Summer Search
Summer Search is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free multi-year mentorship, fully-funded summer experiences, and post-secondary career support to high school sophomores from under-resourced communities across five US regions (Bay Area, Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Seattle), serving 9,300+ alumni since 1990.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Summer Search does
Summer Search is a US tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1990 by Linda Mornell, headquartered in Oakland, California, and operating across five US regions: the Bay Area, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Seattle. The organization delivers a multi-year youth-development program to high school sophomores from under-resourced communities who qualify for Free and Reduced lunch, recruited via partner high schools and community-based organizations. Its core services are Professional Mentoring (one-on-one and group), fully-funded Summer Experiences (outdoor expeditions and cultural immersion, typically delivered through partners like NOLS and Big City Mountaineers), Post-Secondary Mentorship (college and vocational advising), and Career Guidance. The Depth Mentoring Institute (DMI) trains adult mentors in social-emotional learning and trauma-sensitive practices, while Summer Search CONNECT, an online community portal launched in 2020, extends internships, jobs, workshops, and networking access to current participants and 9,300+ alumni.
The organization has documented programmatic outcomes — 99% of the Class of 2024 earned high school diplomas, 60% of Summer Searchers earn bachelor's degrees within six years versus 21% of peers, 73% are employed within six months of their highest degree, and graduates report less than $20,000 in average college debt against a national $33,260 benchmark for borrowers aged 25–34. With 51–100 employees and dedicated regional executive directors in each market, Summer Search is governed by a national board (Jean Lee appointed National Board Chair in June 2026) and is led by CEO Ursulina Ramirez.
The business model is donation- and grant-driven: revenue is sourced from individual donors, foundation grants, corporate partnerships (e.g., Aon, PwC Foundation), and in-kind contributions from summer experience providers. Programming is free to all participants, with no cost barrier for mentorship, summer experiences, or post-secondary support. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on a referral-based intake pipeline from partner schools and donor cultivation through regional galas, alumni summits, and storytelling channels across the website, blog, and Instagram.
Summer Search firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Summer Search
- Legal name
- Summer Search
- Website
- https://summersearch.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Summer Search is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free multi-year mentorship, fully-funded summer experiences, and post-secondary career support to high school sophomores from under-resourced communities across five US regions (Bay Area, Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Seattle), serving 9,300+ alumni since 1990.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Summer Search industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Development Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- 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), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO), Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB), Summer Programs, Research & Extracurricular Planning for Admissions (EDANAEAL)
Keywords
Where Summer Search is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Summer Search business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: The organization relies on generous individual supporters who provide financial contributions, time, services, and goods to ensure commitment to young people served.
- Foundation Grants: Institutional funding from foundations supports the organization's long-term programming and ensures young leaders gain access to empowering opportunities.
- Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners provide key support through sponsorships, internships, and mentoring. Companies like Aon provide apprenticeship programs and board involvement.
- Summer Experience Partner Contributions: Summer experience partners provide transformative experiences including outdoor expeditions, cultural immersion programs, and academic opportunities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free comprehensive program for eligible high school students |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Summer Search product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Summer Search provides a free, multi-year youth development program to high school students from under-resourced communities, pairing each participant with a long-term professional mentor, funding a fully-paid summer experiential program, and delivering post-secondary coaching from junior year of high school through college completion. The program is delivered across five US regions and is sustained by individual donors, foundation grants, and corporate partners, with no cost to participating students.
Product overview
Summer Search is a nonprofit mentorship organization offering a comprehensive year-round program for high school students from under-resourced communities. The program combines professional mentoring, fully-funded summer experiences, and post-secondary career support. The core offerings include: Professional Mentoring (one-on-one and group sessions with trained staff), Summer Experiences (outdoor adventures and cultural immersion programs), Post-Secondary Mentorship (college and career guidance), and Career Guidance services. The organization operates Summer Search CONNECT as its online community portal for participants to access internships, jobs, workshops, and networking. The Depth Mentoring Institute (DMI) provides mentor training, and the Career Coach Program connects volunteers with students for career support. The program spans from sophomore year through post-secondary completion, with ongoing alumni engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Professional Mentoring Program
- Summer Experience Program
- Post-Secondary Coaching
- Summer Search CONNECT
- Depth Mentoring Institute (DMI)
- Regional Program Hubs (Bay Area, Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Seattle)
Quantifiable outcome
- 99% of Class of 2024 earned high school diplomas
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Summer Search
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Summer Search technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Summer Search partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Redwood Trading PostcoreRedwood Trading Post provides outdoor equipment and supplies for Summer Search students embarking on wilderness expeditions. Each summer, Summer Search sends more than 600 high school students on transformative experiences including backpacking, sea kayaking, and other outdoor adventures.
- NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School)coreNOLS provides wilderness education programs for Summer Search students. Lawrence Phillips, a Boston alumnus, participated in a NOLS hiking program in Washington state as his first summer experience, which helped him appreciate where he came from and build confidence.
- Big City MountaineerscoreBig City Mountaineers provides summer wilderness expeditions for urban youth. Summer Search Seattle participant Joysty Ng completed a seven-day backpacking trip through Olympic National Park with Big City Mountaineers.
- Green Book GlobalminorFounded by Summer Search Boston alumnus Lawrence Phillips, Green Book Global is a travel platform for Black and Brown travelers. The platform honors the original Green Book travel guide and provides comprehensive city guides with custom rating tools. Lawrence gives back to Summer Search through involvement with the NYC Associate Board.
- And Still We RisecoreAnd Still We Rise provides 1:1 counseling and therapy sessions for Summer Search participants during high school and post-secondary years. While Summer Search is not a mental health provider, this partnership ensures students have access to mental wellness support.
- AoncoreAon provides apprenticeship programs for Summer Search Philadelphia participants. The company also has board involvement with the organization and employees serve as volunteers and mentors.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Summer Search competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Matriculate: National virtual college-advising organization that pairs low-income high school students with undergraduate mentors for 1:1 college admissions support. Directly comparable to Summer Search's college-access component; Summer Search NYC ED Yesenia Garcia-Fortuna was a founding staff member at Matriculate, evidencing close operational overlap.
- College Possible: National nonprofit providing near-peer coaching for college access and success to students from low-income backgrounds, with AmeriCorps coaches and a curriculum-driven model. Operates in many of the same metros as Summer Search and serves a near-identical student segment with comparable college-outcome metrics.
- Bottom Line: Nonprofit delivering 1:1 college access and success advising to first-generation students from under-resourced communities in multiple US cities. Closely comparable in mission, target student, post-secondary support model, and metro footprint to Summer Search.
- Year Up: Workforce-development nonprofit that provides training, mentoring, and corporate internships to young adults from low-income backgrounds, transitioning them into living-wage careers. Comparable in 'mentoring + corporate pathway + post-secondary career launch' architecture and in serving under-resourced young adults.
- iMentor: Nonprofit that pairs low-income high school students with volunteer mentors for multi-year college-success relationships. Highly comparable to Summer Search's 1:1 mentoring plus post-secondary support architecture.
- uAspire: National nonprofit focused specifically on college affordability — advising students on financial aid, scholarships, and college costs. Overlaps with Summer Search's college-application and financial-aid navigation component and serves a similar low-income student segment.
Broad incumbents
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Largest US youth-mentoring organization, providing 1:1 mentoring for youth from a wide range of backgrounds. Less specialized than Summer Search on college/career outcomes and summer experiences, but directly comparable on the core mentoring architecture and broad donor-base model.
- AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination): School-system-wide college-readiness program adopted by many of the same high schools that refer students to Summer Search. Comparable target student (first-generation college-bound) and shared school-district channel; differs by being embedded in schools rather than running parallel programming.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Large national youth-development network providing mentoring, after-school programming, and college/career support via local club affiliates. Comparable on serving under-resourced youth across multiple US metros, though operates a broader youth-development mission beyond college access.
Others
- NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School): Provider of wilderness education expeditions that is a current strategic partner of Summer Search for summer outdoor experiences. Not a direct competitor but a key ecosystem partner delivering the 'summer experiences' pillar of Summer Search's model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Summer Search social profiles
Digital presenceSummer Search financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Summer Search leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Summer Search funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Summer Search 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 Summer Search
What does Summer Search do?
Summer Search provides a free, multi-year youth development program to high school students from under-resourced communities, pairing each participant with a long-term professional mentor, funding a fully-paid summer experiential program, and delivering post-secondary coaching from junior year of high school through college completion. The program is delivered across five US regions and is sustained by individual donors, foundation grants, and corporate partners, with no cost to participating students.
Is Summer Search a public or private company?
Summer Search is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Summer Search founded?
Summer Search was founded in 1990. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Summer Search based?
Summer Search is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Summer Search make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation Grants, corporate Partnerships and summer Experience Partner Contributions.
Who are Summer Search's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Matriculate, College Possible, Bottom Line, Year Up, iMentor and uAspire. Broad incumbents are Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) is listed as an others.
Does Summer Search have an API?
No public API is recorded for Summer Search.
What industry is Summer Search in?
Summer Search's product category is Youth Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAN, Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills), with a secondary code of EDAMALAN, College & Career Exploration Camps (Pre-College Samplers, Pathways). Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8200.