American Youthworks

What American Youthworks does

American YouthWorks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1975 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, that delivers paid workforce development, education, and conservation service programming for young adults primarily aged 16–35. Its portfolio includes YouthBuild (GED/high school diploma paired with career training in construction, IT/manufacturing, healthcare, and certifications such as OSHA 10, NCCER, Manufacturing Certificate, Solar Installation, Pre-Apprentice Electrical, CPR, and Wilderness First Aid), four state Conservation Corps (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma), the Clean & Green community cleanup and environmental beautification program, the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps in partnership with the City of Austin, the Print Shop (screen printing and graphic design job training launched in 2015), and the GulfCorps coastal restoration initiative with The Nature Conservancy funded by RESTORE Act and NOAA. Specialized crews include Conservation and Disaster Response, Trails Across Texas (Texas Parks & Wildlife), Heritage Crew (US Forest Service archaeologists), Integrated Resource and Fire Mitigation, Silviculture, HEAT (Houston), San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Summer Crews, and Individual Placements.

The organization distributes services through seven physical locations across Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, and recruits participants through AmeriCorps.gov listings, community referrals (schools, courts, social services, employers), website/application forms, and community events. Revenue is generated through a diversified nonprofit mix: AmeriCorps federal grants, federal/state/local government contracts for conservation and disaster response, foundation grants (notably a 2025 Bank of America $200,000 Neighborhood Builder award), corporate and individual donations, and project-based fee-for-service work for agencies including the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas Department of Emergency Management, and the City of Austin. Participants receive monthly living allowances (e.g., $2,000–$2,720) and Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards up to $7,395 on completion. The organization holds AmeriCorps State/National program status, Corps Network membership, and Texan by Nature Conservation Wrangler recognition, and operates under CEO Parc Smith (30-year tenure) with a Board of Directors chaired by Rubén Cantú.

Name

American Youthworks

Legal name

American YouthWorks

Website

http://americanyouthworks.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

American YouthWorks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs paid AmeriCorps YouthBuild and Conservation Corps programs across Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, serving young adults ages 16–35 through education, career training, and federal/state conservation and disaster response partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

Keywords

• Workforce development
• Conservation corps
• Youth education
• Career training
• Disaster response services

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. AmeriCorps Grants: Primary funding from AmeriCorps federal grants through the Corporation for National and Community Service, providing living allowances and education awards to participants.
2. Government Contracts: Revenue from federal, state, and local government agencies for conservation projects, disaster response services, and workforce development programs.
3. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations such as Bank of America's $200,000 Neighborhood Builder grant over two years, supporting organizational capacity and program expansion.
4. Corporate and Individual Donations: Philanthropic contributions from donors supporting youth development and conservation mission.
5. Project-Based Revenue: Revenue-generating project work for government and nonprofit partners including National Park Service, US Forest Service, and municipal agencies for conservation and disaster response services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

American YouthWorks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing paid workforce development and education programs for young adults ages 16-35 through its Conservation Corps (TXCC, LaCC, ARCC, OKCC), YouthBuild, Clean & Green, and Austin Civilian Conservation Corps programs. Participants earn a GED or high school diploma, gain industry certifications (OSHA 10, NCCER, Manufacturing, Solar Installation, CPR, wildland firefighting), and complete hands-on conservation, construction, disaster response, and habitat restoration projects for government agency partners.

Product overview

American YouthWorks is a nonprofit workforce development organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs for young adults (primarily ages 16-35). The core offerings include YouthBuild (GED/high school diploma plus career training in construction, IT/manufacturing, and healthcare tracks) and the Conservation Corps network (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Conservation Corps). These programs provide paid AmeriCorps service opportunities focused on conservation, disaster response, trail building, habitat restoration, and community service. Additional programs include Clean & Green (community cleanup), Austin Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Print Shop. The Conservation Corps operate various specialized crews including Conservation and Disaster Response Teams, GulfCorps (coastal restoration), Trails Across Texas, Heritage, Fire Mitigation, Silviculture, and Summer Crews. Individual Placements provide one-on-one service positions with federal and state partners. The organization primarily serves Central Texas and has expanded to Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Texas Conservation Corps (TXCC): Conservation Corps program offering AmeriCorps terms of service for conservation projects, disaster response, trail building, and habitat restoration across Texas.
• Louisiana Conservation Corps (LaCC)
• Arkansas Conservation Corps (ARCC)
• Oklahoma Conservation Corps (OKCC)
• YouthBuild
• Clean & Green
• Austin Civilian Conservation Corps (ACCC)
• GulfCorps
• Heritage Crew

Products and services

• YouthBuild
• Texas Conservation Corps (TXCC)
• Louisiana Conservation Corps (LaCC)
• Arkansas Conservation Corps (ARCC)
• Oklahoma Conservation Corps (OKCC)
• Clean & Green
• Austin Civilian Conservation Corps (ACCC)
• Print Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• 700+ individuals directly assisted in single disaster response deployment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for conservation projects at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and multiple other national parks. Crews work directly with NPS staff on vegetation removal, invasive plant removal, historic irrigation canal maintenance, and masonry preservation. Partnership has helped past members achieve employment with NPS.
• US Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partnership for conservation projects in National Forests and Grasslands across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Includes silviculture, habitat restoration, trail building, and prescribed fire projects in Angelina-Sabine, Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Kisatchie, and Ouachita National Forests.
• Texas Parks & Wildlife DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for trail maintenance and construction projects throughout Texas State Parks including Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Caprock Canyons State Park, Tyler State Park, and Guadalupe River State Park through Trails Across Texas crew.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for GulfCorps Initiative (funded by RESTORE Act and NOAA from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill) to restore public lands and preserves in Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast regions. Engages in coastal restoration projects including boardwalk construction, native species planting, and invasive species removal.
• Texas Department of Emergency ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal agreement for disaster response partnerships. TXCC Conservation Corps serves as state and federal resource during disasters, on-call to deploy for flood, fire, hurricane, or other emergencies. Directly assisted over 700 flood-affected individuals during July 2025 flooding.
• Texas State GuardmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative disaster response during July 4, 2025 Texas flooding, working alongside TXCC Conservation Corps participants for flood recovery efforts.
• City of AustincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Austin Civilian Conservation Corps creating pathways to meaningful careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Also provides city proclamation declaring American YouthWorks Day and support for Conservation Wrangler program through Texan by Nature.
• Austin Parks & Recreation DepartmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPark improvement and habitat restoration projects within Austin area. Partnership provides project sites for training and community engagement.
• Houston Parks BoardmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPark improvement and habitat restoration projects within Harris County and Houston Metro area through HEAT program.
• Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & PreservemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation and restoration projects in Louisiana national park preserves.
• Texan by NatureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected as Conservation Wrangler in 2024, receiving guidance for developing Green Wave environmental initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Year Up: Large national workforce development nonprofit providing training and corporate internships to young adults ages 18-24. Comparable target population and outcomes-based funding model, but focused on corporate IT/business roles rather than trades and conservation.
• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing no-cost technology training and career pathways to adults from low-income communities. Comparable workforce-development-for-opportunity-youth mission and tuition-free, employer-aligned training model.
• Job Corpsname>: Federal workforce development program run by the Department of Labor serving low-income youth ages 16-24 with education and vocational training including construction, healthcare, and skilled trades. Directly competes for the same participant pool and trades-training outcomes.
• NPower: National nonprofit providing free technology training and career placement to military veterans and young adults from under-resourced communities. Comparable free tuition, certifications, and job-placement mission but focused on IT rather than conservation/skilled trades.

Direct peers

• YouthBuild USA: National umbrella organization for the YouthBuild network of which AYW's YouthBuild program is an affiliate. Provides similar GED-plus-career-training programming for opportunity youth, making it the closest operating-model peer.
• City Year: AmeriCorps national service program engaging young adults (ages 18-25) in year-long terms with living allowances and education awards. Shares AYW's AmeriCorps grant reliance, young-adult service model, and education-award structure.
• Rocky Mountain Youth Corps: Multi-state YouthBuild and conservation corps operator serving at-risk youth in New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. Closely comparable mix of GED/career training and conservation crews under one nonprofit umbrella.
• Student Conservation Association: Long-standing national conservation corps placing young adults in conservation service roles with NPS, USFS, and state parks. Overlaps directly with AYW's conservation crews, federal hiring pathways, and Corps Network membership.
• Southwest Conservation Corps: A Conservation Legacy-affiliated corps operating in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah with similar conservation, fire, and trails crews. Same AmeriCorps-funded young-adult workforce development model as AYW's conservation corps.
• Conservation Legacy: National nonprofit operating multiple regional conservation corps (Southwest, Southeast, Appalachian, VISTA, Ancestral Lands) that train young adults on public lands. Directly comparable to AYW's TXCC/LaCC/ARCC/OKCC model and AmeriCorps funding approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/americanyouthworks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-youthworks
• Instagraminstagram.com/americanyouthworks
• Xx.com/ameryouthworks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries7 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 American Youthworks