Bottom Line Houston Launches to Support First-Generation Students to Enroll and Succeed in College
HOUSTON, TX – Bottom Line, a leading nonprofit dedicated to partnering with first-generation, degree-aspiring students to get into college, graduate, and launch successful careers, today announced its expansion to Houston. In partnership with local leaders and organizations, Bottom Line Houston will bring its research-backed advising model to high school and college students across the region to navigate today’s complex higher education and financial aid landscape.
“Students today are asked to make life-shaping decisions in a higher education system that can feel overwhelming and uncertain,” said Steve Colón, CEO of Bottom Line. “We’re excited to launch Bottom Line Houston to make sure students don’t have to do it alone. We’ll provide students with the guidance, stability and confidence they need to move through college and into meaningful careers, on time and with less debt. We’re ready to get to work alongside the community to build a bright future for students and the city of Houston.”
Home to one of the youngest populations in the U.S. and a large number of higher education institutions, Houston holds significant potential to be an exceptional education city. However, while 88% of all Houston students graduate high school, just less than one-third complete postsecondary degrees within six years of graduating, and only 20% earn a living wage. Good Reason Houston research shows graduates with postsecondary credentials are three to five times more likely to earn living wages than graduates without credentials.
“Congratulations to Bottom Line on their planned expansion to Houston,” said Cary Wright, CEO of Good Reason Houston. “We look forward to the value they will bring to our region alongside so many wonderful organizations in helping us reach our New North Star to double the rate of public school students earning a living wage by 2040.”
Eighteen months of local exploration have shaped the expansion, and a $1.4 million, three-year commitment from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and investments from The Jerry C. Dearing Family Foundation have made the expansion possible. Key leaders from Houston’s college and career ecosystem have embraced Bottom Line’s expansion, underscoring the city’s momentum and shared commitment to increasing student opportunity and success.
“Bottom Line is our newest partner in College and Career Readiness, and we’re proud to support their growth into Houston,” said Kate Fowler, executive director, The Jerry C. Dearing Family Foundation. “Our hope is that Bottom Line Houston will amplify and add capacity to proven local efforts while bringing a nationally backed model that supports first-gen students access affordable four-year pathways and graduate.”
“It’s inspiring to see how Bottom Line connects students with dedicated mentors who guide them through the complexities of the college process and college life,” said Patty Williams-Downs, CEO and founder of BreakingBounds and a trailblazing leader in education-focused nonprofit leadership in Houston. “Their work not only transforms individual futures, but it also strengthens our communities as a whole.”
Bottom Line Houston will begin serving 180 high school students in its Access program in spring 2026. Serving more than 7,000 students with first-generation and low-income backgrounds through its Access, Success and Bluprint programs in five regions across the nation, Bottom Line’s long-term, one-on-one advising model has a proven track record of increasing college enrollment, graduation and living wage attainment. Bottom Line students are 23% more likely than their peers who are not working with Bottom Line to graduate in four years. In 2023, nearly 1,000 Bottom Line students earned bachelor’s degrees, graduating with over $20,000 less student debt on average than their peers nationwide.
These investments will accelerate Bottom Line’s regional startup activities, including additional community engagement, school and college partnerships, and initial program staffing, with an emphasis on coordinated support of services across Houston’s vibrant college access landscape.
For more information about Bottom Line and ways to partner, visit www.bottomline.org, or contact Brian Alexander, vice president of regional growth at Bottom Line, at [email protected].
