Girl Scouts

What Girl Scouts does

Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth organization serving girls in grades K-12 across all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and overseas through USA Girl Scouts Overseas (USAGSO). The organization operates through a federated model of 111 local councils, supported by more than 700,000 adult volunteers and a community of 50M+ alums. Its core programming is structured around six grade-tiered levels (Daisy through Ambassador), a curriculum of hundreds of badges across STEM, outdoors, life skills, and entrepreneurship, three Highest Awards (Bronze, Silver, Gold), and national service projects in civic engagement, hunger relief, and citizen science.

GSUSA's technology stack centers on the myGS member platform (mygs.girlscouts.org) for membership, event registration, and troop management; the Digital Cookie® online sales platform launched in 2014; and the free Girl Scout Activity Zone with step-by-step video content accessible without membership. Additional platforms include the Virtual Events Calendar, the Girl Scout Experience Box supply delivery service, and the official Girl Scout Shop e-commerce storefront (girlscoutshop.com). The organization is also notable for its proprietary research arm, the Girl Scout Research Institute, which publishes data on girls' leadership, mental health, and AI use.

The business model combines six revenue streams: annual membership dues ($45 girls, $30 adults; lifetime membership $200 for alums), the Girl Scout Cookie Program — the world's largest girl-led entrepreneurial initiative — operated via Digital Cookie and in-person boothing through corporate partners (Wendy's 3,600+ restaurants, Walmart, Sam's Club, Goodwill), individual donations and planned giving routed through the Office of Philanthropy, retail merchandise sales, major philanthropic grants (notably a $30M Lilly Endowment grant and $15M New York Life Foundation commitment in 2026), and corporate sponsorships (Adobe as 2026 national cookie program sponsor). One hundred percent of net cookie proceeds remain with local councils and troops, meaning GSUSA's national revenue mix leans more heavily on grants, donations, dues, and sponsorships than on cookie sales directly.

Name

Girl Scouts

Legal name

Girl Scouts of the United States of America

Website

https://girlscouts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Girl Scouts of the USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth organization serving girls in grades K-12 across all 50 US states via 111 local councils, delivering badges, awards, and the world's largest girl-led Cookie Program, funded by membership dues, cookie sales, grants, donations, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Professional Organizations (81392), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE), Youth Multi-Sport Camps (General Athletics, Summer Camps) (MPAKAJAA), Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps (EDAMALAD), STEM & Science Camps (Biology, Chemistry, Space, Lab Science) (EDAMALAC), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO), Robotics & Engineering Summer Camps / Bootcamps (EDAMADAF)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Girl leadership training
• STEM education programs
• Nonprofit youth services
• Entrepreneurship education

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from girls and adult volunteers. Standard annual membership is $45 for girls and $30 for adults; Extended Year Membership option at $91 for girls and $42 for adults covers through September 30, 2027. Lifetime Membership is available for alums (e.g., $200 at a 50% discount for those under 30). Membership year runs October 1 to September 30.
2. Girl Scout Cookie Program: The world's largest girl-led entrepreneurial program: annual cookie sales during local council cookie seasons (typically January–April) via Digital Cookie® online platform and in-person booths. 100% of net revenue stays with local councils and troops. Featured 2026 lineup includes Exploremores™ (a rocky road ice cream-inspired sandwich cookie) alongside Thin Mints®, Samoas®/Caramel deLites®, Tagalongs®/Peanut Butter Patties®, and Do-si-dos®/Peanut Butter Sandwich.
3. Donations and Philanthropy: Charitable donations from individuals and partners routed through the Office of Philanthropy (P.O. Box 5046, New York, NY 10087-5046). Gifts are federally tax-deductible subject to IRS regulations; GSUSA Federal Tax ID is 13-1624016. Includes planned giving, individual giving, lifetime membership gifts, and designated funds.
4. Retail / Merchandise Sales: Sales of Girl Scout uniforms and branded merchandise (jewelry sets, backpacks, scrunchies, totes, Daisy tunic, etc.) through the official Girl Scout Shop (girlscoutshop.com), supporting program revenue.
5. Grants: Major philanthropic grants funding national initiatives, such as a $30 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for Character Development Through Youth Programs, and a $15 million three-year initiative from the New York Life Foundation (Coaching the Future) targeting 25,000 coaches and mentors.
6. Corporate Sponsorships & Boothing Partners: Sponsorship and in-kind boothing partnerships during cookie season and other programs, including Adobe as national cookie program sponsor and Walmart, Sam's Club, Wendy's, and Goodwill as boothing partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Girl Scouts of the USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth development organization that delivers badge-based and journey-based programs (STEM, outdoors, life skills, entrepreneurship, civic engagement) to girls in grades K-12, anchored by its iconic annual Girl Scout Cookie Program. The organization sells cookies (including via the proprietary Digital Cookie online platform launched in 2014), operates an official merchandise shop, runs camps, awards the Bronze/Silver/Gold Highest Awards, and supports a lifelong alum network of more than 50 million through 111 local councils across all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and USA Girl Scouts Overseas.

Product overview

Girl Scouts of the USA operates a unified, multi-module youth development platform anchored by the Girl Scout Cookie Program (with its Digital Cookie online sales channel and Adobe-sponsored educational content), the Badges/Journeys/Awards curriculum (including the three-tier Highest Awards: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and the newer Leadership Awards), and the free Girl Scout Activity Zone. Layered on top are National Service Projects (Promote the Vote, Honoring Changemakers, Fighting Hunger, Citizen Science, Letter Writing), the myGS member account platform, the official Girl Scout Shop, Virtual Events Calendar, Girl Scout Camps, the Lifetime Membership / National Trefoil Society donor programs, the Girl Scout Research Institute, and dedicated engagement tracks for Alums and Campus Girl Scouts. Together these form a national 501(c)(3) movement delivered through 111 local councils serving girls K–12 across the United States and overseas via USA Girl Scouts Overseas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ boxes of cookies sold in one season by a single six-year-old seller in Pennsylvania
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• NASAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026NASA participates in the 58th Girl Scouts Unite Event scheduled for July 23–25, 2026, hosting a booth in the Exhibit Hall (Booth #206) with Hyperwall Storytelling presentations covering Mars exploration, Artemis/Moon missions, planetary defense, and NASA career opportunities; longstanding collaboration dating back to Apollo-era visits per Girl Scout history.
• Meta (Facebook/Instagram)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2026Meta partnered with Girl Scouts of the USA (alongside Sesame Workshop and Highlights Magazine) on tens of millions of dollars in digital well-being initiatives, including Instagram-sponsored Girl Scout badges; partnerships have drawn public criticism amid youth mental health lawsuits.
• Alphabet (Google)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2026Google/Alphabet partnered with Girl Scouts of the USA on digital well-being lessons (alongside Sesame Workshop and Highlights Magazine), backed by tens of millions of dollars in funding; included at least $20 million pledged by Google to promote digital well-being, reaching hundreds of thousands of families.
• Best BuddiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Co-recipient of New York Life Foundation 'Coaching the Future' initial strategic grant alongside GSUSA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Positive Coaching Alliance; supports inclusive coaching for children with differing abilities within the $15 million three-year initiative.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Co-recipient of New York Life Foundation 'Coaching the Future' initial strategic grant for youth coaching and mentorship programming; three-year, $15 million initiative targeting 25,000 coaches and mentors.
• Positive Coaching AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Co-recipient of New York Life Foundation 'Coaching the Future' initial strategic grant; supports off-the-field mentorship, career skills, and on-the-field coaching.
• Andrea Weiss (COO, Girl Scouts of Hawaii)minorOthers · 19 March 2026Girl Scouts of Hawaii named Andrea Weiss as its new chief operating officer; an internal leadership appointment rather than a commercial partnership.
• WalmartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 February 2026Walmart serves as a boothing partner for the 2026 Girl Scout Cookie season, enabling in-person cookie sales at Walmart locations alongside Sam's Club, Wendy's, and Goodwill.
• Sam's ClubcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 February 2026Sam's Club serves as a boothing partner for the 2026 Girl Scout Cookie season, supporting in-person cookie sales.
• GoodwillminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 February 2026Goodwill serves as a boothing partner for the 2026 Girl Scout Cookie season, supporting in-person cookie sales.
• Wendy'scoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 February 2026Wendy's launched a limited-time Thin Mints Frosty Fusion and revived the Thin Mints Frosty Swirl to celebrate Girl Scout Cookie season, with over 3,600 restaurants in the U.S. participating. The partnership supports Girl Scout cookie sales and community engagement, running from February 20–22 and throughout the season.
• Navajo Nation (Office of Diné Y.O.U.T.H.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026Memorandum of Understanding signed February 11, 2026 between the Navajo Nation Office of Diné Y.O.U.T.H. and the Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council to expand leadership development programming for Diné youth through November 2027. Council provides training, resources, and annual recruitment events; ODY supports outreach, family engagement, and program activities including the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Signed by Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren.
• OOLYminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 10 February 2026OOLY launched a limited-edition collection in partnership with Girl Scouts, featuring scented art supplies and DIY kits inspired by Girl Scout values. Products available at various retail outlets; collection emphasizes creativity, confidence, and self-expression aligned with Girl Scout themes.
• AdobeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 January 2026Adobe named the national sponsor of the Girl Scout Cookie Program for the 2026 cookie season, providing educational video content on the Digital Cookie® platform to help Girl Scouts develop digital communication and design skills as entrepreneurs. Multi-year relationship around cookie season.
• IEEEminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2025IEEE partnered with the Girl Scouts of the United States of America's Heart of New Jersey council to host a career exploration event at Stevens Institute of Technology aimed at encouraging girls to pursue STEM careers. The event included hands-on activities, exhibits, and role models. Collaboration ongoing since before 2020; aims to increase diversity in STEM.
• League of Women Voters Education FundflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Long-standing partnership working nationally and locally to provide Girl Scouts with civics, voting, and democracy engagement opportunities through the Promote the Vote program and VOTE411.org. 2024 Promote the Vote materials were produced with support from the League of Women Voters Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization.
• SciStarterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Girl Scouts partnered with SciStarter, an online citizen science community, to support the Girl Scouts Give Back Citizen Science Service Project; provides dedicated dashboards for troops to participate in Great Sunflower Project and Globe at Night.
• HarperCollinsminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2024HarperCollins published 'Maven Takes the Lead,' the first novel in the Girl Scout book series, with a complementary Girl Scout patch activity available through the Activity Zone.
• Kappa Delta SororitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998The Kappa Delta Foundation has been a vital partner of Girl Scouts of the USA since 1998, supporting leadership development, personal growth, academic success, and community service for Girl Scouts.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Boy Scouts of America (Scouting America): The most direct comparable: a century-old U.S. youth development organization delivering badge-based programming, outdoor experiences, and leadership awards through a federated council structure. Operates a parallel program (now co-ed) for youth K–12 with comparable membership pricing, council model, and parent/guardian engagement dynamic.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit serving K–12 youth through a network of local clubs with paid staff and volunteers. Co-recipient with GSUSA of the New York Life 'Coaching the Future' grant, indicating direct programmatic overlap in youth mentoring and character development.
• Camp Fire (formerly Camp Fire Girls): One of the oldest U.S. youth-serving organizations, founded on a parallel model to Girl Scouts. Offers co-ed program tracks with badges, outdoor programming, and teen leadership — a near-direct historical and operational peer.
• 4-H (National 4-H Council): U.S. youth development organization operated through Cooperative Extension and land-grant universities, offering badges/clubs, STEM, citizenship, and entrepreneurship programming to millions of K–12 youth. Comparable in scale, mission, and constituency.
• Junior Achievement USA: Youth-focused nonprofit focused on financial literacy, work-readiness, and entrepreneurship education for K–12. Closely overlaps the 'girl-led entrepreneurial' pillar of Girl Scouts' Cookie Program and shares school- and after-program-based delivery.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National nonprofit operating one-to-one youth mentoring programs with a volunteer-driven, locally-affiliated model similar to Girl Scout troops. Comparable in mission, volunteer dependence, and grant-funded growth.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: Broad national nonprofit delivering youth programming (camps, swim, child care, leadership) alongside family fitness and community services. Overlaps with Girl Scouts in youth-development and family-engagement programming but operates at much larger scope including facilities and paid staff.

Emerging players

• Girl Up (United Nations Foundation): UN Foundation initiative focused on girls' empowerment, leadership, and advocacy globally. Operates as a younger, digital-first counterpart to Girl Scouts, addressing overlapping audiences (tween and teen girls) with thematic programming rather than troop-based delivery.

Regional players

• Jack and Jill of America, Inc. African American family organization with local chapters delivering cultural, educational, and leadership programming for youth. Comparable in chapter-based structure and family-engagement model, though focused on a specific demographic and somewhat narrower geographic footprint.

Others

• Kappa Delta Sorority: Long-standing partner of GSUSA since 1998 supporting leadership development for Girl Scouts; functions as an adjacent sorority/alum network that consumes and amplifies Girl Scout programming into college-age women. Listed as a partnership rather than competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/girlscouts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/girlscoutvideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/GirlScoutsUSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/11261
• Instagraminstagram.com/girlscouts
• Pinterestpinterest.com/gsusa

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Girl Scouts