By: AIF Staff
For two decades in Congress, former Speaker Paul Ryan worked to advance solutions that reduced poverty and expanded economic opportunities for all Americans. All too often though, debates about how the federal government could effectively reduce poverty became partisan food-fights and ended in ideological stalemates.
In Ryan’s mind, one way to mitigate this partisan paralysis when it comes to fighting poverty is to use evidence and data to measure the efficacy of a particular program and solution. If policymakers used objective analyses when determining what strategies were working and what ones were not, the federal government could finally make meaningful progress in the War on Poverty.
This is why Ryan’s American Idea Foundation has provided funding and institutional support to front-line organizations around the country who are developing evidence-based solutions to our major challenges. In 2023, the American Idea Foundation issued grants to 7 groups who are united in their belief that every person deserves the opportunity to achieve their version of the American Dream. These groups are making a tangible difference in people’s lives and, with the Foundation’s help, will develop new and additional evidence evaluating the impact of their programs.
One of the 2023 grant recipients is Bottom Line, which was founded in Boston, Massachusetts. Bottom Line partners with degree-aspiring students of color from under-resourced communities to help them get into and through college and successfully launch a career. They do this by providing hands-on mentors and guides for students throughout their journey in higher education.
Since 1997, Bottom Line has helped thousands of degree-aspiring students access the expert advice and relationship-based support they deserve to select an affordable college, complete their degrees, and enter the workforce with minimal debt.
Most of those served by Bottom Line are first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds. The organization’s mentors shepherd students through the college application process, stick with them throughout college, and offer one-on-one support through graduation. Bottom Line starts supporting students in their senior year of high school, continues from the application process to graduation, and includes a student’s entry into the workforce.
Bottom Line’s goal is to create a far-reaching ripple effect by helping first-generation college students use the transformative power of a college degree to mobilize a career that ultimately lifts up individuals, families, and communities. Bottom Line expects their students to earn a bachelor’s degree, accumulate no more than $31,000 in debt, and be employed or continuing their education following their graduation.
The early evidence in support of Bottom Line’s approach is promising. In 2021, the organization participated in an extensive randomized controlled trial to demonstrate the program’s impact on attaining a college degree. Among the trial’s key findings were:
– Students enrolled in Bottom Line programming were 7.6% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree within 5-6 years of high school.
– Students enrolled in Bottom Line programs were 9.1% percentage points more likely to attend four-year institutions.The 2021 trial results show that Bottom Line’s hands-on, time-intensive mentorship model can and does help students from under-served communities get into college and succeed. With the American Idea Foundation’s assistance, Bottom Line will continue rigorously evaluating the effects of its program and, if the evidence merits, expand their strategy to other communities around the country to serve more students from under-served communities.