Return on Investment Study: College Possible’s College Access Program

College Possible is a college readiness nonprofit organization that supports and coaches low-income students in college preparation and success. College Possible has seven offices that provide services in the following metropolitan areas: Portland, OR; Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Omaha, NE; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. The College Access Program under College Possible focuses on high school juniors and seniors, offering after-school coaching sessions with AmeriCorps member coaches. There’s also a Summer Bridge component that offers coaching to help students stay on track during summer break. The coaching sessions help students through ACT and SAT test preparation, college application assistance, financial aid consulting, guidance during the transition from high school to college, and ongoing support toward degree completion.

Study Goals

The goal of the study was to explore and quantify the return on investment (ROI) of College Possible’s College Access program in Minnesota.

Research Questions

The research questions include:

• What are the benefits of the Minnesota College Possible’s College Access program across College Access participants, College Possible AmeriCorps members, and the government?
• What were the program costs for the 2017–2018 academic year?
• What is the ROI as measured by total benefits per dollar, total benefits per funder dollar, and federal government benefits per federal dollar?

Findings

The study found the following:

• The analysis estimated College Possible’s ROI to be between $1.50 and $6.41 per funder dollar, depending on how long program participants and AmeriCorps members experience increased earnings due to College Possible’s College Access program. The return on each dollar of federal.
• The high school students that participated in College Access have higher college enrollment rates, leading to improved employment and earnings long-term.
• AmeriCorps members have increased employment, earnings, and educational attainment after their period of national service.
• Government at the federal, state, and local levels realizes increased tax revenue from the improved employment and earnings of participants and AmeriCorps members.
• Government spends less on public assistance as a result of improved employment outcomes of participants and employment and educational outcomes of AmeriCorps members.

Learn more on the methodology used in the HFH AmeriCorps ROI Study, as well as the benefits and costs discovered after the ROI was calculated. Download the:

Full Report

Research Brief

Return on Investment (ROI) Studies

AmeriCorps and its grantees have invested significant resources in evaluating different agency programs and supported program models designed to improve a range of outcomes for national service members and volunteers, children, families, organizations, and communities across America. AmeriCorps has commissioned ICF International to conduct ROI analyses to help measure the program performance and build the base of evidence for future resource allocation decisions. In addition, each ROI study helps AmeriCorps communicate the value of its programs to relevant stakeholders. The ROI Studies Project will produce 16 ROI assessments from FY20 to FY23. 

The ROI studies listed below evaluated the cost and benefits of each of the following program:

• AmeriCorps Senior: Foster Grandparents/Senior Companion: This study estimates that the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) and Senior Companion Program (SCP) generate an ROI of $3.50 per funder dollar. FGP alone has an ROI of $2.75 per funder dollar, while SCP has an ROI of $5.08 per funder dollar.
• Birth & Beyond Home Visitation Program: This study estimated the Home Visitation program’s ROI to be between $0.50 and $2.11 per funder dollar, depending on how long program participants and AmeriCorps members experience increased earnings as a result of the program.
• Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP): This study estimates CTEP’s ROI to be between $2.95 and $34.26 per funder dollar, depending on how long program participants and AmeriCorps members experience increased earnings as a result of CTEP.
• Habitat for Humanity: This study estimated HFH AmeriCorps’s ROI to be between $0.62 to $2.61 per funder dollar, depending on how long HFH AmeriCorps members experience increased earnings from their national service.
• Minnesota Reading Corps - Kindergarten (MRC): This study estimates MRC Kindergarten’s ROI to be between $5.47 and $6.99 per funded dollar, depending on how long program participants and AmeriCorps members experience increased earnings as a result of MRC Kindergarten.
• Washington Conservation Corps: This study estimated Washington Conservation Corps’ ROI to be between $0.20 and $33.90 per funder dollar, depending on how long WCC AmeriCorps members experience increased earnings as a result of program participation, as well as the range of estimated benefits from improved ecosystems.
• YouthBuild AmeriCorps: This study estimates YouthBuild AmeriCorps’s ROI to be between -$0.40 and $9.58 per funder dollar, depending on how long YouthBuild AmeriCorps participants experience increased earnings from serving and participating in YouthBuild AmeriCorps.