Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa

What Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa does

Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa (JAEI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1965 and headquartered at 324 3rd Street SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that delivers experiential K-12 educational programs in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship across the Corridor (Cedar Rapids/Iowa City) and Cedar Valley (Cedar Falls/Waterloo) regions. JAEI is an independently governed affiliate of Junior Achievement USA / JA Worldwide and operates a portfolio of more than 40 nationally developed programs, including flagship simulations such as JA BizTown (with a mobile-deployed variant), JA Finance Park (on-site, virtual, and mobile formats), JA Titan, JA Company Program, JA Career Inspire, JA Stock Market Challenge, JA Be Entrepreneurial, and JA Economics for Success, as well as strategic initiatives including the 3DE case-based high school instructional model and the JA Dream Accelerator. In the 2024-2025 academic year JAEI reached 37,301 students across 108 schools through 1,621 classes, engaging 1,502 volunteers and delivering 262,578 student contact hours, with cumulative reach of 951,308 students since founding.

The organization's technology stack is built on JA national infrastructure: the D2L-based JA Learning Platform (learn.ja.org) for curriculum delivery, the JA Engage volunteer class-listing and scheduling portal, the mobile-delivered BizTown simulation, and the Qgiv third-party platform for event ticketing and camp registration. JAEI monetizes through a diversified nonprofit revenue model rather than direct tuition: corporate sponsorships and Impact Partnerships (US Bank, Wells Fargo, Google, State Farm, Transamerica, Veridian Credit Union, Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust, QTS, CliftonLarsonAllen, BankIowa, F&M Bank, UFG Insurance), restricted and unrestricted foundation grants (Wells Fargo Foundation $92K, Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, Max & Helen Guernsey Charitable Foundation, R.J. McElroy Trust, Russel B. Gray Jr. Trust, Carleen & Eugene Charitable Foundation), individual donations via online portal with recurring and donor-advised-fund options, event-based ticket sales for Business Hall of Fame and Career Inspire ceremonies, and cause-marketing days (Jersey Mike's). The single direct-to-consumer SKU is the JA BizTown Summer Entrepreneur Camp at $200 per student, introduced as a new paid channel in 2026. Distribution is regional, with deep embedded school district partnerships (Cedar Rapids CSD, Iowa City CSD) enabling curriculum-level integration rather than purely supplementary programming.

Name

Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa

Legal name

Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa, Inc.

Website

https://easterniowa.ja.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa is a 60-year-old Cedar Rapids-based nonprofit that delivers free K-12 experiential programs in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to 37,301 students across 108 Eastern Iowa schools, funded by corporate sponsors, foundation grants, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Financial Literacy & Work Readiness Education

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

College & Career Exploration Camps (Pre-College Samplers, Pathways) (EDAMALAN), Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Youth financial education
• K-12 work readiness
• Entrepreneurship education programs
• Experiential learning simulations
• Classroom volunteer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships & Impact Partnerships: Recurring and event-based corporate sponsorships from businesses including US Bank, Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust, Wells Fargo, Google, State Farm, Transamerica, Veridian Credit Union, QTS, CliftonLarsonAllen, BankIowa, F&M Bank, UFG Insurance, and others. Sponsors fund Hall of Fame events (presenting, induction levels), Career Inspire events, and general program delivery. Corporate volunteer engagement is a key part of these partnerships.
2. Foundation Grants: Restricted and unrestricted grants from corporate and charitable foundations. Examples: $92,000 grant from Wells Fargo Foundation for JA BizTown Mobile (2024); The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, Max & Helen Guernsey Charitable Foundation, R.J. McElroy Trust, Russel B. Gray Jr. Trust, Michael & Marlene Cambridge, Carleen & Eugene Charitable Foundation all provide programmatic funding.
3. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring individual donations via online donate portal, donor-advised funds, and tribute giving. Reoccurring donation option available. Donations fund no-cost program delivery to students.
4. Event Ticket Sales & Sponsorships: Revenue from Business Hall of Fame events (Corridor and Cedar Valley editions), Career Inspire events, and other special events (e.g., JA Stock Market Challenge). Tickets purchased via secure.qgiv.com platform. Proceeds benefit JA programs.
5. Program Fee Revenue (BizTown Summer Entrepreneur Camp): Tuition-based fee for the JA BizTown Summer Entrepreneur Camp: $200 per student, with $25 sibling discount for additional children. Need-based scholarships available for Free & Reduced Lunch-qualifying students. Camp hosted with Iowa City Community School District.
6. Cause Marketing / Day of Giving Partnerships: Community-driven fundraising events such as Jersey Mike's Day of Giving, where a portion of sales from a partner's designated day is donated to JA.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa delivers a portfolio of K-12 experiential educational programs in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship, offered at no cost to students and funded through corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and individual donations. Core offerings include flagship immersive simulations (JA BizTown, JA Finance Park), classroom curricula (JA Our City, JA Economics for Success, JA Be Entrepreneurial, JA Company Program, JA Titan, JA Career Speakers Series, JA Career Essentials, JA Launch Lesson, JA Stock Market Challenge), and signature career-connected learning events (JA Career Inspire in the Corridor and Cedar Valley regions, Business Hall of Fame), plus a tuition-based JA BizTown Summer Entrepreneur Camp. Programs are delivered by 1,502 trained community volunteers in partnership with school districts across Eastern Iowa.

Product overview

Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa (JAEI) is a single nonprofit organization that delivers a portfolio of K-12 experiential education programs in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship — rather than a single software product. Its core offerings center on flagship simulations such as JA BizTown (and the mobile JA BizTown® Mobile variant), JA Finance Park (Entry Level, Advanced, Virtual, and Mobile), the JA Company Program, and JA Titan®, which are complemented by grade-banded curricula (e.g., JA Our City®, JA Career Speakers Series, JA Economics for Success 2.0, JA Career Essentials®, JA Be Entrepreneurial, JA Launch Lesson). Strategic initiatives such as 3DE and the JA Dream Accelerator™ extend these into full-school instructional models and career-connected pathways, while community-facing events — JA Career Inspire® (Corridor and Cedar Valley), JA Stock Market Challenge®, and the Business Hall of Fame (Corridor and Cedar Valley) — bring together students, volunteers, and local businesses. Delivery is supported by the D2L-based JA Learning Platform (learn.ja.org) for digital curriculum, the JA Engage volunteer portal (engage.ja.org) for class sign-ups, and event ticketing through Qgiv. Programs are organized by Elementary, Middle, and High School grade bands and reach 37,301 students, 1,502 volunteers, and 108 schools locally in 2024-2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JA BizTown Mobile: Mobile-delivered immersive financial literacy and work readiness program for students, launched in spring 2023.
• JA Dream Accelerator
• 3DE by Junior Achievement

Products and services

• JA BizTown Simulation-based program where elementary and middle school students operate a model town, taking on jobs, earning and managing money, and running businesses. Includes a mobile variant (JA BizTown Mobile) that brings the experience directly to schools.
• JA BizTown Mobile Mobile format of JA BizTown that brings the immersive financial literacy and work readiness simulation to schools, reducing transportation barriers across Eastern Iowa.
• JA Finance Park Month-long personal finance and career exploration curriculum culminating in a realistic on-site or virtual community simulation where students develop and commit to a personal budget. Offered in Entry Level, Advanced, Virtual, and Mobile variants.
• 3DE by Junior Achievement Junior Achievement's multi-year high school instructional learning model that integrates case-based learning and business partnerships into the school day. Implemented at Washington High School's freshman academy in Cedar Rapids with the Cedar Rapids Community School District.
• JA Dream Accelerator Program helping students explore future career pathways through innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship skills. Coming to Iowa City Community School District as a first for Iowa; championed by board member/volunteer Dawn Bowlus for 15+ years.
• JA Career Inspire (Corridor & Cedar Valley editions) Career-connected learning events uniting business, education, and community partners to expose students to careers. Held annually in the Corridor (Cedar Rapids/Iowa City) and Cedar Valley (Waterloo/Cedar Falls) regions.
• JA Stock Market Challenge Stock market simulation competition that teaches students real-world investing concepts. Held in both Corridor and Cedar Valley regions; integrated into freshman seminar curriculum at Washington High School.
• JA Company Program After-school program where high school students start and run a real business enterprise under volunteer mentorship, devise and market a product or service, and sell stock in their company. Includes 13 modular experiences and a blended-learning approach; sponsored by The Hartford.
• JA Titan In-classroom high school program where students compete as managers of computer-simulated businesses under ever-changing economic conditions. Redeveloped with a $1,585,000 Janus Henderson Foundation grant (2019) to add gamification elements.
• JA Our City Elementary-level program where students design and color their own buildings to understand how communities, businesses, and money flow together; delivered by volunteers in classrooms across Eastern Iowa.
• JA Career Speakers Series Program in which volunteers share professional experience and career pathways directly with students in the classroom.
• JA Be Entrepreneurial Three-variant high school entrepreneurship curriculum covering Creative Problem Solving, Rapid Business Planning, and Think Like an Entrepreneur. Builds start-up enterprise and business plan skills including market research and competitive advantage.
• JA Economics for Success 2.0 Personal finance program developed in partnership with The Allstate Foundation that has helped more than 1.2 million students develop, plan, and set personal financial goals.
• JA Career Essentials Work readiness curriculum integrated into freshman seminar courses at Washington High School, providing practical, real-world career and life skills aligned with high school coursework and future pathways.
• JA Launch Lesson 50-minute educational experience in which community entrepreneurs deliver firsthand knowledge about starting a business and the entrepreneurial journey to high school students. Sponsored in partnership with EY.
• JA BizTown Summer Entrepreneur Camp One-week tuition-based summer entrepreneurship camp for students, hosted at Center for Innovation in Iowa City with Iowa City CSD partnership. Includes BizTown learning sessions, JA Roadshow business field trips, JA Learning Lab, and a BizTown Mobile Simulation. $200 per student with sibling discount; need-based scholarships available.
• Business Hall of Fame (Corridor & Cedar Valley editions) Annual ceremonies honoring local business leaders and entrepreneurs for impact, integrity, community commitment, leadership, and entrepreneurial spirit. Corridor event at Doubletree by Hilton; Cedar Valley event at Bien VenU Event Center. Proceeds benefit JA student programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 37,301 students reached locally during 2024-2025 academic year
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

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

• State FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState Farm is a sponsor of JA of Eastern Iowa (logo on homepage) and a partner in the JA Workforce initiative. Featured in JA Workforce with State Farm blog post. Also a Bronze-tier recipient of the U.S. President's Volunteer Service Award nationally.
• CliftonLarsonAllenminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCliftonLarsonAllen (professional services / accounting firm) is a sponsor/partner of JA of Eastern Iowa (logo on homepage). Likely provides professional services support.
• BankIowacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBankIowa is a corporate volunteer partner. BankIowa employee Kelli Artley has volunteered with JA for eight years, delivering JA Our City, JA Career Speakers, and BizTown programs in Eastern Iowa classrooms. BankIowa's culture encourages community involvement.
• Cedar Rapids Community School DistrictflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJA of Eastern Iowa partnered with Cedar Rapids Community School District to launch 3DE at Washington High School freshman academy. Ann Jameson, 18-year educator with CRCSD, integrates JA curriculum (JA Career Essentials, JA Stock Market Challenge) into freshman seminar courses. Strategic district-level partnership.
• Iowa City Community School DistrictflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the JA BizTown Summer Entrepreneur Camp (July 6-10, 2026) at the Center for Innovation in Iowa City. First Iowa district to receive the JA Dream Accelerator program.
• StaplesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured in JA blog "Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders: Junior Achievement and Staples Expand Partnership." Retail/corporate partner.
• UFG InsuranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in JA blog "Supporting Students Through Real-World Learning: UFG Insurance." Insurance industry partner supporting real-world learning experiences.
• Jersey Mike'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDay of Giving partnership — Jersey Mike's Day of Giving is a recurring cause marketing event where a portion of sales from a designated day benefits JA of Eastern Iowa.
• F&M BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in JA blog "F&M Bank Volunteers Make Real-World Learning Come Alive for Students." Community bank with active employee volunteer engagement.
• JA Worldwide / Junior Achievement USA

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City: Regional JA affiliate serving the Kansas City metro. Comparable in mission scope and operating model — K-12 experiential programs in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.
• Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest: Regional JA affiliate covering Minnesota and surrounding areas. Comparable in mission and operating model to JAEI, delivering JA BizTown, JA Finance Park, and related experiential programs in adjacent geography.
• Junior Achievement of the Heartland: Regional JA affiliate serving western Iowa and eastern Nebraska (Omaha/Council Bluffs area). Closest geographic peer to JAEI, operating the same K-12 financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programs.
• Junior Achievement of Wisconsin: Regional JA affiliate serving Wisconsin. Operates the same K-12 financial literacy and entrepreneurship program portfolio, including JA BizTown, JA Finance Park, and 3DE schools — directly comparable in scope to JAEI.
• Junior Achievement of Central Iowa: Sibling JA regional affiliate serving Central Iowa (Des Moines area). Operates the same JA curriculum portfolio (JA BizTown, JA Finance Park, JA Titan, etc.) and competes for an overlapping corporate sponsor pool in a different Iowa geography.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA (JA USA): National umbrella organization of which JAEI is an affiliate. Develops and licenses the curriculum, technology platforms (JA Engage, JA Learning Platform), and trademarks that JAEI delivers locally; provides shared national sponsor relationships and standards.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit serving school-age children with educational and career programs. Operates in the broader youth education/workforce readiness space with overlapping program categories (financial literacy, career exploration).
• National 4-H Council (4-H): National youth development nonprofit delivering K-12 experiential programs including financial literacy, career exploration, and entrepreneurship. A broader incumbent in the youth education space with overlapping subject matter but a club-based rather than school-integrated delivery model.

Emerging players

• FoolProof Foundation: Provider of K-12 financial literacy curricula, often used in schools. Comparable niche focus on financial literacy education but delivers via digital curriculum rather than in-person simulations, positioning it as an adjacent rather than directly competing offering.
• SIFMA Foundation: Foundation focused on youth financial education, including the Stock Market Game simulation — a direct functional peer to JA Stock Market Challenge. Targets K-12 students and competes for similar sponsor relationships with financial institutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jaeasterniowa
• Facebookfacebook.com/JAEasternIowa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/junior-achievement-of-eastern-iowa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa