Summer Search

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.

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

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

• Youth mentorship services
• College access programs
• Nonprofit youth development
• Experiential learning programs
• Post-secondary counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization relies on generous individual supporters who provide financial contributions, time, services, and goods to ensure commitment to young people served.
2. Foundation Grants: Institutional funding from foundations supports the organization's long-term programming and ensures young leaders gain access to empowering opportunities.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners provide key support through sponsorships, internships, and mentoring. Companies like Aon provide apprenticeship programs and board involvement.
4. Summer Experience Partner Contributions: Summer experience partners provide transformative experiences including outdoor expeditions, cultural immersion programs, and academic opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Redwood Trading PostcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRedwood 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOLS 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 MountaineerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig 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 GlobalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFounded 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 RisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnd 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.
• AoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAon 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

Direct 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

• Instagraminstagram.com/summersearch
• Xx.com/summersearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/summersearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/summersearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Summer Search