Center for Supportive Schools

What Center for Supportive Schools does

Center for Supportive Schools (CSS) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1979 and headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, that provides evidence-based social-emotional learning (SEL), peer leadership, and mentoring programs to K-12 schools in the United States. Its core product, Peer Group Connection (PGC), is a daily, credit-bearing leadership class for older students paired with a weekly facilitated class for younger students, with sub-products tailored for elementary (PGC-ES), middle (PGC-MS), high school (PGC-HS), and transfer students (PGC-Transfer). The portfolio also includes Teen Prevention Education Program (Teen PEP), Achievement Mentoring, an Advisory Curriculum, a student leadership curriculum ("When Students Lead"), and whole-school services (Community Schools, Data-Driven Continuous Improvement, Customized School-Wide Initiatives), plus professional development branded as "PD as an Act of Restoration." CSS serves 281 actively implementing schools reaching 57,204 students across 12 states plus Washington, D.C., and operates as lead Community Based Organization at 24 New York City and 9 Jersey City Community Schools.

The underlying technology is principally a structured SEL curriculum and professional-development playbook, not a software platform: programs are delivered through direct school partnerships with dedicated CSS program managers, password-protected curriculum websites restricted to CSS-trained educators, and credit-bearing in-school classes. Evidence infrastructure is provided by research partnerships with Mathematica Policy Research, the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab, the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, and the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, yielding documented outcomes such as sustained attendance gains one year after PGC-HS completion and a CASEL SELect designation as well as inclusion on the HHS Teen Pregnancy Prevention Evidence Review.

CSS's business model blends public-sector grant funding with fee-for-service implementation. Revenue streams include federal grants from the U.S. Departments of Health & Human Services, Education, and Justice (twelve lifetime awards, including a $3.1M EIR grant in 2017), foundation grants (e.g., Einhorn Family Charitable Trust), individual donations (one-time and recurring online giving), the PGC Access and Opportunity Fund for under-resourced districts, and program implementation fees paid by schools for professional development, curriculum access, and coaching support. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; contracts are negotiated directly with school districts and charter or independent schools, with go-to-market executed via exploratory calls, sales-led direct partnerships, and dedicated program managers assigned to each implementation.

Name

Center for Supportive Schools

Legal name

Center for Supportive Schools

Website

https://supportiveschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Center for Supportive Schools is a Princeton-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers evidence-based peer leadership, mentoring, and social-emotional learning programs to K-12 public, charter, and independent schools across 12 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Social-Emotional Learning Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Public Student Support & Related Services (Counseling, SEL, Health, Safety) (EDAJAAAK), After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM)

Keywords

• K-12 education programs
• Social-emotional learning services
• Peer leadership programs
• School mentoring services
• Community schools support

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Federal Grants: CSS receives federal grants from agencies including the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Justice to implement and evaluate programs such as Teen PEP and PGC-MS.
2. Foundation Grants: CSS receives grants from foundations including the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust, which provided matching funds for i3 grants.
3. Individual Donations: The organization accepts online donations via credit card, bank transfer, PayPal, Venmo, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. Donors can make one-time or recurring gifts.
4. PGC Access and Opportunity Fund: A fund to offset program costs for schools seeking to launch PGC programs, particularly those in smaller districts in rural and other under-resourced communities.
5. Program Implementation Fees: Schools pay for implementation of CSS programs including professional development, curriculum access, and coaching support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Center for Supportive Schools (CSS) partners with K-12 schools to deliver evidence-based peer leadership, mentoring, and sexual-health education programs, along with wraparound Community Schools services and professional development for faculty. Core named offerings include Peer Group Connection (PGC) for elementary, middle, high school, and transfer students; Teen Prevention Education Program (Teen PEP); Achievement Mentoring; Advisory Curriculum; When Students Lead; and customized school-wide initiatives. Schools contract with CSS for implementation, curriculum access, coaching, and ongoing program management.

Product overview

Center for Supportive Schools (CSS) is an education services organization offering a portfolio of evidence-based programs and professional development services for K-12 schools. The core offerings include Peer Group Connection (PGC) - a peer leadership and mentoring program available for elementary, middle, and high schools (including transfer students) - and the Teen Prevention Education Program (Teen PEP) for sexual health education. Supporting these are the Achievement Mentoring Program and Advisory Curriculum. CSS also provides whole-school service offerings including Community Schools (managing wraparound services at 33 schools), Data-Driven Continuous Improvement, and Customized School-Wide Initiatives. Professional development includes SEL Professional Development ('PD as an Act of Restoration') and Customized Professional Learning for faculty and staff. Programs are research-validated and included in national evidence registries (CASEL, HHS TPPER).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Peer Group Connection (PGC): A daily, credit-bearing leadership class for older students that prepares them to serve as peer leaders in their school community, and a weekly class for younger students facilitated by peer leaders that supports their transition into middle and high school.
• Achievement Mentoring
• Teen PEP
• Community Schools
• TEAMWORKS
• Professional Development as an Act of Restoration

Products and services

• Peer Group Connection (PGC) Evidence-based peer leadership and mentoring program comprising a daily credit-bearing leadership class for older students serving as peer leaders and a weekly class for younger students facilitated by peer leaders to support school transitions.
• Peer Group Connection - High School (PGC-HS) High school version of the Peer Group Connection program; designated CASEL SELect Program and listed on the HHS Teen Pregnancy Prevention Evidence Review as an evidence-based program.
• Peer Group Connection - Middle School (PGC-MS) Middle school version of the Peer Group Connection program designed to help students navigate the stresses of middle school through peer leadership.
• Peer Group Connection - Elementary School (PGC-ES) Elementary school peer helper program that develops leadership skills in younger students.
• Peer Group Connection - Transfer (PGC-Transfer) Transition program designed to support students moving between educational levels or schools.
• Teen Prevention Education Program (Teen PEP) Sexual health education program for high schools developed in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Health.
• Achievement Mentoring Program One-on-one mentoring program pairing students with trained adult mentors to support academic achievement, attendance, school connectedness, and social-emotional development.
• Community Schools Strategic integration of wraparound services that support the whole child, family, and community. CSS serves as lead Community Based Organization at 24 schools in NYC and 9 in Jersey City.
• Customized School-Wide Initiatives Customized solutions designed to meet the specific needs of each school partner, supporting over 150 public, charter, and independent schools throughout the United States.
• Data-Driven Continuous Improvement Data-driven continuous improvement processes for stakeholder teams to transform school climate and culture.
• SEL Professional Development ("PD as an Act of Restoration") Professional development workshop series that builds a cohesive community of faculty and staff, centering on helping staff feel seen, cared for, and restored through adult SEL training.
• Customized Professional Learning Experiential workshops supporting school staff in using social-emotional tools to build community and connection, including student-teacher dialogues and trauma-responsive practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• In a study of PGC, 9th graders and peer leaders who participated attended school more often than non-participants, and increased attendance lasted a full year after completing PGC-HS
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

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

• Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner10-year partnership (2005-2015) to design and facilitate a course called the Intercultural Dimensions of Policy Making at their Junior Summer Institute.
• New Jersey Department of HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership starting 1995 to bring peer-to-peer health education to NJ schools including Teen PEP, New Jersey Peer to Peer, Parent Leadership Corps, and REBEL2 programs.
• New York City Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent lead CBO at 24 Community Schools in NYC, working in partnership with school leadership, faculty, students, and families to set strategy and oversee services.
• Jersey City Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead CBO at 9 Community Schools in Jersey City, NJ, providing strategic integration of wraparound services.
• Mathematica Policy ResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting rigorous evaluations of CSS programs including Teen PEP implementation in NJ and NC.
• America's Promise AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization featured by America's Promise Alliance, a national network dedicated to improving youth outcomes.
• New York CaresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Winter Wish Celebration at New Heights Middle School, spreading holiday cheer and making dreams come true.
• Community Food Bank of New JerseyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with PS 23, 29, and 34 through the Family Pack Program providing vital support to families in need.
• United Way of Mercer CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to bring afterschool mentoring program to hundreds of youth across Trenton high schools.
• Mercer County Big Brothers Big SistersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership bringing afterschool mentoring program to youth across Trenton high schools.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Committee for Children: Committee for Children is a leading nonprofit provider of evidence-based social-emotional learning curricula for K-12 schools, most notably Second Step. It competes directly with CSS in the SEL curriculum and professional development space, serving similar school districts with research-backed programs.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Big Brothers Big Sisters is a national youth mentoring nonprofit pairing students with adult mentors, closely overlapping with CSS's Achievement Mentoring program in target population (K-12 youth) and outcomes focus (school connectedness, graduation rates).
• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): MENTOR is the umbrella advocacy and capacity-building organization for the youth mentoring field. It overlaps with CSS in advancing evidence-based school and community mentoring, including through federal Multi-State Mentoring grants that also fund CSS programs.
• International Institute for Restorative Practices: IIRP provides school-wide restorative practices training and SEL-focused professional development for educators, overlapping with CSS's school culture, faculty/staff professional development, and whole-school initiatives.
• City Year: City Year places near-peer AmeriCorps members in high-need schools to support attendance, behavior, and course performance. It overlaps with CSS in the school-based youth development and whole-school wraparound service space, including Community Schools.

Emerging players

• Peace First: Peace First is a youth development nonprofit focused on social-emotional learning, leadership, and peacemaking skills in schools. It overlaps with CSS's When Students Lead and PGC programs in cultivating youth leadership and SEL competencies.
• Move This World: Move This World provides video-based SEL curricula and professional development to K-12 schools, overlapping with CSS's Advisory Curriculum and SEL PD offerings, with a more scalable digital delivery model.
• 7 Mindsets: 7 Mindsets delivers an evidence-informed SEL curriculum and resources to schools, overlapping with CSS's PGC and Advisory Curriculum in the K-12 SEL space.
• Generation Citizen: Generation Citizen provides action-based civics education programs in middle and high schools, intersecting with CSS's leadership development and peer-led programming in similar K-12 populations.

Others

• National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET): NIET partners with K-12 schools on educator effectiveness, professional development, and school improvement initiatives, broadly comparable to CSS's faculty/staff PD and whole-school offerings in serving the same district and school leader buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/supportiveschools

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 Center for Supportive Schools