Youth Service America

What Youth Service America does

Youth Service America (YSA) is a Washington, D.C.–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 (operating continuously for 38 years as of 2026) that activates young people ages 5–25 to participate in community service, civic engagement, and voting. The organization does not develop or sell software; its platform consists of national campaigns (Global Youth Service Day, 9/11 Day of Service, MLK Day of Service, Make A Difference Day, ServiceVote), grant programs (over $5.8 million awarded in the last decade, including Hershey Heartwarming Young Heroes Grants of $250–$1,000, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation Youth Grants of $1,000, and We Serve to Remember 9/11 Grants of $1,000), a Knowledge Center with curricula and toolkits (including the Service-Learning Experience Toolkit), and recognition programs (Everyday Young Hero Awards and Harris Wofford Awards). Youth-led projects are organized around the Awareness, Service, Advocacy, and Philanthropy (ASAP) framework and aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

YSA's revenue model is nonprofit grantmaking and sponsorship, not commercial sales. Operating revenue is assembled from corporate sponsorships (The Hershey Company, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, AmeriCorps, Allstate Foundation, The Walt Disney Company, State Farm, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Hewlett Foundation), individual donations, and in-kind pro-bono services from Deloitte (skills-based volunteers), NetSuite (accounting software), Salesforce.org (CRM), and Arent Fox (legal). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: YSA activates youth through a partner ecosystem of K-12 schools, established youth development organizations (4-H, Boys & Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Camp Fire, FCCLA, FFA, Junior Achievement, Y-YMCA, YWCA), and community-based organizations, distributing resources through online grant applications, a weekly e-newsletter (Youth Service Briefing), and national campaign events. In 2026 YSA is launching "A New Era of Youth Service in America," a national strategy tied to the America250 semiquincentennial that targets 50% youth participation rates in volunteering, civic engagement, and voting over the next decade.

Name

Youth Service America

Legal name

Youth Service America

Website

https://ysa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Youth Service America is a Washington, D.C. nonprofit founded in 1986 that activates youth ages 5–25 in community service and civic engagement through national campaigns, grants, training resources, and recognition programs, in partnership with K-12 schools and youth development organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Civic Engagement Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

Keywords

• Youth service programs
• Service-learning initiatives
• Community engagement campaigns
• Nonprofit youth grants
• Civic education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donations: YSA is a nonprofit organization that generates revenue through grant funding from corporate sponsors (The Hershey Company, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, AmeriCorps), foundation grants (Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Allstate Foundation, Hewlett Foundation), and individual donations to support youth service programs and grants.
2. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsors provide financial support in exchange for association with YSA's youth service campaigns and programs. Sponsors include The Hershey Company, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, AmeriCorps, and in-kind sponsors Deloitte, NetSuite, Salesforce.org, and Arent Fox.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YSA activates young people ages 5–25 in community service and civic engagement through national days of service campaigns (Global Youth Service Day, 9/11 Day of Service, MLK Day of Service, Make A Difference Day, ServiceVote), grant funding for youth-led projects ($250–$1,000 grants), and an online Knowledge Center of service-learning toolkits and training resources. Programs use an Awareness, Service, Advocacy, and Philanthropy (ASAP) framework, with a stated goal that at least 50% of engaged youth come from underserved, low-income communities.

Product overview

Youth Service America (YSA) operates as a nonprofit organization offering a platform of programs, grants, and resources rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include: (1) Grant programs providing funding to youth-led service projects (YSA Grants, Hershey Heartwarming Young Heroes Grants, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation Youth Grants, We Serve to Remember Grants); (2) National Days of Service campaigns (Global Youth Service Day, 9/11 Day of Service, MLK Day of Service, Make a Difference Day, ServiceVote); (3) Recognition programs (Everyday Young Hero Awards); (4) Educational resources and toolkits (Service-Learning Experience Toolkit with week/month/semester options); (5) Newsletter publication (Youth Service Briefing). Programs utilize the 'Lead ASAP' framework (Awareness, Service, Advocacy, Philanthropy) and align with UN Sustainable Development Goals. No commercial software product, API, or technology platform is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YSA Grants: Grant funding program supporting state & local partner organizations and youth-led projects
• Global Youth Service Day
• Everyday Young Hero Awards
• ServiceVote
• Youth Service Briefing
• A New Era of Youth Service

Products and services

• YSA Grants Grant funding umbrella supporting state and local partner organizations and youth-led service projects at Youth Service America. YSA administers multiple themed grant programs under this umbrella and has awarded over $5.8 million in the last 10 years.
• Hershey Heartwarming Young Heroes Grants $250, $500, or $1,000 grants for youth-led awareness, service, and philanthropy projects during Youth Service Month and Global Youth Service Day, sponsored by The Hershey Company.
• Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation Youth Grants $1,000 grants for youth-led projects engaging 100+ youth volunteers to help end childhood hunger in their community, sponsored by the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation.
• We Serve to Remember 9/11 Day of Service Grants $1,000 grants for service projects on September 11 that engage at least 100 youth volunteers, sponsored by AmeriCorps as part of YSA's 9/11 Day of Service campaign.
• Global Youth Service Day Annual global service campaign (April 24–26, 2026, and held each year since 1988) that engages millions of young people in community service as the centerpiece of Youth Service Month.
• 9/11 Day of Service National day of service on September 11 dedicated to remembrance and community service, with grants available to fund projects engaging at least 100 youth volunteers.
• MLK Day of Service National day of service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., scheduled for January 18, 2027, engaging young people in service projects.
• Make a Difference Day National day of service (October 24, 2026) encouraging communities to take action and make positive changes through youth-led service.
• ServiceVote Campaign (active around Election Day, November 3, 2026) that asks young people to help register, educate, and get their peers out to vote; it links volunteering to advocacy and decision-maker engagement.
• Semester & Summer of Service Extended service programs that provide structured opportunities for youth to engage in service over academic semesters or summer breaks.
• Add Service Initiative encouraging youth development organizations (4-H, Boys & Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts, YMCA, etc.) to integrate service opportunities into their existing programs.
• Everyday Young Hero Awards Weekly recognition program for young people ages 5–25 improving their communities through service. In 2026, with support from The Hershey Company, 50 Everyday Young Heroes each receive a $100 award, with public recognition in the Youth Service Briefing and on YSA social media.
• Service-Learning Experience Toolkit Planning toolkit providing options for week-long, month-long, or semester-long service-learning experiences, distributed as downloadable Google Docs and Word Docs through the YSA Knowledge Center for use by schools and youth programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $5.8 million in grants awarded to partners and youth project leaders over 10 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Hershey CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Hershey Company is a campaign sponsor of Global Youth Service Day and a program sponsor of Heartwarming Young Heroes Grants and State Youth Service Alliance planning grants. They also provide $100 awards to Everyday Young Heroes recognized throughout 2026.
• Sodexo Stop Hunger FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSodexo Stop Hunger Foundation is the program sponsor of the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation Youth Grants for Global Youth Service Day, providing $1,000 grants for youth-led projects with 100+ youth volunteers helping to end childhood hunger.
• AmeriCorpscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAmeriCorps is a program sponsor of the We Serve to Remember 9/11 Day of Service Grants, supporting youth-led service projects on September 11.
• DeloitteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeloitte supports YSA's work by providing skills-based volunteers to consult on technology, evaluation, and strategic planning initiatives.
• Arent FoxminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArent Fox supports YSA's work by providing pro-bono legal services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DoSomething.org: DoSomething.org is a digital-first nonprofit mobilizing young people ages 13-25 around social causes through campaigns, volunteering, and civic action. It is highly comparable to YSA in target demographic (youth 5-25), mission (youth civic participation), and campaign-driven engagement model.
• Points of Light: Points of Light is the largest nonprofit dedicated to volunteer service, operating HandsOn Network affiliates, MLK Day of Service, and the former generationOn youth service brand. It directly overlaps YSA on national days of service, corporate volunteer mobilization, and youth civic engagement — and has substantially larger infrastructure and brand scale.
• National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC): NYLC is the leading national organization advancing service-learning as a K-12 education strategy and runs the "Youth As Solutions" program referenced in YSA's own newsletter. Both organizations champion service-learning frameworks and youth civic skill-building in school settings.
• generationOn (now part of Points of Light): generationOn was the youth service arm of Points of Light focused on kids and teens; it is now integrated into Points of Light but historically competed directly with YSA for youth service-learning mindshare, school partnerships, and youth-led grant programs.

Emerging players

• Peace First: Peace First invests in young people ages 13-25 to lead social-change projects through grants, a digital community, and a peacemaker curriculum. It overlaps with YSA on youth-led service, civic action, and grantmaking to young leaders, but with a narrower peace/conflict lens.
• Random Acts of Kindness Foundation: Random Acts of Kindness Foundation engages schools and youth in service and kindness campaigns, providing K-12 lesson plans and recognition programs. It targets a similar youth audience and school channel but with a narrower kindness/character focus than YSA's civic-service breadth.
• YouthBuild USA: YouthBuild USA operates pre-apprenticeship programs that engage low-income young people in education, counseling, and community service while building affordable housing. It overlaps with YSA's underserved-youth focus but anchors on workforce/credentialing rather than civic engagement.

Regional players

• Mikva Challenge: Mikva Challenge develops youth civic engagement programs primarily in the Chicago area and Illinois, with a strong emphasis on voter participation and youth voice in policymaking. It shares YSA's ServiceVote-style civic participation focus but operates at regional rather than national scale.

Broad incumbents

• City Year: City Year deploys young adults (ages 18-25) as near-peer mentors and tutors in high-need schools, blending youth service with education outcomes. It overlaps YSA on the youth-service-in-schools thesis and taps a similar corporate sponsor base (Hershey is a known supporter).
• AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps is the federal agency funding national service programs and an active sponsor of YSA's We Serve to Remember 9/11 grants. While not a direct competitor (it is a funder rather than a peer operator), it shapes the same youth-service ecosystem and operates parallel programs like VISTA and NCCC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/youthservice
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/youthservice
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthserviceamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-service-america
• Instagraminstagram.com/youthservice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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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 Service America