Bottom Line

16 years ago, Bottom Line began working with our first class of 25 students – helping them get in to college and graduate. We started Bottom Line because so few students were actually making it to and through college from Boston. We believed then, as we do now, that building strong relationships with students and providing meaningful long-term support would make the difference. After 16 years, with nearly 750 college graduates and a college graduation rate of 74%, we have shown that this is true.

On Wednesday September 12, we had the privilege of announcing to more than 100 of Boston’s community leaders that Bottom Line is launching a $5 million growth initiative over the next five years. We will expand our programs so that every eligible 4-year college-bound student in the neighborhoods of Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan will be able to receive Bottom Line’s support. Alan and Harriet Lewis and the Grand Circle Foundation have generously committed $2.5 million to Bottom Line over the next five years for this initiative, the largest gift in our history. We are launching a campaign to raise the second $2.5 million.

Through this ambitious plan, we will double the number of students we support in Boston – growing to nearly 2,900 high school and college students receiving our support annually, up from just over 1,400 students last year. We will focus our growth on Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan, the neighborhoods of Boston most in need of this support. And we plan to support these communities more deeply, through partnerships with the other organizations involved in the lives of our students.

As supporters and friends of Bottom Line, you already know the importance of our work, and it is entirely thanks to you that Bottom Line is able to impact the lives of so many students. We believe that growing to serve a critical mass of young people from Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan will have a ripple effect on the educational attainment, health and prosperity of those communities. As we begin this new trajectory of growth and renew and expand our commitment to the city of Boston, we look forward to sharing our success and learnings with you.

Thank you for your belief in our mission, our students, and our organization.