Breakthrough Central Texas

Creating first-generation college graduates

aka Breakthrough Central Texas   |   Austin, TX   |  www.breakthroughctx.org

Mission

Breakthrough Central Texas creates a path to and through college for students who will become the first in their families to earn a college degree. All children should have the opportunity to benefit from the life-changing power of a college degree, as educational opportunities beyond high school afford a greater ability to achieve economic mobility and build a life of one’s own choosing. However, too often, a student’s circumstances of birth – race, ethnicity, family’s income level or immigration status – predicts the educational opportunities they will be afforded. In Central Texas, only 8% of middle schoolers from low-income communities go on to earn a college degree of any kind. To combat this inequity, Breakthrough makes a 12-year commitment to students and their families to gu

Ruling year info

2001

Executive Director

Michael Griffith

Main address

1050 East 11th Street, Suite 350

Austin, TX 78702 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

74-2991346

NTEE code info

Educational Services and Schools - Other (B90)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Our region is experiencing an ever-widening economic divide, the results of which mean a deep-rooted and pervasive cycle of poverty. A cycle that has little chance of being broken without aggressive and effective intervention. Nearly two-thirds of new jobs in Central Texas require a post-secondary degree. Any form of post-secondary degree increases an individual’s lifetime earnings by 75% over that of a high school diploma. Yet, less than 8% of middle school students from low-income communities in Central Texas will earn a post-secondary degree. It’s not hard to see the pattern in the statistics. The path out of poverty requires, at the very least, a college degree.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Extended Learning

Breakthrough extends the amount of learning each student receives outside of school by offering academically challenging summer programs, after-school tutoring, Saturday enrichment programs and SAT/ACT preparation. We also offer college-financing counseling and individualized college guidance.

Population(s) Served
Students
Economically disadvantaged people

Breakthrough advisers serve each student, 24/7, as their go-to, knowledgeable, personal advocate and champion. Advisers are a special key to our model's success. Our student advisers, work one-on-one with students for an entire phase of their schooling (middle school, high school, and college).

Population(s) Served
Students
Economically disadvantaged people

Breakthrough engages students in rich, meaningful experiences that develop leadership and instill confidence and a sense of real-life achievement. These experiences include internships with leading companies like Google and Capital Factory, the challenging opportunity to teach younger Breakthrough students, a two-week personal project and innovative ways that build character and broaden horizons.

Population(s) Served
Students
Economically disadvantaged people

Students receive the resources, guidance and support needed to transition to college and persist through to college graduation.

Population(s) Served
Students
Economically disadvantaged people

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Percentage of students graduate high school on time

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Percentage of high school graduates that directly enroll into college

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Earn a post-secondary degree or diploma within six years of high school graduation.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Breakthrough students graduate at seven times the rate of their low-income peers.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Breakthrough builds a path through college, beginning in middle school, for students from low-income communities who will become the first in their families to earn a college degree. Our program combines individualized, long-term case management with extended learning time for students who statistics say will not enroll in or graduate from college without significant support.

Breakthrough’s model is shaped by years of research on the underlying drivers of poverty and educational attainment. Education is the most effective way to overcome poverty.

At the core of our model are three main pillars. Each pillar provides students skills and experiences that address the three critical factors that limit academic success and persistence: unequal out-of-school academic opportunities, the lack of a knowledgeable personal advocate and the development of non-cognitive skills. Our model fills these gaps, levelling the education playing field.

Breakthrough students consistently outperform their low-income Central Texas peers when it comes to grades, school attendance, scores on college entrance exams, college readiness, high school graduation, college enrollment, and college graduation. Last spring, 98% of our high school seniors in the Class of 2017 graduated on time, as compared to 90% of their Central Texas low-income peers. Ninety-two percent of them enrolled directly in college, as compared to 43% of their Central Texas low-income peers. Breakthrough students graduate from college at 7 times the rate of other low-income Central Texas students.

Financials

Breakthrough Central Texas
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Breakthrough Central Texas

Board of directors
as of 02/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Eva Garza-Nyer


Board co-chair

Sergio Rodriguez

Cyndi Bock

Dr. Eva Garza-Nyer

Ricky Green

Dr. Kevin Ilcisin

Carolyn Long

Diana Lowe

Danielle McNeely

Rick Morales

Walt Penn

Vince Reyna

Sergio Rodriguez

Lynne Rupp

Hannah Temple

Dr. Denise Villa

Jasmin Vara

Javier Valdez

Tito Vidaurri

Ted Whatley

Denise Villa

Center for Generational Kinetics

Javier Valdez

Oracle

Denise Villa

Center for Generational Kinetics

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes