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Minneapolis MN | IRS ruling year: 1982 | EIN: 41-1425264
We rally community support and deliver best-in-class programs to inspire and equip Minneapolis and Saint Paul young people for careers, college and life. Learn more ... (More)
We rally community support and deliver best-in-class programs to inspire and equip Minneapolis and Saint Paul young people for careers, college and life. Learn more at www.achievempls.org. (Less)
Great
This charity's score is 92%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 80% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, 10% Culture & Community. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
2/1/2022 | 2020 | 91.43 | |
4/1/2021 | 2019 | 90.79 | |
8/1/2019 | 2018 | 91.63 | |
8/1/2018 | 2017 | 88.22 | |
10/1/2017 | 2016 | 90.51 | |
7/1/2017 | 2015 | 96.66 | |
7/1/2016 | 2015 | 96.66 | |
This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990. | |||
6/1/2016 | 2014 | 91.16 | |
Rating Version: 2.0 | |||
11/1/2015 | 2014 | 92.39 | |
11/1/2014 | 2013 | 85.19 | |
11/1/2013 | 2012 | 85.02 | |
7/1/2012 | 2011 | 91.70 | |
12/1/2011 | 2010 | 82.32 | |
9/20/2011 | 2009 | 99.18 | |
Rating Version: 1.0 | |||
9/1/2010 | 2009 | 98.84 | |
9/1/2009 | 2008 | 98.74 | |
9/1/2008 | 2007 | 99.04 | |
8/1/2007 | 2006 | 88.50 |
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for AchieveMpls is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
AchieveMpls has earned a 91% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
Learn more
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
Independent Voting Board Members ... (More) The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. Our analysts check the Form 990 to determine if the independent Board members are a voting majority and also at least five in number. (Less) | |
No Material Diversion of Assets ... (More) A diversion of assets – any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft – can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories:
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Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant ... (More) Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.
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Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties ... (More) Making loans to related parties such as key officers, staff, or Board members, is not standard practice in the sector as it may divert the charity's funds away from its charitable mission and can lead to real and perceived conflict-of-interest problems. This practice is discouraged by sector trade groups which point to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act when they call for charities to refrain from making loans to directors and executives. And the IRS is concerned enough with the practice that it requires charities to disclose on their Form 990 any loans to or from current and former officers, directors, trustees, key employees, and other "disqualified persons." Furthermore, some state laws go so far as to prohibit loans to board members and officers. And although employees and trustees are permitted to make loans to charities, this practice can also result in real and/or perceived conflict of interest problems for the charity. Furthermore, it is problematic because it is an indicator that the organization is not financially secure. (Less) | |
Documents Board Meeting Minutes ... (More) An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference. Charities are not required to make their Board meeting minutes available to the public. As such, we are not able to review and critique their minutes. For this performance metric, we are checking to see if the charity reports on its Form 990 that it does keep those minutes. In the future, we will also track and rate whether or not a charity keeps minutes for its committee meetings. (Less) | |
Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing ... (More) Providing copies of the Form to the governing body in advance of filing is considered a best practice, as it allows for thorough review by the individuals charged with overseeing the organization. The Form 990 asks the charity to disclose whether or not it has followed this best practice. If the charity has not distributed its Form 990 to the board before filing, then we deduct 4 points from its Accountability and Transparency score. (Less) | |
Does not Compensate Board Members ... (More) The IRS requires that any compensation paid to members of the charity's governing body be listed on the Form 990. Furthermore, all members of the governing body need to be listed whether or not they are compensated. It is not unusual for some members of the board to have compensation listed. The executive director of the organization frequently has a seat on the board, for instance, and is compensated for being a full time staff member. However, it is rare for a charity to compensate individuals only for serving on its Board of Directors. Although this sort of board compensation is not illegal, it is not considered a best practice. (Less) |
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
Conflict of Interest ... (More) Such a policy protects the organization, and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer or director of the organization. Charities are not required to share their conflict of interest policies with the public. Although we can not evaluate the substance of its policy, we can tell you if the charity has one in place based on the information it reports on its Form 990. If the charity does not have a Conflict of Interest policy, then we deduct 4 points from its Accountability and Transparency score. (Less) | |
Whistleblower ... (More) This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report any financial mismanagement. Here we are reporting on the existence of a policy as reported by the charity on its Form 990. (Less) | |
Records Retention and Destruction ... (More) Such a policy establishes guidelines for handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promotes data integrity. Here we are reporting on the existence of a policy as reported by the charity on its Form 990. If the charity does not have a Records Retention and Destruction Policy, then we deduct 4 points from its Accountability and Transparency score. (Less) | |
CEO Compensation Process ... (More) This process indicates that the organization has a documented policy that it follows year after year. The policy should indicate that an objective and independent review process of the CEO's compensation has been conducted which includes benchmarking against comparable organizations. We check to be sure that the charity has reported on its Form 990 its process for determining its CEO pay. (Less) | |
Donor Privacy ... (More) Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories:
The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. (Less) |
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
CEO Salary Listed on 990 ... (More) Charities are required to list their CEO's name and compensation on the Form 990. Our analysts check to be sure that the charities complied with the Form 990 instructions and included this information in their filing. (Less) | |
Board of Directors Listed on Website ... (More) Our analysts check to see if the charity lists Board members on its website. Publishing this information enables donors and other stakeholders to ascertain the make up of the charity's governing body. This enables stakeholders to report concerns to the Board. Charity Navigator does not cross-check the Board members listed on the website with that reported on the Form 990, because the latter often isn't available until more than a year after the charity's fiscal year ends. In that time, the charity's Board members may have changed, and the charity typically reflects those more recent changes on the website. (Less) | |
Key Staff Listed on Website ... (More) It is important for donors and other stakeholders to know who runs the organization day-to-day. Charity Navigator does not cross-check the leadership listed on the website with that reported on the Form 990 because the latter often isn't available until more than a year after the charity's fiscal year ends. In that time, the charity's leadership may have changed and the charity typically reflects those more recent changes on the website. In other words, since the Form 990 isn't especially timely, it can not be used to verify the leadership information published on the charity's site. (Less) | |
Audited Financial Statements Listed on Website ... (More) We check the charity's website to see if it has published its audited financial statements for the fiscal year represented by the most recently filed IRS Form 990. It is important for donors to have easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well. We currently rate charities on whether or not they publish their audit on their website. (Less) | |
Form 990 Available on Website ... (More) We check the charity's website to see if it has published its most recently filed IRS Form 990 (a direct link to the charity's 990 on an external site is sufficient). It is important for donors to have easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well. (Less) |
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s).
This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Organizations that demonstrate consistent annual growth in program expenses are able to outpace inflation and thus sustain their programs year to year. These organizations also supply givers with greater confidence by maintaining broad public support for their programs. We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Danielle Grant, President & CEO
$151,122 (2.91% of Total Expenses)
Current CEO and Board Chair can be found in the Leadership & Adaptability report below.
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Study and research (non-scientific) (BMF activity code: 124)
Other activity aimed t combating community deterioration (BMF activity code: 402)
Described in section 509(a)(2) of the Code (BMF activity code: 995)
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (AchieveMpls) or EIN (411425264) in the 'Search Term' field.
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
AchieveMpls reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
AchieveMpls is fortunate to have a diverse portfolio of supporters including individual donors, corporate and institutional grantors, and contracts. Like all nonprofits, we have experienced an increased demand for our services, but our community has stepped up to support our work and ensure students receive the highest quality career and college readiness programming. COVID-19 still continues to impact our young people in so many ways and Achieve is working hard to make sure that they have what they need as they transition back to school after more than a year of distance learning and stay on track with their career and college planning. Our community's ongoing support ensures that every student has full and equitable access to postsecondary education and purposeful, life-enriching careers that will lead to a more just and vibrant community.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, AchieveMpls rapidly transition to a remote service model for all of our major programming and ensure an uninterrupted continuance of support. Switching to a remote advising model, our Career and College Coordinators were instrumental in keeping MPS and SPPS students connected to their school communities and on-track to graduate prepared to enter postsecondary programs and/or the workforce on pathways toward financial independence. Similarly, we quickly improvised new Step Up paid remote training, internships, online enrichment programming so that our students could continue earning good wages to support themselves and their families and simultaneously keep pursuing their career goals by building their resumes and networks.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
AchieveMpls has not only continued doing our work throughout these challenging times, but has proactively developed new ways to better support our young people through innovative programming, strategies, and expansion. In SY19-20 Saint Paul Public Schools invited us to replicate our programming on their high schools and, as of SY21-22, we are now the sole universal career and college readiness provider directly partnering with the state’s second and third largest school districts, having doubled our programmatic footprint in two years to reach ~20,000 students attending 19 SPPS and MPS schools. Additionally, we were one of the few youth paid internship programs to continue operations immediately after the onset of the pandemic, ensuring that 1000+ low-income youth had paid resume-building work and career readiness opportunities. We have deliberately adjusted our model to incorporate remote paid training, internships, and ongoing Career Exploration Programming.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
While the pandemic and quarantine created many challenges, it also produced some unexpected opportunities to make our work more accessible. A few examples include: 1) Normally, school-based advising activities are coordinated at the campus or classroom level, reaching a much smaller number of students. Our transition to producing digital events, pre-recorded and live, means these opportunities can be accessed by students and families across the districts, versus being restricted by physical location. 2) We found ways to make our internship programming more accessible to students who have traditionally struggled to complete training and onboarding. For example, many youth on the autism spectrum have challenges learning in large groups, so we partnered with organizations that specialize in serving youth with special needs to provide the facilities, small class sizes, and professionals that can better support our interns-in-training.
Not Currently Scored
AchieveMpls cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Learn More
AchieveMpls reported its two largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
Career and College Centers
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
Minneapolis Public Schools
AchieveMpls has earned a 92% for the Culture & Community beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
Learn more
30% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Who are the people you serve with your mission? Describe briefly.
Our programs serve slightly different but overlapping populations. Of the ~20,000 MPS and SPPS students reached through our school-based Career and College Readiness programming, roughly 70% are BIPOC and 60% are low-income. With a commitment to equity, we devote the most time and resources to support youth who are historically under-represented in career and college opportunities. All Step Up paid training and internship opportunities are reserved for students facing barriers to economic opportunities. Every year, roughly 90% of Step Up interns come from a low-income household and/or are youth of color, half are first- or second-generation immigrants, and a fifth live with physical or mental disabilities.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Paper surveys, Case management notes, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email, Other means
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners
How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship with them or shifted power - over decisions, resources, rules or in other ways - to them?
Students are at the center of all we do. We purposefully solicit their feedback through surveys, focus groups, and 1:1 and small groups to inform our work and stay abreast of what students find meaningful. To meet their needs, we partner with individuals and institutions from all sectors. We work with district and campus leadership to strategize and deliver college access and readiness programming. Achieve collaborates with dozens of peer service providers to maximize our collective impact by delivering joint programming and directing students to the resources most appropriate to their needs. We engage directly with postsecondary institutions and employers to better understand what they can offer our young people and to advocate for our students by calling attention to unmet needs.
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
One of the most common requests we received from Step Up internship alumni was to offer opportunities for them to remain connected to employers through high-quality, resume-building jobs while earning their postsecondary credentials. In 2020, we successfully piloted a small cohort of Achieve College Interns (ACI). ACI training and internships are more rigorous and closely aligned with each participant’s career ambitions and desired daily and long-term working conditions, builds their resumes with meaningful accomplishments, and gives them access to networks and social capital they will need to make a smooth transition from postsecondary programs into full-time employment. We are now annually hosting ~50 interns, all of whom face significant barriers to economic opportunities.
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 88 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 6 Equity Practices. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective equity policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Equity Practices (1/7) | |
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We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. | |
We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and/or portfolios. | |
We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization/'s programs, portfolios, and the populations served. | |
We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support. | |
We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders. | |
We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured | |
We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. |
Equity Policies and Procedures (5/7) | |
---|---|
We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity. | |
We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. | |
We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization. | |
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board. | |
We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. | |
We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team. | |
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. |
AchieveMpls has earned a 100% for the Leadership & Adaptability beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Learn more
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
We rally community support and deliver best-in-class programs to inspire and equip Minneapolis and Saint Paul young people for careers, college and life.
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Our young people have full and equitable access to postsecondary education and career opportunities, creating a more just and vibrant community.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Strengthen and continually refine our youth programming portfolio.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Cultivate an engaged community that is committed to our mission and vision.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Goal Three: Build a nourishing and inclusive organizational culture.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
One of our Core Values articulated in our recently adopted Strategic Plan is that, “We achieve our mission through our dedicated and talented team. We continually seek ways to support, engage with, and be accountable to the people in our organization.” As such, we pride ourselves on industry-leading best HR practices, such as regularly ensuring our compensation packages are commensurate with industry pay and benefits. We have a very flexible PTO policy that is particularly appreciated by members of our team who are young parents and have other pressing obligations in their private lives. This has been particularly helpful during the pandemic, enabling our organization and team to nimbly adapt to swiftly changing circumstances and program delivery. This allowed us to continue meeting the needs of our young people, and simultaneously support the health of our employees. AchieveMpls sets aside $500 per year per employee for professional development that they may use at their discretion.
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
AchieveMpls recognizes that one organization alone cannot meet every need of every student. Our primary partners are the City of Minneapolis and MPS and SPPS. With the City, we maintain a network of 200+ employers with whom we annually create 1,400 summer internships. AchieveMpls simultaneously serves as a thought partner to MPS and SPPS in developing CCR systems, and the sole universal direct CCR service provider supporting all secondary students. AchieveMpls’ leadership team serve as consultants and advisors to several regional planning committees. Our President & CEO is a member of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Minneapolis Federal Reserve’s Community Advisory Board. We have consulted several communities replicating our Step Up program model. And, our CCC team members work with post-secondary institutions, and present at local, regional, and national conferences on our advising model and use of data to improve student postsecondary outcomes.
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, AchieveMpls rapidly switched to a remote service model to continue delivering our life-changing services. We were an instrumental partner to both Minneapolis and Saint Paul public school districts in keeping students connected to their school communities and on-track to graduate prepared to enter postsecondary programs and/or the workforce. Even though the last third of SY19-20 and first 80% of SY20-21 were conducted entirely remotely, we still managed to support students at a district-wide capacity. Overall, our Coordinators provided direct, 1:1 CCR advising to 69% of seniors and 39.5% of all students; through mass communications and group activities, we reached all students. Thanks to our Coordinators, 69% of seniors applied to college of whom 77% applied to 2+ programs. Additionally, our FAFSA completion rate exceeded the statewide average by 4 percentage points. The first wave of lockdowns in March 2020 arrived during the middle of Step Up training and recruitment, resulting in 70% of our employer-partners bowing out due to economic and public health uncertainties. We quickly improvised new paid remote training, internships, online enrichment programming so that our students, who were the most heavily impacted by the pandemic, would continue receiving funds to support themselves and their families and simultaneously keep pursuing their career goals by building their resumes and networks. During Summer 2020, 1,871 youth completed work readiness training, of whom 466 were placed in traditional paid internships with 60 employers and ~500 participated in paid Career Exploration Programming (CEP) for a total of 966, or about two thirds our pre-COVID capacity. In Summer 2021, 745 (+279) youth were placed in paid internships with 88 (+28) employers and 628 (+128) participated in CEP for a total of 1,373.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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