Prime Together Foundation: Helping students achieve their dreams

Since 2002, Achieve Twin Cities has equipped more than 85,000 high school students in Minneapolis and Saint Paul with the resources and connections they need to achieve their career and college dreams.

The Prime Together Foundation is proud to support their work, awarding the organization a grant in 2022 to fund career and college readiness programs and initiatives.

As one the Twin Cities’ leading organizations in this field, Achieve’s work is inspired by their vision that all young people have full and equitable access to postsecondary education and career opportunities, creating a more just and vibrant community.

One way they do this is by partnering with Minneapolis Public Schools and Saint Paul Public Schools to embed “Career & College Centers” in 28 high schools. Achieve’s team includes licensed school counselors, social workers, admissions experts, educators and youth workers who offer personalized guidance and resources to students as they create their own unique career pathways and prepare for life after graduation. BIPOC and low-income youth who receive support from Achieve enroll in postsecondary programs at 69% and 79% higher rates, respectively.

Additionally, their Step Up youth employment program connects students with Twin Cities employers through internships, training and other opportunities that build careers and give them experience in a variety of industries. Since 2003, Step Up has created over 32,000 paid career experiences, giving students the chance to explore different career paths, make professional connections, develop their resumes and earn a summer wage.

Without this programming, the students Achieve serves may not have access to these types of invaluable college and career discovery, exploration and planning opportunities.

“The Career & College Center (at my high school) planted the seed in my mind that I wanted to give back to my community, and Step Up helped me execute that,” says a former Achieve participant who recently graduated from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law and is now a practicing attorney. “Step Up and the Career & College Center changed our lives and I truly believe that we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”

“The Twin Cities region faces some of the country’s worst disparities in career and college access, education, employment and wages, and Achieve is actively working to close these equity gaps through our personalized, expert programs,” says Achieve Twin Cities President and CEO Danielle Grant. “Thanks to generous grants like the one from the Prime Together Foundation, we are able to fund initiatives that truly make a difference in our students’ lives and strengthen our whole community.”

Learn more about the Prime Together Foundation and its work to help local organizations combat inequalities and injustice.