Pathways to Education

About Pathways to Education:

Founded in 2001, Pathways to Education works with high school students from low-income areas that have high dropout rates, helping them transition into post-secondary education. The charity works within the community alongside public schools, universities and colleges, community partners, community services, families, the government and corporate donors. It provides after-school tutoring, group mentoring, career mentoring, scholarships, internships, transit and lunch vouchers, and engages in youth-centered advocacy. While Pathways oversees the programs, its 379 local agencies are responsible for recruiting students and volunteers, managing staff, and delivering the programs.

In September 2007, Pathways to Education expanded its program from its initial Regent Park location into 5 new communities (Generation 2). Before 2010, it continued its expansion into Hamilton and Scarborough (Generation 3) and in September 2010 into Winnipeg, Kingston, and Halifax (Generation 4). In 2013 and 2014, it expanded its program to several Quebec cities, including Shawinigan, Sherbrooke, Pointe-Saint-Charles and Mashteuiatsh.

In F2015, Pathways to Education supported 5,371 students (up 9% from F2014) in 17 program locations. Also in F2015, 3,138 Pathways students graduated from high school. Pathways reports that 73% of its students who graduated from high school while in its programs have gone on to post-secondary education or training. The charity also reports that graduation rates increased over 75% across all Pathways communities.

The Boston Consulting Group performed an assessment of Pathways to Education in 2011. The study found that Pathways has a social return on investment of $24 for every $1 invested in the charity. It also reported cumulative benefits of $600k per student enrolled in Pathways programs.

On average, Pathways to Education incurred a cost of $4,883 per student in F2015.

Financial Review:

Pathways to Education is a large charity, with donations and special events revenue of $9.8m in F2015. Its administrative costs are 3% of revenues and its fundraising costs are 6% of donations. For every $1 donated to the charity, 91 cents is put towards its programs, falling within Ci’s reasonable range. Pathways to Education has funding reserves of $4.4m, resulting in a program cost coverage ratio of 18%. This means that it can cover 2 months of its annual programs using its existing reserves.

This charity report is an update that is being reviewed by Pathways to Education. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on July 5, 2016 by Lynn Tay.