Creating Paths to College

In 2019, we invested thousands of employee volunteer hours to support our partners who put students on the track toward higher education. As a social purpose credit union, our goal is to enable everyone in our community to achieve greater levels of prosperity. We also believe UFCU is uniquely suited to positively impact three issues that form the basis of financial health: education, employment, and housing. Success in each of these areas can create a cycle — in which more opportunities lead to more success, to more opportunities, and so on, thus reinforcing a virtuous circle of opportunity.

One of our partners and an innovative nonprofit with a high rate of success is Breakthrough Central Texas. They create a path to college for students who will become the first in their families to earn a degree. Devoted to educational equity, they begin with middle school students from low-income communities and continue supporting them through college graduation, a remarkably long time for this kind of work.

Breakthrough belongs to the Austin College Access Network (ACAN), powered by the E3 Alliance, which increases postsecondary success for underserved students. UFCU supports ACAN with the hope of ensuring success for all Central Texas students. Kate Garrett is the director of corporate partnerships at Breakthrough.

“We’ve been fortunate to have a comprehensive partnership with UFCU. Their funding, donations, and of course their fantastic volunteer participation — We can really feel the impact,” Garrett said.

UFCU will continue supporting organizations like Breakthrough who align to our mission, particularly those who improve education access, which in turn leads to improved employment and housing opportunities. In this way, the virtuous circle continues.

Visit BreakthroughCTX.org to learn how you can help shape education in Central Texas.

Kate Garrett
Director of Corporate Partnerships at Breakthrough Central Texas