Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington

What Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington does

Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 93-0384007) operating as a regional affiliate of Junior Achievement USA, delivering K-12 financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship education across Oregon and Southwest Washington. Established in 1950 and headquartered in Portland, the organization serves more than 35,000 students annually across four offices and two experiential learning centers, supported by 4,000+ trained business volunteers. Its core offerings include JA BizTown, an 8,500 square foot replica-city simulation for 4th-6th graders; JA Finance Park, a budgeting and personal finance simulation for middle and high school students; and a K-12 in-class curriculum with virtual adaptations (JA BizTown Adventures, JA Finance Park Virtual, JA Finance Park Advanced, JA Inspire Virtual). Programs are free to schools when delivered with digital instructional materials and correlate to Oregon's Personal Finance Education Standards.

The organization generates revenue through a combination of individual donations (including a Financial Literacy Circle recurring donor program), corporate sponsorships (with branded storefronts inside JA BizTown from Walmart, Kidder Mathews, Comcast, and others), foundation grants (Allstate, UPS, ON Semiconductor, Church & Dwight, Roberts, Walmart), summer camp registration fees ($385-$460 per camper for JA BizTown Summer Camp), and special events including the JA Summer Golf Classic and A Night in Town. JA Oregon & SW Washington targets K-12 students broadly with explicit prioritization of underserved youth, including 45% of students served coming from low-income families and dedicated Title I programming via Project LEDO. Go-to-market is community-led: educators request programs through online forms, and volunteer educators deliver curriculum in classrooms and at Experiential Learning Centers in Portland and Hillsboro.

The organization holds licensed trademarks for 'JA', 'Junior Achievement', 'JA BizTown', 'JA Finance Park', and 'The Money JAR', and operates as part of the broader Junior Achievement network providing standardized curriculum and benchmarking. Operationally, leadership is anchored by President Ryan Deckert (named 2018) with a small executive team (Barb Smith SVP, Gina Huntington VP of Programs, Priscilla Treviño Director of Development). The organization's strategic direction emphasizes facility expansion (44th national JA Discovery Center groundbreaking in Hillsboro, April 2023), digital channel development, and alignment with Oregon's Senate Bill 3 personal finance education mandate.

Name

Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington

Legal name

Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington

Website

https://jaorswwa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of Junior Achievement USA delivering K-12 financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship education through volunteer-led classroom programs, JA BizTown and JA Finance Park simulations, and virtual learning platforms to 35,000+ students across Oregon and Southwest Washington annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Financial Literacy Education

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Core Curriculum Small-Group Tutoring Centers (Math/ELA/Science/Social Studies) (EDANAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Community Service & Service-Learning Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAI), Youth-to-Adult Bridge & College Readiness (Noncredit) (EDAAAEAK)

Keywords

• Financial literacy education
• Youth entrepreneurship programs
• Work readiness training
• Experiential learning simulations
• K-12 economic education

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to support JA programs through one-time or recurring donations via the organization's website. Donors can join the Financial Literacy Circle recurring donor program.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Local businesses sponsor storefronts in JA BizTown, fund specific programs, or provide event sponsorships. This includes both financial contributions and employee volunteer engagement.
3. Foundation Grants: Private foundations including Church & Dwight Philanthropic Foundation, ON Semiconductor Foundation, The Roberts Foundation, Allstate Foundation, and UPS Foundation provide grants to support programming and expansion.
4. Summer Camp Registration Fees: JA BizTown Summer Camp charges registration fees: $385 regular price (9am-3pm) or $460 with extended care (8am-4pm). Revenue supports camp operations.
5. Program Fees (Schools): Schools receive programs free when utilizing all digital instructional materials, suggesting grant-funded delivery model for most school-based programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington delivers K-12 financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness education through volunteer-led in-class curricula and immersive, day-long economic and financial simulations at physical Experiential Learning Centers (JA BizTown and JA Finance Park). Programs are provided free to schools through community donations and grants, with virtual adaptations for remote learning, and a paid summer camp offered to individuals.

Product overview

Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington offers a portfolio of experiential education programs focused on work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy for K-12 students. The core products include JA BizTown (upper-elementary economic simulation), JA Finance Park (middle/high school financial literacy), and K-12 In-Class Programs. These are supplemented by virtual adaptations (JA BizTown Adventures, JA Finance Park Virtual, JA Inspire Virtual), a podcast (The Money JAR), summer camp, and new Discovery Center facility. Programs are delivered through Experiential Learning Centers in Portland and Hillsboro, with virtual options for remote learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JA BizTown: Upper-elementary program that blends classroom learning with a one-day economic simulation experience for 4th through 6th grade students at Experiential Learning Centers.
• JA Finance Park
• JA Discovery Center
• The Money JAR

Products and services

• JA BizTown
• JA Finance Park
• K-12 In-Class Programs
• JA BizTown Summer Camp
• JA BizTown Adventures
• JA Finance Park Virtual
• JA Inspire Virtual
• The Money JAR Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of adult JA Alumni are satisfied with their careers

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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

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

• Kidder MathewsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2022Kidder Mathews, the largest independent commercial real estate firm on the West Coast, opened a new storefront in JA BizTown. Portland has the only Kidder Mathews JA BizTown site among JA offices on the West Coast. Employees volunteer within the Kidder Mathews business at JA BizTown.
• Project LEDOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2021Project LEDO and JA partnered to expand financial literacy education to more Title I elementary schools in Portland. Project LEDO works with marginalized K-8 BIPOC students in Portland's Title I schools, creating mentor-led STEM opportunities while JA provides financial literacy programming.
• AT&TminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2018Partnership to provide Portland teens with personal finance skills through JA programming. AT&T supports JA programs that teach financial literacy and career readiness to underserved youth.
• PacificSource Health PlansminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2018PacificSource Health Plans and JA celebrated a milestone partnership. PacificSource supports JA's mission to prepare young people for economic success through financial literacy and work readiness programs.
• ComcastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerComcast has a space in JA BizTown where company employees volunteer. The partnership allows Comcast to connect corporate talking points about technology careers with students participating in the simulation.
• Financial Beginnings OregonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoth OnPoint and JA work with Financial Begin Oregon to advance financial literacy education across the region. OnPoint donated $50,000 to Financial Beginnings as an Impact Level sponsorship, while also supporting JA separately.
• Rogue Workforce PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRogue Workforce Partnership collaborates with JA and other partners to present the annual Careers in Gear expo, a key initiative focused on middle skill jobs for high school students in the Rogue Valley region.
• Banner BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanner Bank is a hole sponsor for the JA Summer Golf Classic fundraising event, supporting JA's programs through event sponsorship.
• KeyBankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKeyBank is a hole sponsor for the JA Summer Golf Classic, supporting financial literacy programs through event sponsorship.
• The StandardminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Standard is a hole sponsor for the JA Summer Golf Classic event, supporting JA's mission to prepare young people for economic success.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA: National umbrella organization of which JA of Oregon & SW Washington is an affiliate. Operates the same curriculum, simulation products, and brand framework at a national level, providing both shared IP and the standard against which this regional affiliate is measured.
• EverFi: Established K-12 digital financial literacy, STEM, and college-readiness platform often provided to schools at no cost by corporate sponsors. Direct competitor to JA's in-class and virtual curriculum products.
• National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE): National private nonprofit foundation focused on financial literacy research and education, often partnering with K-12 and community educators. Adjacent peer in the K-12 financial literacy ecosystem, though it does not operate school simulation centers.

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement of Washington: Direct geographic and operational peer, a fellow regional JA affiliate serving Washington state with the same BizTown, Finance Park, and K-12 in-class programs. Most directly comparable on geographic adjacency, scale, and program mix.
• Junior Achievement of Northern California: Another large regional JA affiliate operating BizTown and Finance Park programs with corporate volunteer delivery in the Pacific Northwest/West Coast market. Comparable in program portfolio and GTM, though serving a larger and more urban population.
• Junior Achievement of Chicago: Major urban JA affiliate running multiple JA BizTown and JA Finance Park facilities, including the historic original JA BizTown. Comparable on facility-led, volunteer-delivered K-12 financial literacy model, though serving a larger metro market.
• Junior Achievement of New York: One of the largest JA affiliates, operating JA BizTown and Finance Park in the New York metro with corporate storefront sponsorships. Direct peer on product mix, sponsorship model, and urban K-12 delivery.

Emerging players

• Next Gen Personal Finance: Fast-growing nonprofit providing free K-12 personal finance curriculum aligned to state standards. Competes with JA in-class curriculum offerings, especially the digital/teacher-led components, and is a key competitor for school district adoption.
• FoolProof Foundation: Nonprofit delivering K-12 financial literacy curriculum used in classrooms. Competes for school district adoption of personal finance units, though lacking JA's in-person simulation center component.
• Take Charge America: Nonprofit providing K-12 financial education programs and resources, often partnering with schools. Comparable as a regional-scale, mission-aligned financial literacy provider that competes for district partnerships and donor dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/jaorswwa
• Facebookfacebook.com/JuniorAchievementORSW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jaorswwa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington