scholarships.
Mission
QuestBridge supports high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds on their path to a top college.
What they do
- National College Match: the flagship program through which high school seniors apply to be matched with full scholarships at QuestBridge college partners
- College Prep Scholars Program: prepares high-achieving high school juniors to apply to top colleges
- Graduate School Match for MBA programs, and Graduate School Scholarships for law and medicine
- Summer Professional Experience Program for career development
History
QuestBridge launched in 1994 as a five-week residential summer program for high-achieving high school juniors from low-income backgrounds. In 2003 it expanded nationally, signing its first college partners (Amherst College, Grinnell College, and Rice University) and introducing the National College Match program. In 2019, the organization celebrated its 25th anniversary with a summit in San Francisco attended by more than 1,200 Scholars.
Scale and impact
QuestBridge partners with 55 colleges and universities committed to making a top education possible for outstanding students from low-income backgrounds, including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Duke, Northwestern, and Brown. The organization reports that it has served over 100,000 high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds to date.
Financials
Per IRS filings summarized by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Quest Scholars Program (EIN 94-3348336) reported total revenue of 11,254,682 dollars for fiscal year 2024.
Governance
QuestBridge is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization governed by a Board of Directors, legally registered as Quest Scholars Program and headquartered in Palo Alto, California.