Kentucky Youth Advocates

What Kentucky Youth Advocates does

Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit child advocacy organization founded in 1975 (or 1976 per one source) and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Operating with 11-50 employees from a single office at 10200 Linn Station Rd, KYA serves as Kentucky's designated member of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's national KIDS COUNT network and functions as the state's independent voice for children. The organization's core work centers on data-driven policy advocacy, producing the annual Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book, interactive county-level data dashboards covering all 120 Kentucky counties (KIDS COUNT, Opioid, Eviction, and Census), and evidence-based policy recommendations targeting the Kentucky General Assembly and state agencies.

KYA's product portfolio is built around a data and research backbone: the KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard tracks 17+ measures of child well-being across four domains; the Opioid Data Dashboard on Children and Families includes a Change Over Time Progress Report on 20+ measures; the Kentucky Eviction Data Dashboard displays eviction filings and trends from 2022-2024; and the Census in Kentucky Data Hub tracks census participation impacts through 2040. These are augmented by advocacy tools including a Bill Tracker, Wins for Kids repository, action alerts, publications, a podcast, and the Youth Engagement program. The organization co-leads two major coalitions: the Blueprint for Kentucky's Children (a multi-stakeholder coalition) and Bloom Kentucky (a collaborative grantmaking initiative).

KYA's business model is nonprofit fundraising: revenue derives from individual donations, foundation grants, sponsorships, and select state-administered funds (including a disclosed $93,900 grant from the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission in October 2023). All services, data dashboards, and advocacy resources are provided free of charge. Go-to-market is coalition-driven rather than commercial: KYA mobilizes advocates, engages policymakers directly through testimony and legislative briefings, and distributes content via owned digital channels (website, email, social media, podcast) and annual events such as Children's Advocacy Week. In 2026, Dr. Terry Brooks retired after 20 years as executive director, with Dr. Shannon Moody assuming the role.

Name

Kentucky Youth Advocates

Legal name

Kentucky Youth Advocates

Website

https://kyyouth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kentucky Youth Advocates is a Louisville-based nonprofit child advocacy organization serving as Kentucky's member of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT network. It produces county-level child well-being data dashboards, research publications, and policy recommendations targeting state policymakers, coalition partners, and Kentucky families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Advocacy and Policy Research

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Child advocacy
• Policy research
• Data dashboards
• Nonprofit coalition
• Child welfare

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Kentucky Youth Advocates accepts donations from individuals, foundations, and organizations to support its advocacy operations, research, and programs.
2. Sponsorships and Grant Funding: The organization receives sponsorship support and grant funding from foundations and partners including through initiatives such as Bloom Kentucky, a collaborative initiative of grantmaking organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kentucky Youth Advocates is a nonprofit child advocacy organization that produces and disseminates data-driven research, interactive county-level data dashboards, and policy recommendations to advance child well-being across Kentucky. It also convenes a statewide coalition (Blueprint for Kentucky's Children), a grantmaking collaborative (Bloom Kentucky), and youth engagement programs to mobilize advocates, nonprofits, and policymakers around children and family issues. All resources, data, and advocacy tools are provided free of charge to the public.

Product overview

Kentucky Youth Advocates operates as a nonprofit advocacy organization offering a portfolio of data dashboards, research publications, and advocacy tools focused on child well-being in Kentucky. The core products include the Kentucky Kids Count Data Book (annual national report in partnership with Annie E. Casey Foundation), the Kentucky Kids Count Data Dashboard (interactive county-level data), the Opioid Data Dashboard on Children and Families (with the Change Over Time Progress Report component), and the Kentucky Eviction Data Dashboard. Supporting these are advocacy initiatives including the Blueprint for Kentucky's Children coalition, Bloom Kentucky initiative, Bill Tracker, Wins for Kids, Publications repository, Podcast, Children's Advocacy Week events, Action Alerts system, and Youth Engagement Program. The organization does not offer a technology product or SaaS platform but rather provides research, data, and advocacy services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blueprint for Kentucky's Children: A coalition of non-profit, public, and private organizations working on child well-being policy in Kentucky, standing on three pillars: Thriving communities launch strong families, Strong families launch successful kids, and Successful kids launch a prosperous future for Kentucky.
• Bloom Kentucky
• Kentucky Kids Count

Products and services

• Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Book Annual research publication, produced in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, providing statewide numbers on 16 indicators across four child well-being domains: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors. Used by policymakers, advocates, and the public to track child well-being in Kentucky.
• Kentucky KIDS COUNT Data Dashboard Interactive online dashboard featuring county-level data on 17+ measures of child well-being across economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors, showing whether outcomes for children across Kentucky have improved, worsened, or stayed the same over time. Used by policymakers, advocates, and community members.
• Opioid Data Dashboard on Children and Families Interactive dashboard tracking opioid epidemic data and its impact on children and families in Kentucky, including county and Area Development District data, resources for solutions, and a 'Change Over Time Progress Report' across 20+ measures. Used by community leaders, policymakers, and advocates working on opioid abatement.
• Kentucky Eviction Data Dashboard Interactive tool displaying eviction filings and trends across Kentucky from 2022 to 2024, focused on the impact of evictions on children and families. Used by policymakers, advocates, and community members.
• Census in Kentucky Data Hub Data resource and advocacy initiative helping Kentucky communities understand census data and its impact on federal funding and child well-being through 2040. Used by community leaders, advocates, and policymakers.
• Blueprint for Kentucky's Children Coalition Coalition co-led by Kentucky Youth Advocates, comprising non-profit, public, and private organizations standing on three pillars: Thriving communities launch strong families, Strong families launch successful kids, and Successful kids launch a prosperous future for Kentucky. The coalition sets annual policy and budget priorities for the child advocacy community.
• Bloom Kentucky Initiative Collaborative initiative of grantmaking organizations from across Kentucky united to advance policies and budgetary investments that create conditions for children and families to thrive, with a focus on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and family well-being. KYA serves as a key advocacy partner contributing policy analysis, legislative tracking, and a platform for the initiative's priorities.
• Youth Engagement Program Program empowering young people in Kentucky to advocate for issues affecting children and youth, providing youth leadership development, advocacy training, and platforms to amplify youth voices in state policy discussions.
• Children's Advocacy Week Annual advocacy event series (virtual, formerly a 20+ year in-person Children's Advocacy Day) providing opportunities for advocates to engage with legislators and raise awareness about issues facing Kentucky kids.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kentucky's KIDS COUNT score improved from 465 in 2019 to 498 in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Annie E. Casey FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKentucky Youth Advocates is Kentucky's designated member of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's national KIDS COUNT network. KYA co-releases the annual KIDS COUNT Data Book and Data Dashboard for Kentucky, using the Foundation's methodology and data framework. This partnership is the organization's primary data and research backbone, providing national comparative benchmarks and the brand credibility of a 37-year-old national initiative.
• Kosair for Kids Face It MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKYA participates in the Kosair for Kids Face It Movement, a multi-organizational child abuse prevention initiative. Through this partnership, KYA advances policy priorities related to child safety, educator misconduct prevention, anti-grooming legislation, and child welfare system improvements. The Face It Movement policy team has driven several pieces of legislation championed by KYA.
• Kinship Families Coalition of KentuckycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKentucky Youth Advocates partners with the Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky to support kinship caregivers. KYA has advocated for Senate Bill 151 (2024) to give kinship families more time to make custody decisions, and the two organizations co-host events such as Kinship Connections Events to help families navigate resources throughout Kentucky.
• Saint Bernadette Diaper BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKYA highlights Saint Bernadette Diaper Bank as a partner organization addressing diaper need in Kentucky. The diaper bank, which distributed over 500,000 diapers in 2025, partners with KYA's advocacy agenda to raise awareness of diaper need as a child welfare issue.
• Cuddles & Coo Diaper PantryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKYA spotlights Cuddles & Coo Diaper Pantry in Lexington as a partner addressing diaper need. Founded in 2024, the organization is preparing to launch a mobile diaper unit serving multiple Kentucky counties, aligned with KYA's advocacy for family economic security.
• Blueprint for Kentucky's Children CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Blueprint for Kentucky's Children is a broad coalition co-led by Kentucky Youth Advocates, comprising nonprofit, public, and private organizations united around three pillars: Thriving communities launch strong families, Strong families launch successful kids, and Successful kids launch a prosperous future for Kentucky. The Blueprint sets annual policy and budget priorities for the child advocacy community.
• Bloom KentuckycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBloom Kentucky is a collaborative initiative of grantmaking organizations from across Kentucky, united to advance policies and budgetary investments that create conditions for children and families to thrive. KYA serves as a key advocacy partner in Bloom Kentucky, contributing policy analysis, legislative tracking, and a platform for the initiative's priorities.
• University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension OfficesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKYA partners with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Offices on programs such as PASTA (Parenting A Second Time Around) workshops for kinship caregivers. Dr. David Weisenhorn with UK Cooperative Extension co-facilitates these workshops.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Children's Defense Fund: National child advocacy nonprofit that, like KYA, focuses on policy research, data publishing, and legislative advocacy for children. Highly comparable mission and methodology, but operates at a federal level rather than single state.
• First Focus on Children: National bipartisan child advocacy organization that conducts policy research, federal budget analysis, and coalition advocacy for children. Directly comparable in approach (data-driven advocacy) though focused on federal policy rather than state.
• Voices for Children in Nebraska: State-level child advocacy nonprofit and Nebraska's KIDS COUNT affiliate. Nearest structural peer — combines data publication, policy advocacy, and coalition building within a single state, mirroring KYA's model in Kentucky.
• Maryland Family Network (Maryland KIDS COUNT): State-level KIDS COUNT affiliate in Maryland that publishes child well-being data and conducts policy advocacy. Directly comparable role, scope, and KIDS COUNT network affiliation as KYA in Kentucky.
• Every Texan (Texas KIDS COUNT): Texas-based policy and advocacy organization serving as the state's KIDS COUNT affiliate. Mirrors KYA's data-plus-advocacy model at a larger state scale.
• Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP): National policy organization focused on child, family, and economic security. Highly comparable in combining data-driven research, policy analysis, and coalition advocacy for low-income children and families.
• Prevent Child Abuse America: National nonprofit focused on child abuse prevention through research, advocacy, and state chapter network. Comparable in combining data publication, policy advocacy, and coalition infrastructure — including the Face It Movement-style child safety work KYA participates in.

Broad incumbents

• Casey Family Programs: Large national foundation operating in child welfare with a portfolio of research, direct service, and advocacy. Functions as a broader incumbent ecosystem player aligned with — but not directly competitive to — KYA's child well-being mission.
• National Children's Alliance: National accreditation and advocacy body for Child Advocacy Centers. Operates in an adjacent child welfare space with overlapping policy interests in child safety and abuse prevention.

Emerging players

• National CASA Association: National organization supporting Court Appointed Special Advocates for children in foster care. Operates an overlapping state chapter network model and shares KYA's child welfare and juvenile justice policy interests.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kyyouth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KYYouthAdvocates
• Facebookfacebook.com/KentuckyYouthAdvocates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kentucky-youth-advocates
• Instagraminstagram.com/kentuckyyouthadvocates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Kentucky Youth Advocates