Next Chapter
Next Chapter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recruits justice-involved individuals, funds their coding bootcamp scholarships at Hack Reactor and Flatiron School, and places them as software engineering apprentices and full-time hires with 15+ technology company hiring partners across the U.S.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Next Chapter does
Next Chapter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, fiscally sponsored by Tides Center and headquartered in San Francisco, that creates pathways for justice-involved individuals to enter software engineering careers. Founded in 2018 as a pilot program by Slack in partnership with The Last Mile, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and FREEAMERICA, the organization runs a roughly 10-month Apprenticeship Program comprising four stages: recruitment from community partners into the Circle online learning community, a five-step admissions process, full-scholarship enrollment at partner coding bootcamps (Hack Reactor's 19-week immersive or Flatiron School's 15-week immersive) with a living stipend, and placement with employer hiring partners. Wraparound support including mentorship, career coaching, and one year of career services is provided throughout.
The organization generates no product revenue and funds operations through donations and grants from foundations and corporate partners, most notably a $2.5M Salesforce grant in December 2022. Employer hiring partners—including Slack, PayPal, Asana, Zoom, GoodRx, Checkr, Dropbox, Affirm, Block, Edovo, Lob, Stash, Cash App, American Family Insurance, and Gusto—primarily provide apprenticeship and full-time placement opportunities rather than paying meaningful fees. Reported outcome metrics include a 92% alumni placement rate, $100,000 average starting base compensation, 15+ alumni promoted beyond associate engineer, and a 0% recidivism rate.
The leadership team comprises Executive Director Kenyatta Leal (a founding member of The Last Mile at San Quentin and former RocketSpace employee), COO Tony Ochoa (Stanford-educated in Engineering Product Design with University of Pennsylvania social impact training), and Partnerships Director Britannia Bloom. Marketing and awareness are driven primarily by earned media coverage, the Home/Free documentary featuring John Legend, and Slack's fair chance hiring campaign. The organization serves applicants from all 50 U.S. states through remote delivery and maintains a small 1-10 person operational team.
Next Chapter firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Next Chapter
- Legal name
- Next Chapter, A Project of Tides Center
- Website
- https://nextchapterproject.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Next Chapter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recruits justice-involved individuals, funds their coding bootcamp scholarships at Hack Reactor and Flatiron School, and places them as software engineering apprentices and full-time hires with 15+ technology company hiring partners across the U.S.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Next Chapter industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Workforce Development and Reentry Services
- NAICS
- Apprenticeship Training (611513), Computer Training (611420)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Technical Bootcamps & Accelerated Reskilling (Full-time/Part-time) (BPAEANAE), Technical & Digital Skills Training (BPACANAB), Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF)
Keywords
Where Next Chapter is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Next Chapter business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization fiscally sponsored by Tides Center, Next Chapter relies on donations and grants from foundations and corporate partners to fund bootcamp scholarships and living stipends for apprentices.
- Employer Partnership Fees: Technology companies partner with Next Chapter to access justice-involved talent through apprenticeship and full-time hiring arrangements, potentially contributing to program sustainability.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Next Chapter product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Next Chapter runs a fully funded, 10-month software engineering apprenticeship program for justice-involved individuals, combining immersive coding bootcamp scholarships (Hack Reactor or Flatiron School) with living stipends, apprenticeship placements at enterprise technology hiring partners, and one year of wraparound career services and cultural onboarding support. Candidates are recruited through community partners, vetted via a five-step admissions process within the Circle online learning community, trained, and placed into software engineering roles at companies such as Slack, PayPal, Dropbox, Zoom, and Checkr.
Product overview
Next Chapter offers a single unified workforce development program rather than a software product portfolio. The core offering is the Apprenticeship Program, which combines the Circle Learning Community (online learning platform) with partner coding bootcamps (Hack Reactor's 19-week immersive and Flatiron School's 15-week immersive), followed by Career Services and Placement support with their network of hiring partners. Wraparound Support Services including living stipends and mentorship are provided throughout the 10-month training period. The program is specifically designed for formerly incarcerated and justice-involved individuals seeking software engineering careers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Apprenticeship Program A 10-month training program that combines immersive coding bootcamp education (Hack Reactor 19-week or Flatiron School 15-week, fully funded) with hands-on apprenticeship placements at enterprise technology companies. Designed for justice-involved individuals seeking pathways into software engineering careers; includes living stipends and career services.
- Circle Learning Community An online community platform providing guidance, mentorship, and industry connections for apprenticeship candidates, featuring technical coursework, professional development workshops, and peer support. Candidates join Circle before progressing through the five-step admissions process.
- Career Services and Placement One year of post-bootcamp career services and professional development support, including apprenticeship placements, full-time employment matching with hiring partners (Slack, PayPal, Asana, Zoom, Checkr, Dropbox, Affirm, and others), and freelance opportunities.
- Wraparound Support Services Comprehensive support services including living stipends during training, mentorship, career coaching, and cultural onboarding assistance for apprentices and employers implementing fair chance hiring programs. Provided to candidates for one year and to employer partners as needed.
Quantifiable outcome
- 92% of alumni receive full-time software engineering jobs at leading technology companies
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Next Chapter
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Next Chapter technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Next Chapter partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Hack ReactorcoreEducational partner providing 19-week full-time immersive coding bootcamp. Next Chapter provides full scholarships and living stipends for apprentices.
- Flatiron SchoolcoreEducational partner providing 15-week full-time immersive coding bootcamp. Next Chapter coordinates admissions and funding for apprentices.
- SlackcoreFounding hiring partner and primary corporate sponsor. Slack developed Next Chapter in 2018 with The Last Mile, WK Kellogg Foundation, and FREEAMERICA. Slack has featured Next Chapter in their fair chance hiring campaign and co-produced the Home/Free documentary.
- The Last MilecoreFounding partner and pipeline source. The Last Mile is a coding program at San Quentin State Prison. Next Chapter Executive Director Kenyatta Leal is a founding member of The Last Mile.
- PerseveresecondaryPipeline partner providing initial technical upskilling and reentry services for justice-involved individuals.
- Emergent WorkssecondaryPipeline partner providing technical education and reentry support for justice-involved individuals.
- Justice Through CodesecondaryPipeline partner providing technical training and career pathways for justice-involved individuals.
- Kenzie AcademysecondaryEducation partner providing technical training programs for aspiring software engineers.
- PayPalsecondaryHiring partner that employs Next Chapter alumni as software engineers.
- AsanasecondaryHiring partner that employs Next Chapter alumni as software engineers.
- ZoomsecondaryHiring partner that employs Next Chapter alumni as software engineers.
- GoodRXsecondaryHiring partner that employs Next Chapter alumni as software engineers.
- CheckrsecondaryHiring partner and background screening company that employs Next Chapter alumni including Makeda Davis. Featured in Home/Free documentary.
- DropboxsecondaryHiring partner that employs Next Chapter alumni as software engineers.
- AffirmsecondaryHiring partner that employs Next Chapter alumni as software engineers.
- American Family InsurancesecondaryHiring partner that employs Next Chapter alumni as software engineers.
- Block (Square)secondaryHiring partner that employs Next Chapter alumni as software engineers.
- EdovosecondaryHiring partner that provides technology for corrections facilities and employs Next Chapter alumni.
- LobsecondaryHiring partner that employs Next Chapter alumni as software engineers.
- StashsecondaryHiring partner that employs Next Chapter alumni as software engineers.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Next Chapter competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Year Up: Large incumbent workforce development nonprofit that places young adults from underserved communities into corporate apprenticeships; broader in scope than Next Chapter but competes for similar employer fair-chance/DEI talent budgets.
- Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free tech training and career support to underemployed adults; comparable model of free bootcamp training plus employer placement, though not exclusively justice-involved.
Emerging players
- Flatiron School: Educational partner that delivers Next Chapter's 15-week immersive coding bootcamp; comparable as a career-focused software engineering bootcamp serving both consumer learners and scholarship-funded participants.
- Ada Developers Academy: Nonprofit coding bootcamp providing tuition-free software engineering training to women and gender-expansive adults, pairing it with internship placements at tech companies — structurally similar training-plus-placement model.
- Hack Reactor: Educational partner that delivers Next Chapter's 19-week immersive coding bootcamp curriculum; comparable as a coding bootcamp serving career-changers, with significant overlap in tech talent training methodology.
Direct peers
- Persevere: Direct peer and pipeline partner that provides technical upskilling and reentry services for justice-involved individuals, operating as a sibling organization in the same fair-chance tech talent pipeline.
- Justice Through Code: Direct peer and pipeline partner that offers full-stack web development training to people impacted by the criminal legal system, mirroring Next Chapter's coding-bootcamp-to-employment pathway.
- The Last Mile: Direct peer and founding partner of Next Chapter; nonprofit that provides coding and entrepreneurship training inside prisons (notably San Quentin) to prepare incarcerated individuals for tech careers after release.
- Emergent Works: Direct peer and pipeline partner that delivers technology education and reentry support to formerly incarcerated and justice-involved individuals in New York, with a comparable apprenticeship-style model.
Regional players
- Kenzie Academy: Education partner of Next Chapter and tech-training provider focused on software engineering and UX programs; comparable as a coding bootcamp that supports alternative pathways into tech careers for non-traditional learners.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Next Chapter social profiles
Digital presenceNext Chapter financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Next Chapter leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Next Chapter funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Next Chapter 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 Next Chapter
What does Next Chapter do?
Next Chapter runs a fully funded, 10-month software engineering apprenticeship program for justice-involved individuals, combining immersive coding bootcamp scholarships (Hack Reactor or Flatiron School) with living stipends, apprenticeship placements at enterprise technology hiring partners, and one year of wraparound career services and cultural onboarding support. Candidates are recruited through community partners, vetted via a five-step admissions process within the Circle online learning community, trained, and placed into software engineering roles at companies such as Slack, PayPal, Dropbox, Zoom, and Checkr.
Is Next Chapter a public or private company?
Next Chapter is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Next Chapter founded?
Next Chapter was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Next Chapter based?
Next Chapter is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Next Chapter make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are employer Partnership Fees.
Who are Next Chapter's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Year Up and Per Scholas. Emerging players are Flatiron School, Ada Developers Academy and Hack Reactor. Direct peers are Persevere, Justice Through Code, The Last Mile and Emergent Works. Kenzie Academy is listed as a regional player.
Does Next Chapter have an API?
No public API is recorded for Next Chapter.
What industry is Next Chapter in?
Next Chapter's product category is Workforce Development and Reentry Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACANAK, Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs, with a secondary code of BPAEANAE, Technical Bootcamps & Accelerated Reskilling (Full-time/Part-time). Its NAICS code is 611513 and its SIC code is 8200.