The California College Guidance Initiative shows how long-term investment, practical problem-solving and cross-sector partnership can transform outcomes for millions of students.

When the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI) first emerged more than a decade ago, it was a modest philanthropy-backed pilot searching for a foothold in the nation’s largest public education system. At the time, many California high schools’ average ratio of students to high school guidance counselors was about 1,000:1, meaning that very few students ever got the help they needed to navigate their pathway to education beyond high school. The idea was simple, but ambitious: leverage technology to ensure that every California student, regardless of ZIP code, had access to accurate information about college and career pathways.

Today, that small bet has grown into a statewide enterprise with a $23 million budget that provides a foundational layer of support for 3.2 million students in grades 6–12, powering one of the nation’s most comprehensive guidance systems. CCGI manages CaliforniaColleges.edu, a platform that provides the tools students need to develop their college and career plans, including advising, applying to college and accessing financial aid. It is available at no cost to students, educators and parents/guardians in California public school districts.

For Kresge’s Education Program, which helped seed the effort with a $250,000 pilot grant in 2013, the initiative represents a powerful opportunity for the type of long-term commitment (and investment) to “quiet infrastructure” required to repair systemic failures that hold students back. “We knew the problem wasn’t a lack of talent or aspiration among California students,” said Bill Moses, managing director of Kresge’s Education Program. “The gap was in the systems around them — the technology, data and implementation capacity. And with nearly 40 million people, if we could help California fix its broken system, we would have national impact. Philanthropy has a responsibility to invest in the connective tissue that makes equity real.”

That thesis is at the heart of “Making Broken Systems Work: A Story About Repair and Innovation,” a new case study by former CCGI CEO Tessa Carmen De Roy, who recently spoke with Kresge about lessons learned from this multi-year effort. The study outlines how early philanthropic risk-taking, coupled with dedicated leadership, helped transform the way California supports college-bound students.

A System Failure That Sparked a Transformation

DeRoy begins the case study with a moment she describes as “horrifying.” A group of 114 high-achieving students were mistakenly denied admission to California universities because their 10th-grade Spanish credit —  accurate on their transcripts — had been misinterpreted by the admission systems receiving them.

For her, it was a moment that clarified the stakes. “Those students had done everything right,” she said. “They overcame the odds. They earned high grades. And yet they were derailed by an administrative error, something adults could have prevented.”

The incident exposed a deeper truth: California’s guidance systems weren’t designed to support the students who needed them most. And philanthropy had an opportunity to build practical, scalable solutions in partnership with public systems, rather than around them.

A distinguishing factor in CCGI’s growth was its decision to strengthen the existing state-owned tool rather than build a new system. By aligning with existing public infrastructure, the initiative ensured its work was durable, integrated and positioned for statewide adoption.

The journey from pilot to full-scale state enterprise didn’t happen quickly. It took twelve years of consistent attention to detail, deep listening to the field and collaborative learning. The challenges were significant. Some school districts initially mistook CCGI for a commercial software vendor, and some policymakers struggled with the idea of a nonprofit managing functions tied closely to government systems.

But DeRoy argues that the future of equitable public services depends on these types of cross-sector models. “There is enormous opportunity in the space between policy and implementation,” she said. “I think we need to push the envelope on new forms of governance that help unlock the true potential of public-private partnerships.”

Through steady iteration, strong relationships and a willingness to adapt, CCGI demonstrated that practical, scalable solutions can emerge from the often invisible work of fixing what’s broken. The impact of CaliforniaColleges.edu, is now reflected in smoother processes for both students and educators.

During the 2024–25 academic year alone, student accounts on the platform were linked to:

• 219,000 applications to California Community Colleges
• 243,000 applications to California State University
• 252,000 applications to the University of California

These streamlined applications cut completion time in half and replaced complicated manual entry with automated, verified transcript data. For first-generation and low-income students especially, the shift was transformational.

Educators are also using the platform at higher rates, with a 56% increase in logins during the same year. Counselors can now quickly identify which students need support completing applications, submitting financial aid forms, or navigating key steps.

For schools where even today, a single counselor may serve more than 400 students, this data is a lifeline. “When students’ first touch point with higher education is confusing and arduous, it can make them feel that they aren’t ‘college material.’ The more seamless we make these processes, the more students experience college as accessible, not intimidating,” DeRoy said.

Ultimately, CCGI aims to keep doing what it has always done: solve real problems that students encounter every day. For Kresge, the story of the California College Guidance Initiative exemplifies what can happen when philanthropy backs practical solutions with long-term commitment. “We funded CCGI because it offered a practical, technology-forward way to support millions of students. What began as a small grant helped catalyze an initiative that now serves the entire state,” said Moses. DeRoy agrees. Systems change, she argues, is not glamorous work. It is slow, meticulous and often invisible —  until it suddenly affects millions of students.

College advising and support during the college application process is one of the most effective ways to ensure that everyone, especially low-income, first-generation and under-represented people, have access to the life-changing benefits of higher education. As states explore new data systems in the face of burgeoning technology advances, CCGI’s experience offers a compelling blueprint for governments, higher education and philanthropy to work together to address systemic barriers that have prevented generations of students from accessing – and succeeding – in college.