Partners in College Success
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Partners in College Success (PiCS) ensures equal access to higher education and an equitable college experience for low-income, refugee, immigrant, foster, homeless and disadvantaged youth in San Diego County. PiCS provides dedicated, persistent, and personalized support applying to college, completing a degree, and securing career employment. PiCS is currently the only free college and career guidance organization focused on East County San Diego, serving socioeconomically disadvantaged youth aged 12-25. East County is the #2 refugee resettlement location in the U.S. and is ranked as 4th most socioeconomically disadvantaged region in California. Of our students, 85% live below the poverty line with non-English speaking parents, 98% are first-generation Americans. Ethnicity demographics are: 45% refugees from the Middle East, 42% Latinx, 6% African-American, 5% Asian, 2% White; 65% are female, 35% male, and 95% are on government assistance.
- Income
- $65,461
- Spending
- $70,315
- Reserves
- 19 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 87%
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 84 out of 100. Higher than 59% of charities in its peer group (education, under $250k).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 19.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 7% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $21,877 spent. PiCS HIGH SCHOOL helps low income, first-generation, foster, and homeless youth prepare for access and fund college education. PiCS High School is our access program. We work with first-generation, low-income high school students in virtual and on-campus classrooms to prepare for, apply to, fund, and commit to a 2- or 4-year college program. Partnered with Grossmont Union High School District, we offer personalized college consulting, application expertise, and one-on-one college essay coaching both during and after school hours, which is critical for students working after school to support their families. Additionally, we focus heavily on financial aid guidance, FAFSA completion, and scholarship applications. Because 85% of our students are in the < $25k annual income bracket, financial aid is a critical component. Very limited resources and programs exist in East County/El Cajon where more than 21,000 high school students rely on a 653:1 student-to-counselor ratio. Poverty rates at many of these area high schools are extremely high: 93% of the students at El Cajon Valley High School are socioeconomically disadvantaged; 55% at El Capitan, 53% at Grossmont, 52% at Valhalla, and 49% at Granite Hills. Weekly workshops and 50-60 hours of 1-on-1 coaching during their senior year have resulted in 100% of our students applying to college and completing the FAFSA on time. In the Spring, 100% of our students receive college acceptances, with more than 90% receiving acceptance to the University of California. We help generate additional financial aid through scholarships, work-study, and summer jobs. Helping these young adults make an informed, educated decision that fits a student's financial, cultural, and personal needs sets them up for college and career success.
- $25,979 spent. PiCS COLLEGE supports student population from college access to degree completion and first jobs. Support includes financial, academic, professional, and personal education. PiCS College is our success program. A student's need for support doesn't end with college commitment. Once admitted to college, first-generation, low income (FGLI) students face a number of factors that threaten their ability to remain in school - such as food insecurity, the need to take on full- or part-time work, academic failure, and doubts of belonging. Furthermore, selecting majors and career tracks are extremely difficult without professional role models in their lives. Because many students are reluctant to ask, we employ proactive support to assist in solving academic, financial, and personal issues so students can persist to degree completion. We hold professional mentorship through annual events, 1v1 help with resumes, cover letters, and interviewing, and together develop plans to secure paid internships and ultimately career employment upon graduation. All efforts help ensure that students graduate from college career-ready. Currently, a team of 45 mentors support 140 students throughout their college years through four industry-specific career groups: Health Science, Tech, Business, and Education/Social Service. 95% of the students attend universities in Southern California. Since they will reside permanently with their immigrant families who live in San Diego, it is critical that we ensure that these students complete their degree, and secure stable career employment. After high school graduation rising, college freshmen participate in our Freshman Success camp and receive a trusted mentor who provides proactive support. We hold virtual sessions during the school year, reunion events at every school break, mock interviews, networking mixers, and connect students to professional mentorship and internship opportunities, particularly in STEM fields. Securing continued funding for college is also prioritized. All efforts help ensure that students graduate from college career-ready. Signature annual events include: the Career Summit Series over winter break, LinkedIn and Job Hunt workshops at three different spring breaks, and our Summer Reunion in July. College doesn't teach kids how to get jobs, or the personal finance literacy to navigate to financial independence. FGLI students are particularly vulnerable, no one guides them in job search and financial wisdom. We integrate professional development and financial literacy into all levels of programming. PiCS College provides on-site corporate experiences, resume and cover letter creation, practice interview sessions, LinkedIn profile building expertise, networking skills, job and internship search workshops, ultimately landing career employment. Nationwide, billions are spent every year educating FGLI students about college and exposing them to STEM curriculum. As a country we've made great progress, as this population is applying to college in record numbers. However, the statistics rarely mentioned are the alarmingly high drop-out rates from both college and STEM majors. Fewer than one in ten FGLI students graduate within 6 years, the standard used for degree completion. Furthermore, as high as 70% of FGLI students who start college with a STEM major switch out of the sciences, or drop out of college altogether. The number one population most at-risk to drop out of college are FGLI who start out as a STEM majors. This is a trend is known as "the leaky STEM pipeline." In contrast, over the last 6 years PiCS College has graduated 91% of its college students, nearly 70% with degrees in science. Working with the FGLI in East County over the last 8 years, we have learned that the three things needed for a FGLI student's success are: information, role models and guidance. PiCS provides all three.
- $20,510 spent. PiCStem provides STEM curriculum, mentors, field trips, and role models to 6th - 10th grade for at-risk Latinx youth. PiCStem is our middle school program where students engage in STEM-related in-person and virtual workshops and field trips. Our main area of focus is San Diego's East region, where El Cajon's poverty rate is the highest in the County at 24.2%, with one in three children living in poverty. First-generation, low-income (FGLI) students lack critical information about their options for college and career. College students from our PiCS College program, who grew up in the same impoverished neighborhoods, become mentors in our PiCStem program, providing role models, information, and inspiration to at-risk middle schoolers growing up in low-income, non-English speaking homes. PiCStem introduces the students to many well-paying STEM-related careers in San Diego during the formative years of 6th-10th grade. Meeting college role models who grew up in the same neighborhood with the same barriers is both informative and inspiring. It is paramount to expose our youth to STEM, where employment has grown 79% since 1990 and is projected to grow 10.8% between 2021-2031, compared to only 4.9% growth for all other careers. Moreover, the average salary for all STEM workers in San Diego is $126,900 compared to the median annual wage of $80,020. However, Latinx adults represent only 6% of STEM professionals. Latinas are particularly underrepresented in STEM, with only 2% of jobs being held by Hispanic women. Encouraging and supporting FGLI, specifically Latinx youth, to consider the multitude of ways to prepare for and participate in STEM careers can break the poverty cycle. Additionally, failure to recruit Latinx students, especially girls, into STEM perpetuates gender and ethnic economic stratification. Encouraging higher education in the underserved youth can be transformative both for the individual and our community's socioeconomic health.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since June 2017.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.