Up2Us Sports

What Up2Us Sports does

Up2Us Sports (legal entity Up2Us, Inc.) is a national nonprofit founded in 2010 (with AmeriCorps-funded operations beginning in 2009), headquartered in New York with five additional regional offices in Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New Orleans. The organization delivers a Sports-Based Youth Development (SBYD) methodology through two principal national-service product lines: the Up2Us Coach program, which recruits and trains young adults (via AmeriCorps federal grants) to serve as coach-mentors placed at community host organizations serving youth in low-income areas, and the Up2Us VISTA program (started 2010), which places capacity-building service members at SBYD organizations nationwide. To date, the organization has trained more than 3,900 coaches, placed coaches at 541+ community host organizations, served over 100,000 youth, and logged 4.1 million service hours, with documented outcomes including 80% of youth reporting trust in their coach and 84.2% showing improvement in at least one core social-emotional learning competency.

Name

Up2Us Sports

Legal name

Up2Us, Inc.

Website

https://up2us.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Up2Us Sports is a national nonprofit that trains young adults through AmeriCorps-funded programs to serve as sports-based youth development coaches in low-income communities across the United States. The organization operates the Up2Us Coach and Up2Us VISTA programs, partnering with schools, parks, and youth nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Development & Sports Outreach Programs (EDAIAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF), Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Sports-based youth development
• AmeriCorps national service
• Youth coaching programs
• Nonprofit youth services
• Social-emotional learning sports

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations such as Imagine Learning Foundation ($100,000), LA84 Foundation, and Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children's Mental Health
2. Government Grants: AmeriCorps federal funding ($2.1 million for 2024-25), plus state service commission grants from California Volunteers, Serve Illinois, PennSERVE, Volunteer Louisiana
3. Corporate Sponsorships: National sponsors including AmeriCorps, FOX Sports, OJJDP, SCORE Sports; corporate partnerships with organizations like Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, Milwaukee Bucks, Morgan Stanley
4. Individual Donations: Donations from individuals via their website donation portal (classy.org) to support coach training and placement
5. Event Revenue: Annual Sneaker Ball gala and other fundraising events

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Up2Us Sports is a national nonprofit that uses sports as a vehicle for youth development by training and placing AmeriCorps-funded young adults as coach-mentors in underserved communities. Through its Up2Us Coach and Up2Us VISTA programs, the organization delivers direct sports coaching, mentorship, and capacity-building support to youth-serving organizations including schools, parks and recreation departments, and community-based nonprofits. Supporting programs include Up2Us Training for coach professional development and the She Changes the Game initiative advancing women coaches and girls' sports access.

Product overview

Up2Us Sports is a nonprofit organization using sports as a solution to challenges young people face, operating as a platform with multiple interconnected programs. The core offerings include Up2Us Coach (formerly Coach Across America), an AmeriCorps-funded national service program that trains young adults as coach-mentors for underserved communities, and Up2Us VISTA, which provides capacity-building service members to sports-based youth development organizations nationwide. Supporting these programs are Up2Us Training (professional development and coaching resources), the She Changes the Game initiative (focused on women in coaching), and Up2Us Career Readiness. The organization partners with entities like the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation for the LADF Field Champions Program and Morgan Stanley for mental health training content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• She Changes the Game: An initiative focused on growing opportunities for women to coach and ensuring young girls in vulnerable communities have access to sports.

Products and services

• Up2Us Coach AmeriCorps-funded national service program that recruits, trains, and places young adults as full-time coach-mentors in community-based youth-serving organizations serving low-income communities.
• Up2Us VISTA AmeriCorps VISTA program that places capacity-building service members in sports-based youth development organizations to support fundraising, data management, grant writing, and organizational development.
• Up2Us Training Professional development and training resources for sports-based youth development coaches, including the SBYD Coach Video Series, conflict resolution curricula, and bystander intervention techniques.
• She Changes the Game Initiative advancing gender equity in sports by expanding coaching opportunities for women and sports access for girls in vulnerable communities, in partnership with adidas and LA84 Foundation.
• LADF Field Champions Program Partnership program with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation placing Up2Us Coaches as LADF Field Champions (Dodgers Dreamteam coaches) at community sites across Los Angeles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of youth report they trust their coach
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for LADF Field Champions program, entering 7th year in 2025. LADF Field Champions coaches serve as Dodgers Dreamteam coaches. Three Up2Us coaches named 2024 Dodgers Dreamteam Coaches of the Year.
• Morgan StanleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance for Children's Mental Health partnership. Jointly developed exclusive six-part video series tailored specifically for SBYD coaches covering mental health topics.
• Milwaukee BucksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUp2Us Sports staff facilitated first-ever DEER Day event for Bucks front office staff in September 2024, providing SBYD training and team-building activities.
• Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative (PYSC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to coach under-resourced youth in Philadelphia. PYSC founded in 2016 by Executive Director Beth Devine, has been partner since 2024.
• adidasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through She Changes the Game and Breaking Barriers initiatives. Launched digital coaching curriculum dedicated to women and girls in sport. Hosted coaching clinics in NYC and LA on International Day of the Girl.
• OvertimeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZachary Weiner, Co-Founder of Overtime, honored with Innovation Award at Up2Us Sports 2024 Sneaker Ball. Overtime is leading brand for next generation of sports fans with 65M+ social media fans.
• D.C. UnitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanita Johnson, President of Business Operations at D.C. United, received She Changes the Game Award at 2024 Sneaker Ball. First Black President of an MLS Club.
• Positive Coaching AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through coach recognition programs. Up2Us Sports Coach Ciera Jones named 2024 PCA National Coach of the Year.
• LA Clippers FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecognized Up2Us Coaches Jasmine Hernandez and Frank Martinez as Community Heroes of the Game, honoring their service to LA communities.
• Miami HEAT Charitable FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHonored Up2Us Sports Coach Derrick 'Dee' Britt as Home Strong Hero of the Night during playoff game, recognizing his mentorship work.
• Wrestle Like A GirlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to train women wrestlers from Ukraine and coaches from Mongolia in wrestling techniques and youth development.
• Miami-Dade CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools starting Fall 2023 to place 50 Up2Us Sports AmeriCorps coach-mentors in after-school programs.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: Long-standing community-based nonprofit delivering youth sports, aquatics, and recreation programs nationwide through a federated local-branch model. Directly comparable to Up2Us Sports in serving underserved youth through sports programming in community settings.
• Boys & Girls Club of America: National youth development nonprofit with deep sports and recreation programming in underserved communities. Operates a much larger affiliate network but uses sports as one of many program pillars, similar to Up2Us Sports' community-based delivery model.
• National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA): National nonprofit supporting local parks and recreation departments that deliver youth sports programming. Overlaps with Up2Us Sports' parks-and-rec host-site channel and broader youth sports access mission.

Emerging players

• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): National nonprofit advocating for and supporting youth mentoring relationships across the country. Comparable in using sports as a mentoring vehicle and serving the same at-risk youth population, though MENTOR's frame is broader than Up2Us Sports' sports-only focus.

Direct peers

• Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA): National nonprofit providing coach training and development resources for youth and high-school sports. Direct peer in the coach-training space; an Up2Us Sports coach won PCA's 2024 National Coach of the Year.
• Police Athletic League (PAL): National nonprofit placing youth in sports, education, and mentorship programs primarily in underserved urban communities. Shares the same sports-as-youth-development thesis and serves a heavily overlapping beneficiary population as Up2Us Sports.
• Laureus Sport for Good USA: Global foundation funding sport-for-development programs in underserved communities. Operates with a grantmaking and network model similar in philosophy to Up2Us Sports' intermediary role; Up2Us has been recognized by Laureus New Orleans.
• Girls on the Run International: National nonprofit combining running and physical activity with social-emotional learning for girls in elementary and middle school. Closely comparable to Up2Us Sports' She Changes the Game initiative in mission, gender-equity focus, and SEL outcomes framework.
• Playworks: National nonprofit placing trained coaches in low-income elementary schools to use recess and play for social-emotional development. Highly comparable to Up2Us Sports' model of placing trained adults in underserved schools/communities for SEL-through-sport outcomes.

Others

• Aspen Institute Project Play: Youth sports initiative of the Aspen Institute working to increase access to sport for all children. Has formally recognized Up2Us Sports as a Champion; comparable in the youth sports access and policy space though it operates as a thought leader rather than direct-service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Up2UsSports
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Up2Ussports
• Facebookfacebook.com/Up2UsSports
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/up2ussports
• Instagraminstagram.com/up2ussports

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Up2Us Sports