Causes: Children & Youth, Education, Educational Services, Secondary & High Schools, Youth Development, Youth Development Programs

Mission: Breakthrough pursues a dual mission to 1) Increase academic opportunity for highly motivated, underserved students and get them into college ready to succeed; and 2) Inspire and develop the next generation of teachers and educational leaders.

Direct beneficiaries per year: More than 10,000 Breakthrough students and more than 1,000 teaching fellows

Programs: Breakthrough operates summer and school-year programming to partner with students from under-resourced communities on their paths to college, and we offer a challenging teaching residency for college undergraduates under the guidance of professional teachers. Together, we are helping to reverse educational inequities. In our tuition-free, academically intense programs, students learn the academic and leadership skills they will need to succeed in college-preparatory high schools, in college, and throughout life. The core of the Breakthrough model is an intensive six-week summer program which includes rigorous academics, creative arts, and spirit-filled group activities. During the school year, students attend after-school and/or Saturday sessions. Like the summer sessions, the school-year activities complement and expand upon what the students are learning in their regular schools, with a particular emphasis on skill-building and enrichment.