COLLEGE SUCCESS ARIZONA
4747 N 32ND ST SUITE 150, PHOENIX, AZ 85018 www.collegesuccessarizona.org

---

Organizations Filed Purposes: TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE COLLEGE ATTAINMENT RATE IN ARIZONA, PARTICULARLY FOR STUDENTS WHO OTHERWISE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND OR GRADUATE FROM A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION.

IN 2019, THE COLLEGE SUCCESS PROGRAM AWARDED SCHOLARSHIPS TO APPROXIMATELY 314 STUDENTS TOTALING $1,440,250. EACH COLLEGE SUCCESS ARIZONA SCHOLAR IS ASSIGNED A SUCCESS ADVISER WHO IS A FULL-TIME MEMBER OF THE STAFF. ADVISERS MEET WITH EACH SCHOLAR AT LEAST TWICE PER SEMESTER IN-PERSON ON THEIR RESPECTIVE CAMPUS AS WELL BY PHONE AND VIRTUALLY HELPING THEM IDENTIFY OBSTACLES TO COMPLETING THEIR COLLEGE EDUCATION AND ASSISTING THEM IN CREATING A PLAN TO OVERCOME THOSE OBSTACLES. THESE BARRIER OR OBSTACLES COULD BE MONEY, FAMILY SUPPORT, BAD STUDY HABITS, LACK OF COLLEGE PREPARATION, HOUSING, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, ETC. SUCCESS ADVISERS PROVIDE SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO THEIR SCHOLARS, OFTEN REMINDING THEM THEY WERE CHOSEN FOR THIS SCHOLARSHIP BECAUSE COLLEGE SUCCESS ARIZONA BELIEVES IN THEM...AND THEIR FUTURE. SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2005, THE SUCCESS PROGRAM HAS PRODUCED 550 GRADUATES. WE CURRENTLY HAVE A CUMULATIVE 6-YEAR GRADUATION RATE OF 73% AND A FRESHMAN RETENTION RATE OF 90%. APPROXIMATELY 70% OF OUR STUDENTS ARE FIRST GENERATION. THESE OUTCOMES COMPARE FAVORABLY WITH ALL STATE UNIVERSITIES IN ARIZONA. THE SUCCESS PROGRAM ALSO HOSTS AN ANNUAL LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM FOR OUR SCHOLARS EACH JANUARY. THIS ALL-DAY EVENT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SCHOLARS TO MEET AND NETWORK WITH FELLOW STUDENTS FROM OTHER COLLEGE CAMPUSES, HEAR FROM INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKERS, PARTICIPATE IN TEAMBUILDING ACTIVITIES AND ATTEND VARIOUS WORKSHOPS FOCUSED ON PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE. THE COLLEGE ACCESS COMPONENT TO OUR PROGRAM, AZCAN (ARIZONA COLLEGE ACCESS NETWORK), CURRENTLY HAS 317 MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS, COMPRISING 501 PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD OF COLLEGE ACCESS AND SUCCESS. THEY CONDUCTED ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS WITH 107 MEMBERS DURING 2019, WELCOMING THEM INTO THE NETWORK AND APPRISING THEM OF THE BENEFITS THEY HAVE AS MEMBERS. FORTY FOUR PERCENT OF OUR MEMBERS PARTICIPATED IN ONE OR MORE AZCAN BENEFITS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING NETWORKING EVENTS, WEBINARS, OR DATA COLLECTION THROUGH NATIONAL STUDENT CLEARINGHOUSE. DURING THE YEAR WE ALSO DELIVERED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO 334 PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD WITH 168 EARNING CERTIFICATES AS ARIZONA COLLEGE ACCESS PROFESSIONALS. AZCAN PILOTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW COMMUNITY-BASED COLLEGE READINESS TEAMS IN AUGUST 2019 AS PART OF THE HELIOS EDUCATION FOUNDATION'S COLLEGE KNOWING & GOING INITIATIVE (CKG). THESE TEAMS - MADE UP OF HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION, COUNSELORS, TEACHERS, AMERICORPS MEMBERS, POSTSECONDARY PARTNERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND CKG COORDINATORS - COLLABORATE TO IDENTIFY EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR INCREASING COLLEGE READINESS AND ACCESS AND STRENGTHENING THE COLLEGE-GOING CULTURE IN WAYS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO THE NEEDS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES. AZCAN OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2019, THE ADVISEAZ AMERICORPS PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EARN TO LEARN PLACED 55 AMERICORPS MEMBERS IN 33 HIGH SCHOOLS STATEWIDE. THE GOAL OF ADVISEAZ IS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO ENROLL IN AND COMPLETE A POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION. THIS NEAR-PEER ADVISING MODEL PLACES AMERICORPS MEMBERS IN SCHOOLS TO HELP STUDENTS NAVIGATE THE COLLEGE GOING PROCESS TO ASSIST WITH THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS, COMPLETING THE FAFSA (FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID), HOUSING AND ENROLLING IN COLLEGE. THESE MEMBERS PROVIDED SERVICE TO MORE THAN 2000 UNDUPLICATED STUDENTS AND WERE EXTREMELY SUCCESSFULLY IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. COLLEGE SUCCESS ARIZONA TOOK A MAJOR STEP FORWARD IN OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO HELP MORE STUDENTS ACCESS AND AFFORD A COLLEGE EDUCATION, THROUGH A MAJOR CROSS-SECTOR PARTNERSHIP CALLED PROJECT BENJAMIN. THROUGH A COALITION OF 9 PARTNERSHIP ORGANIZATIONS - THIS INITIATIVE IS WORKING TO BOOST FAFSA (FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID) COMPLETION RATES IN 88 TARGET HIGH SCHOOLS AS PART OF A STRATEGY TO HELP 10,000 ARIZONA FAMILIES INCREASE THEIR ANNUAL INCOME BY $10,000. PROJECT BENJAMIN WAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED ON OCTOBER 1, 2019. THE FAFSA DIGITAL ASSISTANT/CHATBOT POWERED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL ANSWER FAFSA AND FINANCIAL AID QUESTIONS FROM STUDENTS AND PARENTS. BENJAMIN WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO PROACTIVELY TARGET MICRO-GROUPS OF STUDENTS OR PARENTS ABOUT UPCOMING FAFSA EVENTS AT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL, NECESSARY FOLLOW-UP STEPS FOR FAFSA COMPLETION, AND ADDITIONAL POSTSECONDARY NUDGES. BENJAMIN IS THE ONLY DIGITAL ASSISTANCE SERVICE OF ITS KIND THAT IS SOLELY FOCUSED ON FAFSA COMPLETION.COLLEGE SUCCESS ARIZONA IS PROUD TO CONTINUE THE WORK BEGUN IN 2017 IN COLLABORATION WITH ACHIEVE60AZ TO SUPPORT THE STATEWIDE COMMUNITY-OWNED ATTAINMENT INITIATIVE, COMPRISED OF AN INDEPENDENT ALLIANCE OF COMMUNITY, BUSINESS, PHILANTHROPIC, NONPROFIT AND EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS. THE MISSION OF ACHIEVE60AZ IS TO ADVANCE THE POSTSECONDARY ATTAINMENT OF ARIZONANS BY ACTING AS A CATALYST FOR COLLABORATION, PUBLIC AWARENESS, PUBLIC POLICY, AND DATA-INFORMED PLANNING AND MEASUREMENT. THIS STATEWIDE ATTAINMENT GOAL OF 60 PERCENT OF ADULTS AGE 25 TO 64 HOLDING A PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE OR COLLEGE DEGREE BY 2030 IS SO IMPORTANT TO FUTURE PROSPERITY OF THE STATE. COLLEGE SUCCESS ARIZONA RELEASED TWO POLICY BRIEFS THAT ADVANCE OUR POLICY AND ADVOCACY AGENDA OF SUPPORTING THE ACHIEVE60AZ STATEWIDE ATTAINMENT GOAL. IN MAY 2019, COLLEGE SUCCESS ARIZONA RELEASED THE POLICY BRIEF: ACCESS, PRICE, VALUE: IMPROVING COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY IN ARIZONA WHICH UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO ENABLING MORE STUDENTS IN ARIZONA TO ENROLL IN COLLEGE AND COMPLETE A CERTIFICATE OR DEGREE THAT WILL SERVE THEM WELL IN OUR DYNAMIC LABOR MARKET, AND TO ADVANCE THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE. AFFORDABILITY IS A KEY FACTOR WHEN IT COMES TO INCREASING COLLEGE ACCESS, ENROLLMENT, AND COMPLETION. AND WE KNOW THAT FOR COLLEGE TO TRULY BE AFFORDABLE, STUDENTS MUST NOT ONLY BE ABLE TO PAY FOR IT, PROGRAMS MUST ALSO: 1) OFFER A QUALITY EDUCATION, 2) PROVIDE THE SUPPORTS STUDENTS NEED TO COMPLETE THEIR CERTIFICATE OR DEGREE, AND 3) CONFER REAL LONG-TERM VALUE IN THE WORKFORCE. ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE CRITICAL FOR US TO MEET THE STATEWIDE ATTAINMENT GOAL SET BY ACHIEVE60AZ. IN OCTOBER 2019, CSA RELEASED THE POLICY BRIEF: PRIORITIZING ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY: HOW COMMUNITY COLLEGES CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASED ATTAINMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ARIZONA. THIS REPORT HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN ACHIEVING THE GOAL OF REACHING 60 PERCENT COLLEGE ATTAINMENT BY 2030 AND IN BOOSTING OUR STATE'S ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. WITHOUT GREATER STATE SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, ARIZONA WILL NOT REACH ITS ATTAINMENT GOAL. IN ORDER TO AFFECT CHANGE IN ARIZONA'S COMMUNITY COLLEGES, WE MUST CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: 1)RESTORE FULL FUNDING FOR MARICOPA AND PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGES; 2) EXPAND ACCESS TO DUAL ENROLLMENT AND DUAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS; 3) IMPLEMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO HELP COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS NAVIGATE THE TRANSFER PROCESS TO FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS AND 4) MAINTAIN FUNDING EQUALIZATION AND CONTINUING TO EXPAND SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN RURAL AREAS. WITH INCREASED SUPPORT OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES, ARIZONA WOULD BOOST ITS COLLECTIVE EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT ALL RESIDENTS HAVE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO LIFE-CHANGING HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES WHICH IS CRITICAL TO REACHING THE ACHIEVE60AZ STATEWIDE ATTAINMENT GOAL OF 60 PERCENT BY 2030.ALTHOUGH COLLEGE SUCCESS ARIZONA SUPPORTS ACCESS, SCHOLARSHIPS, SUCCESS SERVICES AND ATTAINMENT TO OUR SCHOLARS AND OTHERS, WE STRIVE TO MAINTAIN A LOW OVERHEAD. AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL EXPENSES, PROGRAM SERVICES AND SCHOLARSHIPS ARE 86.25%, ADMIN IS 6.8% AND FUNDRAISING IS 6.95%.

---

---

Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (public 990 form dataset) from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202013189349308681_public.xml