Junior Achievement USA
Junior Achievement USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1919 that delivers financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work-readiness programs to K-12 and post-high-school students across nearly 100 U.S. markets, funded by corporate sponsors and foundation grants and delivered free through schools and Experiential Learning Centers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1919
- HeadquartersColorado Springs, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Junior Achievement USA does
Junior Achievement USA (JA USA), founded in 1919 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work-readiness programming to K-12 students and, increasingly, post-high-school young adults across nearly 100 U.S. markets. As a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, the organization reached 4,828,747 students through 158,644 classes delivered by 185,953 business volunteers across 22,557 schools in the 2024–2025 school year. Its portfolio spans more than 30 registered, branded programs organized across three pillars: Financial Literacy (JA Finance Park, JA Personal Finance, JA Economics, JA Financial Literacy), Entrepreneurship (JA Company Program, JA Be Entrepreneurial, JA Launch Lesson), and Work and Career Readiness (JA Inspire, JA Career Success, JA Job Shadow), with delivery modes ranging from classroom curriculum and virtual platforms (JA Connect Learning Pathways, JA Here to Career, JA Tools for Success) to immersive Experiential Learning Centers such as JA BizTown, JA Finance Park facilities, and the expanding JA Dream Accelerator network.
The underlying technology is an experiential learning platform combining classroom curriculum, hands-on simulations, and virtual environments; notable recent features include AI-powered financial literacy modules within JA Finance Park (via Chime partnership) and a redesigned K-5 curriculum with new digital resources (supported by Z Zurich Foundation). Distribution is event-driven and free to schools, funded through foundation grants and corporate sponsorships. JA USA is funded primarily through foundation grants (Lilly Endowment $22.5M, Allstate Foundation $15M coalition, Charles Schwab Foundation $1.5M, Paychex Charitable Foundation $1M, American Express $820K, Citi Foundation), corporate sponsorships from 50+ organizations (Delta Air Lines, Accenture, EY, PwC, Staples, Janus Henderson, ManpowerGroup), and individual donations. Programs are delivered at no cost to schools, educators, or students, with corporate partners also supplying volunteers and in-kind resources. Recent strategic positioning emphasizes the "Education for What's Next" framework, targeting AI-era workforce preparedness.
Junior Achievement USA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Junior Achievement USA
- Legal name
- Junior Achievement USA
- Website
- https://jausa.ja.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1919
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Junior Achievement USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1919 that delivers financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work-readiness programs to K-12 and post-high-school students across nearly 100 U.S. markets, funded by corporate sponsors and foundation grants and delivered free through schools and Experiential Learning Centers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Junior Achievement USA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Financial Literacy and Workforce Education
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Career Readiness & College Prep (In-School) (EDAJAFAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM), Virtual Test Prep & Online Supplemental Instruction (K–12) (EDAJADAI)
Keywords
Where Junior Achievement USA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Colorado Springs
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Junior Achievement USA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Foundation Grants: Major grants from foundations including Lilly Endowment ($22.5M), Charles Schwab Foundation ($1.5M over 3 years), Paychex Charitable Foundation ($1M over 4 years), Allstate Foundation ($15M multi-year), Citi Foundation, and others fund program development, expansion, and delivery
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide funding, volunteer support, and in-kind resources. Major sponsors include Delta Air Lines ($16.5M commitment), Staples, Accenture, Citizens, Pacific Life Foundation, Chick-fil-A, CNA, FedEx, and 50+ other organizations
- Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to support programs, with opportunities for one-time and recurring donations through the website
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Junior Achievement USA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Junior Achievement USA delivers K-12 educational programs at no cost to schools and students, focused on three pillars: financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work/career readiness. Programs are delivered through classroom curricula, simulated experiential learning centers (JA BizTown, JA Finance Park, JA Dream Accelerator), and self-guided online platforms, supported by 185,000+ business volunteers and funded through corporate sponsorships and foundation grants.
Product overview
Junior Achievement USA offers a comprehensive suite of educational programs organized across multiple pathways: Financial Literacy (including JA Finance Park, JA Personal Finance, JA Financial Literacy, JA Economics), Entrepreneurship (including JA Company Program, JA Be Entrepreneurial, JA Launch Lesson), and Work and Career Readiness (including JA Inspire, JA Career Success, JA Job Shadow). The portfolio spans elementary (grades K-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12) with delivery options including classroom-based, experiential learning centers (JA BizTown, JA Dream Accelerator, JA Finance Park facilities), virtual/remote live, after-school, and self-guided online platforms (JA Connect Learning Pathways). Programs range from single-session volunteers delivered experiences to full-semester teacher-led courses, supplemented by digital tools including JA Here to Career, JA Afford Your Future, JA Money Quiz, and JA Tools for Success.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- JA BizTown: Combined in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town for elementary school students to operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor
- JA Finance Park
- JA Company Program
- JA Career Success
- JA Connect
- Future Bound
- JA Dream Accelerator
Products and services
- JA Connect Learning Pathways Self-guided online student experience platform providing a flexible, modular repository of activities covering entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work/career readiness for K-12 students. Designed to enable knowledge acquisition and skill application inside or outside the classroom.
- JA Finance Park Capstone program for middle and high school students combining personal financial planning curriculum with a one-day simulation visit at a JA Finance Park facility (on-site, mobile, or virtual). Students develop and commit to personal budgets based on career and lifestyle selections.
- JA BizTown Elementary school experiential program combining classroom lessons with a day-long visit to a simulated town where students operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor, connecting academic learning to real-world economics.
- JA Company Program High school entrepreneurship program empowering students to address community needs or solve problems by conceptualizing, capitalizing, and managing their own business venture with guidance from community volunteer mentors.
- JA Inspire Multi-segment career exploration program pairing business community volunteers with middle school students through pre-event sessions, a JA Inspire event, and post-event reflection activities to introduce future education and career paths.
- JA Our Community
Quantifiable outcome
- 4,828,747 students reached nationally (2024-2025)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Junior Achievement USA
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Junior Achievement USA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Junior Achievement USA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- ChimecoreStrategic partnership to support JA Finance Park with AI-powered financial literacy modules covering interactive money management and career readiness. Rollout in San Francisco, Minneapolis, Denver, and Peoria.
- StaplescoreMulti-year partnership for career-connected learning and work readiness programs. Staples serves as Presenting Sponsor for Future Bound national student conference. Includes local program support and volunteer engagement.
- PwCcoreJoint creation of JA Afford Your Future program helping teens explore career income and education funding options to make informed decisions and minimize college debt.
- AccenturemajorSponsor of program redesign including JA Our Community, JA Economics for Success, JA Community Coders, and JA Tools for Success. Supporter of JA Connect Learning Pathways portal development.
- Ernst & YoungmajorSupport for entrepreneurial programs including JA Connect Learning Pathway for Entrepreneurship and JA Launch Lesson.
- ManpowerGroupmajorSponsor of JA Career Success program redevelopment.
- MarketWisemajorSupport for financial literacy programs on JA Connect Learning Pathway to ensure students are prepared as smart money experts.
- Janus Henderson InvestorsmajorSponsor of JA Titan program redevelopment.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Junior Achievement USA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- EVERFI: EVERFI is a K-12 digital education company (Blackbaud-owned) providing financial literacy, career readiness, and social-emotional learning curricula used by thousands of school districts. Overlaps with JA on financial literacy but delivers as licensed digital software rather than volunteer-led programs.
Emerging players
- Take Stock in Children: Take Stock in Children is a Florida-based nonprofit providing mentoring, scholarships, and college/career readiness programming to low-income K-12 students. Comparable as a smaller-scale nonprofit targeting similar underserved populations with similar funding models.
- Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF): NGPF is a nonprofit providing free personal finance curricula to high school teachers, rapidly growing adoption in U.S. schools. Directly competes with JA Personal Finance/Financial Literacy courses on the same instructional minutes.
Direct peers
- National 4-H Council: National 4-H Council is a youth development nonprofit delivering K-12 programs in STEM, citizenship, healthy living, and career readiness through cooperative extension networks. Highly comparable as a U.S. nonprofit youth-education organization funded by corporate sponsors and federal partners.
- Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA): FBLA is a student business career and technology organization serving middle and high school students with leadership, business, and financial literacy programs. Comparable as a co-member of the Allstate youth-led service coalition alongside JA.
- DECA (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America): DECA is a student organization focused on marketing, finance, hospitality, and management career preparation for high school and college students. Comparable to JA's career-readiness and entrepreneurship focus with strong corporate sponsorship.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America: BGCA is a youth development nonprofit serving 4M+ youth at club locations and schools nationwide, with a focus on academic success, career exploration, and character. Comparable as a large national K-12 youth services nonprofit co-funded by Allstate and other shared corporate sponsors.
- National Academy Foundation (NAF): NAF is a K-12 nonprofit network of career academies focused on finance, hospitality, health sciences, and technology, serving ~120,000 students in 600+ academies. Comparable as a corporate-sponsored career-readiness curriculum provider for high schoolers.
- Junior Achievement Worldwide: JA Worldwide is the parent organization of Junior Achievement USA, coordinating JA's global network across more than 100 countries. Operates the same K-12 financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness curriculum model with locally adapted delivery.
- Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): NFTE is a nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship education curricula to middle and high school students, often in under-resourced schools. Directly comparable to JA's entrepreneurship pathway, with similar corporate-sponsored delivery model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Junior Achievement USA social profiles
Digital presenceJunior Achievement USA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Junior Achievement USA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Junior Achievement USA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Junior Achievement USA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Junior Achievement USA
What does Junior Achievement USA do?
Junior Achievement USA delivers K-12 educational programs at no cost to schools and students, focused on three pillars: financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work/career readiness. Programs are delivered through classroom curricula, simulated experiential learning centers (JA BizTown, JA Finance Park, JA Dream Accelerator), and self-guided online platforms, supported by 185,000+ business volunteers and funded through corporate sponsorships and foundation grants.
Is Junior Achievement USA a public or private company?
Junior Achievement USA is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Junior Achievement USA founded?
Junior Achievement USA was founded in 1919. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Junior Achievement USA based?
Junior Achievement USA is headquartered in Colorado Springs, United States, in the North America region.
How does Junior Achievement USA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Foundation Grants are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships and individual Donations.
Who are Junior Achievement USA's main competitors?
EVERFI is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Take Stock in Children and Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF). Direct peers are National 4-H Council, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), DECA (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America), Boys & Girls Clubs of America, National Academy Foundation (NAF), Junior Achievement Worldwide and Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE).
Does Junior Achievement USA have an API?
No public API is recorded for Junior Achievement USA.
What industry is Junior Achievement USA in?
Junior Achievement USA's product category is Youth Financial Literacy and Workforce Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAFAM, Career Readiness & College Prep (In-School), with a secondary code of EDAJALAM, After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.