Breakthrough Collaborative II

Breakthrough Collaborative began in 1978 with the launch of Summerbridge at University High School in San Francisco, founded by Lois Loofbourrow. Designed to fuel academic ambition in underserved youth, the program has grown into a national network committed to helping traditionally underrepresented middle and high school students achieve college success. Headquartered in San Francisco, Breakthrough Collaborative now operates 25 affiliate sites across the country, annually supporting approximately 10,000 students and 1,200 Teaching Fellows, who are mostly college-age. The dual-mission model benefits students through academic enrichment, mentoring, and college preparation, while providing high-achieving high school and college students with immersive, hands-on teaching experiences. With a nearly 60-year history of success and recognition, Breakthrough has impacted nearly 40,000 students and teacher-leaders nationwide.

Issue

What is the financial value of the support and services provided by Breakthrough’s National Office to the 25 affiliates in its network?

Situation 

Breakthrough’s National Office provides its affiliates with a robust suite of shared services including national recruitment, curriculum design, training, data systems, evaluation tools, and platform infrastructure. These services are critical to the performance and impact of each affiliate site. However, the actual financial value and operational impact of these services have never been systematically quantified. As affiliates navigate diverse local landscapes and funding environments, it has become increasingly important to clearly articulate the return on investment (ROI) of belonging to the Breakthrough network. The National Office seeks ACT support to help estimate the value of its services and assess their usage across affiliates.

Project 

Breakthrough is asking Stanford ACT to quantify the financial value of the National Office’s shared services, how those services compare in cost and quality to alternatives, and determine which services are utilized and valued most across the affiliate network. The ACT team will need to account for the variability in governance structures, budgets, and staffing models across Breakthrough’s 25 affiliate sites.