What SLA does

Sustainable Labor Alliance (SLA Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise headquartered in Bell Gardens, California, that combines workforce development with urban environmental restoration. Its core offering is a 60-day pre-apprenticeship training program serving opportunity youth and formerly incarcerated individuals, which delivers hands-on instruction in landscaping, irrigation, carpentry, and urban forestry and feeds graduates into state-approved union apprenticeships (Local 300 and Local 345). The training cohort functions as the labor pool for SLA's revenue-generating landscape construction services, which execute school greening and municipal greening projects under grants and contracts.

SLA's commercial activity is concentrated in Southeast Los Angeles and adjacent municipalities (Bell Gardens, South Gate, Lynwood, Compton, Long Beach, and the City of Los Angeles). The Green Schoolyards Initiative, supported by Landscape Construction Services, has greened over 60 schools, planted more than 1,000 trees, and removed over 100,000 square feet of asphalt, with CAL FIRE's 2024 Inflation Reduction Act funding enabling an additional 8 schools in Lynwood. Service delivery technology centers on sustainable landscape construction methods including bioswale stormwater systems, drought-tolerant native plantings, ADA-compliant surfacing, and smart irrigation installations.

SLA's revenue model is a hybrid social enterprise stack: (1) competitive government grants (CAL FIRE Urban and Community Forestry, Inflation Reduction Act, CA RISE Grant), (2) service contracts with municipalities and school districts (City Plants, LAUSD, Lynwood USD), (3) tax-deductible donations as a registered 501(c)(3), and (4) venture philanthropy support (REDF Accelerator). Pricing is not publicly disclosed as the organization does not sell to end consumers. B Corp re-certified in 2022 with a score of 127.2 (passing threshold 80).

Name

SLA

Legal name

Sustainable Labor Alliance (SLA Inc.)

Website

https://sla-losangeles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

501(c)(3) social enterprise running a 60-day pre-apprenticeship program that places opportunity youth and formerly incarcerated individuals into union trades while greening urban schoolyards through landscape construction contracts and government grants in the Los Angeles region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development and Urban Greening Services

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Inclusive Employment (Job Training, Placement) (BPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF)

Keywords

• Workforce development
• Pre-apprenticeship training
• Green schoolyards
• Urban greening services
• Landscape construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Bell Gardens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: SLA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to support youth programs and community initiatives.
2. Government Grants: Funding from government agencies including CAL FIRE Urban and Community Forestry grants, Inflation Reduction Act funding through CAL FIRE, and CA RISE Grant for social enterprise development.
3. Government Contracts: Service contracts with municipalities and government agencies such as City Plants for tree planting services and urban greening projects.
4. Social Enterprise Revenue: Revenue from landscape construction services provided to schools and municipalities, funded through grants and direct contracts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sustainable Labor Alliance (SLA Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise that delivers a 60-day pre-apprenticeship training program for individuals with barriers to employment (opportunity youth and formerly incarcerated individuals), preparing them for state-approved union apprenticeships. The organization funds this mission through landscape construction and urban greening services delivered to schools, municipalities, and government agencies, including green schoolyard transformations, tree planting, bioswale construction, and smart irrigation installation.

Product overview

SLA Inc. operates as a social enterprise offering a coordinated portfolio of workforce development and environmental sustainability programs. The core offerings include the Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program, which provides skills training leading to union apprenticeships, and the Green Schoolyards Initiative, which transforms urban schools through greening and tree planting. These are supported by Environmental Stewardship Initiatives, the FUTSLA youth sports and education program, Landscape Construction Services (the revenue-generating social enterprise arm), and various youth education and health programs. The Pre-Apprenticeship Program serves as the primary workforce pipeline, while the Green Schoolyards and Landscape Services represent the primary service delivery mechanisms for environmental impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program: Comprehensive pre-apprenticeship training program that equips individuals facing employment barriers with essential skills through hands-on experience and classroom instruction, leading to state-approved apprenticeship and union careers.
• Green Schoolyards Initiative
• FUTSLA
• Environmental Initiatives

Products and services

• Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program A comprehensive 60-day training program that equips individuals facing employment barriers (opportunity youth, formerly incarcerated individuals) with essential skills through hands-on experience and classroom instruction, preparing participants for state-approved union apprenticeships and careers in landscaping, irrigation, and carpentry trades.
• Green Schoolyards Initiative A program that transforms urban schoolyards by removing asphalt and planting trees and vegetation, creating vibrant green learning environments for children. The initiative has greened over 60 schools, planted more than 1,000 trees, and removed over 100,000 square feet of asphalt.
• Environmental Stewardship Initiatives Tree planting and environmental stewardship programs that partner with cities and municipalities to identify and transform urban spaces through strategic tree planting projects, promoting cleaner air, improved biodiversity, and enhanced quality of life.
• FUTSLA Program A youth empowerment program that combines sports (soccer), education, and community engagement to promote physical activity, leadership skills, teamwork, discipline, and personal growth among youth participants.
• Landscape Construction Services Social enterprise landscape construction services including irrigation system installation, drought-tolerant native plant landscaping, ADA-compliant surfaces, bioswale construction, smart irrigation installation, and sustainable landscape maintenance for schools and public spaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ schools greened, 1,000+ trees planted, 100,000+ sq ft asphalt removed
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Local 300 (Laborers' Union)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2024Union partnership expanding opportunities for pre-apprenticeship graduates. Participants gain access to apprenticeships in construction trades including concrete work, demolition, asphalt installation, traffic control, underground labor, and confined space operations. Second union partnership established by SLA.
• CAL FIREcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2024CAL FIRE selected SLA's Lynwood Greening Initiative for 2024 Inflation Reduction Act funding, one of only 22 projects funded from 125 applications. Partnership enables urban greening at 10 Lynwood schools, with pre-apprenticeship participants gaining hands-on training in tree planting, landscape maintenance, and sustainable environmental design.
• Local 345 (UA Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll graduates of SLA's pre-apprenticeship program are sponsored to union apprenticeships through Local 345. Partnership provides pathway from training to long-term union careers in landscaping, irrigation, and carpentry trades.
• Conservation Corps of Long Beach (CCLB)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for historic site restoration in Long Beach. Combines environmental innovation (bioswale construction, native landscaping, water management systems) with workforce development. SLA participants receive on-the-job training in sustainable landscape design, irrigation systems, and native plant care.
• City Plants (City of Los Angeles)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst SLA engagement with City of Los Angeles. Contract involves planting 50 trees across LA neighborhoods, providing 250 trees for adoption to residents, and hosting two educational events on tree care and urban sustainability over six months.
• Lynwood Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Lynwood Schools Greening Initiative. CAL FIRE grant enables transformation of schoolyards at multiple Lynwood schools, with district providing support and collaboration for greening projects.
• City of LynwoodstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership supporting Lynwood Schools Greening Initiative and green schoolyard projects. City collaboration with school district and SLA for urban greening efforts.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting individuals transitioning back into the workforce. CEO provides critical support for participants' journeys through workforce development programs.
• TreePeoplestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for transforming urban spaces and providing hands-on training to SLA participants. Collaboration on tree planting events and urban forestry projects.
• AMG & AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction partnership for landscape projects at schools including Manual Arts Wellness Center and Mendez Wellness Center. AMG & Associates provides collaboration on irrigation systems and landscape construction.
• Terremoto LandscapeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Outdoor Spaces Conference presentation on Land and Labor equity issues. Joint workshop on building equitable relationships between landscape designers, clients, and crews.
• USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent team championed SLA's mission, understanding impact and presenting work. SLA won First Place in BAEP 460 entrepreneurship competition. Grant funds support Pre-Apprenticeship Program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Groundwork USA: National network of local Groundwork Trusts that combine environmental improvement (urban greening, brownfield remediation) with youth workforce development. Provides a structural peer model — local trusts operating in underserved communities — that mirrors SLA's place-based, dual-mission approach.
• LA Conservation Corps: Los Angeles-based nonprofit combining paid workforce development for opportunity youth with environmental stewardship, conservation, and urban greening projects. Operates the closest analog model to SLA in the same geography, including school greening, tree planting, and paid work experience.
• Civic Works: Baltimore-based AmeriCorps-affiliated nonprofit that operates paid service programs for youth and adults combining community service, environmental stewardship, and job training. Closely comparable mission, operational model, and target population to SLA, though in a different metro.
• Greening Youth Foundation: National nonprofit that engages underrepresented youth in urban forestry, natural resource management, and green careers. Operates a near-identical dual mission of workforce development and urban greening, with a similar target population (opportunity youth) and union/career placement orientation.
• Planting Justice: Oakland-based nonprofit that combines urban permaculture and edible landscaping with fair-chance employment for formerly incarcerated individuals. Direct peer on the reentry-employment plus urban-greening intersection, with an explicit social-enterprise earned-revenue model.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing immediate, paid work experience and comprehensive employment services to people returning home from incarceration. Direct peer on the formerly-incarcerated workforce-development mission, though CEO focuses on general placement rather than green trades.

Others

• The Corps Network: National association of service and conservation corps representing 130+ member organizations that operate workforce and conservation programs. Functions as the industry body and convening network for corps operating models similar to SLA's.

Broad incumbents

• California Conservation Corps: State-funded California government program that engages young adults in paid environmental conservation, fire response, and community service. Operates a much larger version of SLA's workforce-plus-environment model with significantly more resources and statewide reach.
• TreePeople: Los Angeles-based nonprofit focused on urban forestry, tree planting, and environmental education. SLA's listed partner on tree-planting events and urban forestry projects; comparable in geography and core greening mission, though TreePeople operates at significantly larger scale and with an environmental-education rather than workforce-development primary focus.

Regional players

• Urban Corps of San Diego: San Diego-based conservation corps providing paid work experience and job training in environmental stewardship, urban greening, and recycling for young adults. Operates the same workforce-plus-environment model as SLA in a different California geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slalosangeles

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 SLA