Youth ALIVE!

What Youth ALIVE! does

Youth ALIVE! is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1991 and headquartered at 520 3rd Street, Suite 101 in Oakland, California. It operates as Oakland's community-based violence prevention, intervention, and healing agency, delivering wraparound services free of charge to youth, gun violence survivors, families of homicide victims, and at-promise youth. The organization runs nine programs organized into four pillars: prevention (Teens on Target peer education), intervention (Violence Interrupters using the Cure Violence model, Caught in the Crossfire hospital-based intervention, Pathways mentoring, and Hometown Heroes workforce development fellowship), healing (Khadafy Washington Project crisis response for homicide families and bilingual Counseling Services), and advocacy (Advocacy for Change and Legislative Action).

The underlying methodology is built on evidence-based intervention frameworks including the Cure Violence model and the Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) pioneered by Youth ALIVE! in the early 1990s as the nation's first such program. The organization also developed the START (Screening & Tool for Awareness & Relief of Trauma) tool in collaboration with gunshot survivors. Services are delivered by field-based staff embedded at five Oakland Unified School District high schools, hospital bedsides at Highland Hospital, on Oakland streets, and in community settings.

Youth ALIVE! is funded through a mix of individual donations, foundation grants, government funding (including CalVIP), corporate contributions, fundraising events (galas, car shows, community events), branded merchandise sales, and legacy/bequest giving. The organization employs between 11 and 50 staff and is governed by a 14-member Board of Directors. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization does not sell products or services; all direct beneficiary services are free, and the START tool is provided at no cost to clients and partner agencies.

Name

Youth ALIVE!

Legal name

Youth Alive

Website

https://youthalive.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Violence Prevention Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ)

Keywords

• Violence prevention services
• Community intervention programs
• Trauma-informed counseling
• Youth mentoring services
• Crisis response support

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Grants: Youth ALIVE! operates as a nonprofit relying on individual donations, major gifts, foundation grants, and government funding. The organization runs a Community Circle monthly giving program at five giving levels ($1,000-$25,000/year for 5 years), an annual breakfast fundraiser, Legacy of Healing Circle (bequest/estate giving), and accepts cryptocurrency donations. Event-based fundraising includes galas, car shows, and community events.
2. Merchandise Sales: The organization sells branded merchandise such as limited-edition Oakland-themed hoodies at $75 each through its website as a supplementary revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Youth ALIVE! is a community-based nonprofit organization that delivers free, wraparound violence prevention, intervention, and healing services to Oakland youth, survivors of gun violence, and families of homicide victims. Its programs include youth peer-led prevention education, street-based conflict mediation, hospital-based violence intervention, mentoring case management for at-promise youth, crisis response for homicide families, trauma counseling, and policy advocacy.

Product overview

Youth ALIVE! is a community-based nonprofit organization (not a technology company) offering a portfolio of violence prevention, intervention, and healing programs. The organization operates nine distinct programs: Teens on Target (youth-led violence prevention education), Violence Interrupters (street-based conflict mediation), Caught in the Crossfire (hospital-based violence intervention), Pathways (youth mentoring case management), Hometown Heroes Fellowship (workforce development), Khadafy Washington Project (homicide crisis response), Counseling Services (mental health support), Advocacy for Change (policy advocacy), and Legislative Action (policy development). Additionally, they developed START, a trauma screening tool. These wraparound services are provided free of charge and are designed to work together as a comprehensive community violence intervention ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Teens on Target (TNT): A violence prevention program that trains high school students to educate their peers about preventing violence, mediating conflicts, and advocating for community safety.
• Violence Interrupters
• Caught in the Crossfire
• Pathways
• Hometown Heroes Fellowship
• Khadafy Washington Project
• Counseling Services
• Advocacy for Change (A4C)
• Legislative Action

Products and services

• Teens on Target (TNT) A youth violence prevention program that trains high school students to educate their peers about violence prevention, mediate conflicts, and advocate for community safety improvements.
• Violence Interrupters Street-based violence interruption services where trained credible messengers mediate conflicts between individuals, groups, and gangs before violence occurs.
• Caught in the Crossfire (CiC) The nation's first Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program that meets survivors of violence at hospital bedsides to provide support focused on healing and discouraging retaliation.
• Pathways Mentoring case management program that connects at-promise youth with experienced intervention specialists for educational assistance, legal aid, employment support, mentoring, and life skills training.
• Hometown Heroes Fellowship Workforce development initiative that combines professional training, community engagement, and therapeutic support to develop the next generation of credible messengers and community leaders in violence prevention.
• Khadafy Washington Project (KWP) Crisis response program that provides emotional, practical, and financial support to families of Oakland homicide victims, including emergency assistance, relocation services, and funeral planning.
• Counseling Services Healing-centered bilingual individual and group counseling sessions provided by mental health counselors to support individuals impacted by trauma and violence, offered free of charge.
• Advocacy for Change (A4C) Policy advocacy program that raises the voices of those most affected by violence to push for systemic solutions through coalitions, policy analysis, and community outreach.
• Legislative Action Policy development initiative leveraging 30 years of experience to develop local, statewide, and national policy solutions designed to save lives through violence prevention and intervention programs.
• START (Screening & Tool for Awareness & Relief of Trauma) A trauma screening and coping tool that identifies often-missed symptoms of trauma and offers coping tools through brief 20-30 minute guided conversations conducted by trained adults. Free to Youth Alive clients and partner agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of Caught in the Crossfire clients were not re-injured in 2025
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• East Oakland Boxing AssociationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 August 2025Collaborative community partnership for the Black August: Mind, Body & Soul Block Party event. East Oakland Boxing Association co-hosted this healing and wellness community event alongside Youth ALIVE!, bringing together wellness workshops, food, civic engagement resources, and community connection.
• Oakland BallersminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 July 2025Youth ALIVE! is a featured nonprofit beneficiary at Oakland Ballers games, including Star Wars Night. A portion of each ticket sold through Youth ALIVE! benefits the organization's violence prevention and healing programs.
• Prayer Line Ministries, Tip Top Shape, WORD Assembly Church, The Wise Guys M.C.minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 November 2024Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Give Away partnership. Multiple community organizations collaborate with Youth ALIVE! to distribute free turkeys and holiday support to Oakland families in need.
• EastSide Arts AllianceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 November 2024Partnership for a Día de los Muertos celebration event. Youth ALIVE! co-hosted this community arts and culture event at EastSide Arts Alliance in Oakland to engage the community through cultural programming.
• Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Youth ALIVE! operates School-Based Violence Interrupters (SBVIs) at five OUSD high schools (Castlemont, Skyline, Rudsdale, Dewey, Oakland High) through a formal partnership established in 2022. The organization also introduced Pathways Intervention Specialists at Castlemont and Rudsdale High School in 2023. The partnership provides conflict mediation, crisis support, youth leadership training, and wraparound services directly on campus.
• Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (The HAVI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Youth ALIVE! is a member of the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, a national network of hospital-based violence intervention programs. The organization has collaborated with HAVI on training, peer learning, and certification for violence prevention professionals. Youth ALIVE!'s Executive Director previously served as Director of Peer Learning at HAVI.
• California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Grant ProgramcoreOthers · 1 January 2019Youth ALIVE! has been instrumental in advocating for and securing funding through CalVIP, California's main source of funding for community-based violence intervention programs. The organization advocated for $209M in CalVIP funding and continues to push for a $198M one-time investment.
• Cure ViolencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Youth ALIVE!'s Violence Interrupter program is based on the Cure Violence model. The organization has implemented this approach as part of a comprehensive Community Violence Intervention Ecosystem (CVI Ecosystem), which has become central to the violence prevention field.
• Highland Hospital (Alameda Health System)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Caught in the Crossfire intervention specialists meet survivors of violence at hospital bedsides at Highland Hospital and other trauma centers in East Oakland, providing immediate crisis intervention and ongoing case management. This hospital-based violence intervention program was the nation's first HVIP.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Roca: Boston-based nonprofit running street-outreach violence intervention, young-adult case management, and workforce development for at-risk youth. Operates a similar credible-messenger model with comparable re-incarceration and re-injury prevention metrics.
• Cure Violence Global: The parent organization of the Cure Violence model that Youth ALIVE!'s Violence Interrupter program implements. Both organizations operate interrupters, hospital-linked response, and public-health framing of community violence.
• Advance Peace: Oakland- and Sacramento-based nonprofit delivering credible-messenger street outreach, life-coaching fellowships, and group violence intervention targeting the same population as Youth ALIVE!'s pathways and interruption work.
• Communities for Peace: A program of Community Works West offering HVIP-style services and restorative justice in Oakland. Operates an adjacent intervention and reentry model with overlapping hospital and community partners.
• Chicago CRED: Chicago-based violence intervention nonprofit offering street outreach and life coaching in neighborhoods with chronic gun violence. Comparable client population, similar credible-messenger-driven program design.
• Safe Passages: Oakland youth-serving nonprofit providing case management, mentoring, and reentry support largely in OUSD schools. Shares referral pipelines and school-embedded intervention work with Youth ALIVE!'s SBVI and Pathways programs.
• Brother Jeff's Healing Circle: Denver-based healing-centered violence intervention and community support organization serving youth and families impacted by violence. Comparable combination of street-level intervention, healing services, and community advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI): National membership organization advancing the HVIP model that Youth ALIVE! helped pioneer. Serves as a network hub for hospital-based violence intervention programs and a policy/advocacy voice for the field.
• National Network for Safe Communities: Research and technical assistance organization at John Jay College advancing group violence intervention and focused deterrence. Operates in the same CVI policy and practice space as Youth ALIVE!'s advocacy and interruption work.

Regional players

• City of Oakland Department of Violence Prevention: Oakland city government agency housing the public funder for community violence intervention. Operates in the same city as Youth ALIVE! with overlapping goals and now Medi-Cal billable funding; a partner and adjacent deliverer rather than a peer competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/youthALIVE510
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthalive510
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-alive-
• Instagraminstagram.com/yaoakland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Youth ALIVE!