"The educational opportunity gap is by far the biggest driver of income disparity in the United States. OneGoal is on a mission to eliminate this gap and takes a unique and highly effective approach to ensuring all students get the opportunity to define their own future. This nonprofit is poised to significantly expand their reach in the coming years, so this is the perfect time for the Cotopaxi Foundation to add our support and we could not be more excited." —Charlie Clark, Cotopaxi Foundation Director of Giving & Impact
A postsecondary education unlocks opportunities for students and entire communities, yet for millions of underserved students, it remains out of reach. Only 22% of students from low-income communities earn a postsecondary degree, compared to 67% of their peers from high-income areas. And on average, high school students receive only 38 minutes of college and career advising per year. OneGoal’s mission is to transform postsecondary advising and support so every student can define their own future.
How We’re Supporting OneGoal
The Cotopaxi Foundation is proud to support OneGoal’s work both nationally and in the Bay Area. The partnership in the Bay Area began in 2023 with the opening of a Cotopaxi store in Berkeley, California. “We are grateful for Cotopaxi’s continued support of OneGoal this year via a Community Grant for Bay Area operations,” said Symone Morales, OneGoal Executive Director in the Bay Area. “This funding will help bring together over 500 OneGoal students to build community and learn about career options so more Bay Area students can pursue postsecondary paths of their choosing.”
In 2024, the Cotopaxi Foundation expanded its community-based support of OneGoal to fund its work nationally. “OneGoal supports students to pursue high-quality postsecondary pathways that are best suited to their personal, academic, and financial needs. We will continue to expand our definition of success to include all paths that lead to a family-sustaining wage,” shared OneGoal CEO Melissa Connelly. This three-year partnership will support OneGoal’s strategic plan, which focuses on two objectives:
Objective 1: Strengthen their program so OneGoal students earn their degree at 2x the rate of their peers through a two-pronged approach
- Increase student access to high-quality postsecondary programs, including low-cost yet high-quality alternative and progressive pathways
- Revamp how they support student success in postsecondary programs to meet the complex needs of community college students and students attending low-resourced institutions
Objective 2: Create impact at scale by directly and indirectly influencing the advising experience across entire school systems
- Ensure the classroom-based model can be delivered more flexibly to adapt to the unique context of partners, while keeping the core of what makes OneGoal so impactful
- Build the capacity of school/district leaders through a robust professional development series so they are equipped to support more students and influence broader systemic changes across their districts/schools
The Evidence Is Clear
In over 15 years of operation, OneGoal has seen positive impacts for both the students receiving support and the staff giving that support. As Melissa Edwards, the OneGoal Program Director in Metro Atlanta explained, “When OneGoal came to my school, I thought, ‘Finally! This is what we’ve needed!’ I don’t know how else to say it—every school in this country would benefit greatly from incorporating OneGoal into their students’ class schedules.”
Vanessa Lee, former OneGoal Program Director in Chicago and current staff member shared that, “Being a OneGoal Program Director changed my entire career. I have found my calling and I feel motivated to grow. I hope that my students know how deeply I care about them and how invested I am in their success.”
As for the students, an independent study by the University of Chicago found that OneGoal students are up to 40% more likely to earn their postsecondary degrees than students from similar backgrounds. Beyond statistics, the evidence of OneGoal’s impact is clear—just take it from these program alums:
Lunessa Charles is now a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Jordy Mendoza is a first-generation college graduate of the University of Houston Downtown
Caleb Navarro earned his PharmD from Roosevelt University and is currently in his post-graduate residency at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
A Like-Minded Partnership
Ultimately, the community-centric focus of both OneGoal and the Cotopaxi Foundation is what makes this partnership so promising. “We are excited to partner with Cotopaxi because our organizations share a commitment to our communities,” says OneGoal Chief External Officer Jelena Dobic. “It’s one of OneGoal’s core values. We recognize that our community will only thrive through a deep belief in the combined perspectives, stories, talents, and passion of everyone involved in our effort.”
