What 1000 Ties does

1000 Ties is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2019 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, that delivers youth mentorship and life-skills programming to young men ages 8-21 and their families in high-poverty communities. The organization operates a portfolio of programs that share a common curriculum covering social and emotional etiquette, communication, interview preparation, networking, financial literacy, leadership, and basic career-readiness skills, branded around the symbolic gesture of tying a tie. Core programs include the Youth Mentorship Program (ages 8-19), Community Based Mentoring Program (ages 10-16), Life Skills Program (ages 10-21, delivered in schools for grades 6-12), the 1000 Ties Summit (ages 6-21 with families), and the traveling 1000 Ties to Greatness Literacy and Leadership Tour; complementary offerings include bookable virtual sessions and the "Relax, Refresh, & Connect" event series for mothers and mother figures.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform. Programs are delivered in-person at schools, libraries, and community venues, supplemented by virtual sessions, and supported operationally through a Wix-hosted website, email, and PayPal donation processing. There is no mobile application, no API, no disclosed integrations, and no AI or machine-learning components; the operating model is people-intensive rather than technology-mediated.

The revenue model is donations and charitable contributions only. Services are provided free of charge to participants, and the organization does not sell to its beneficiaries. Funding flows from individual donors, foundation grants, corporate charitable-giving programs, and county government support; disclosed monetary inflows include a $25,000 grant from The Cleveland Foundation in May 2022 and an in-kind or unmonetized Charter Communications entry in September 2024, alongside relationships with Kaulig Charitable Giving Programs, Cuyahoga County, Humana, and community partners. The organization is led by CEO Jowan Moss and COO/Brand Ambassador Trayvon Porter, operates with 1-10 employees, and reaches participants through a mix of school-based programming, community-based mentoring, empowerment summits, and a national touring model.

Name

1000 Ties

Legal name

1,000 Ties

Website

https://1000ties.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

1000 Ties is a Cleveland-based 501c3 nonprofit that delivers mentorship, life-skills, and etiquette programming to young men ages 8-21 and their families in high-poverty communities, funded by donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Mentorship Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Youth mentorship programs
• Life skills training
• Community based mentoring
• Youth development services
• Social emotional learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, 1000 Ties generates revenue through charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization accepts donations via PayPal and direct mail, with various giving levels ranging from $5 to $5,000.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

1000 Ties is a 501c3 nonprofit that delivers free youth mentorship and life skills programs to young people ages 8-21 and their families in high-poverty communities, centered on the symbolic gesture of tying a tie. Its core offerings span community-based mentoring, a Life Skills Program, an annual empowerment Summit, and a traveling Literacy and Leadership Tour, covering etiquette, interview and networking skills, financial literacy, leadership, and career readiness.

Product overview

1000 Ties is a non-profit youth mentorship organization offering a portfolio of programs for youth development. The core offerings include the Youth Mentorship Program (ages 8-19), Community Based Mentoring Program (ages 10-16), and Life Skills Program (ages 10-21), which together provide mentorship, life skills training, and social-emotional development. Additional programs include the annual 1000 Ties Summit (ages 6-21) and the traveling Literacy and Leadership Tour. These programs work in concert to empower youth in high-poverty communities through mentorship from community role models, teaching essential life skills including interview techniques, networking, financial literacy, etiquette, and leadership development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Mentorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Student growth in social emotional well-being, academic learning, and professional etiquette leading to improved attendance and graduation rates

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• Lee-Harvard Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTie donation drop-off location. The library serves as a community collection point for donated ties, supporting the organization's core mission of providing professional attire to youth participants.
• Memorial Nottingham LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTie donation drop-off location at 17109 Lakeshore Blvd in Cleveland. Serves as a community collection point for donated ties supporting youth mentorship programs.
• Neighborhood ConnectionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity development organization supporting neighborhood-level initiatives and youth programming in Cleveland.
• Cleveland Metropolitan School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner hosting life skills programming and mentoring sessions for students across multiple campuses, with documented positive outcomes in attendance and graduation rates.
• Cleveland Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood security organization providing meal support during youth programming and events, addressing basic needs that impact youth participation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland: Cleveland affiliate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America providing after-school youth development programming for K-12 students in the same metropolitan area. Comparable on geography, demographic, and life-skills/character-development mission, though delivers through facility-based clubhouses rather than school partnerships.
• Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland: Cleveland-area Junior Achievement affiliate delivering K-12 work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy programming through school and after-school settings. Comparable on geography, age band served, life-skills curriculum, and school-district delivery channel.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland: Cleveland-area affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters providing one-to-one mentoring for youth in the same Northeast Ohio market. Most directly comparable peer given shared geography, shared target demographic (underserved youth), and overlapping school and community-based delivery model.
• My Brother's Keeper Alliance: Obama Foundation initiative supporting programs that address opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color, including mentorship and life-skills pathways. Comparable on the explicit focus on young men's life-skills and mentorship outcomes for high-poverty communities, though functions as an umbrella/catalyst rather than direct service provider.

Broad incumbents

• MENTOR (mentoring.org): National umbrella advocacy and capacity-building organization for the youth mentoring field. Comparable as the sector-level reference point for community-based youth mentorship quality standards, though operates as a policy/grantmaking intermediary rather than direct service provider.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development organization serving 4+ million youth annually with after-school programming, academic support, and college/career readiness. Comparable on the life-skills and career-readiness mission components, but operates at vastly greater scale via facility-based club model.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth mentoring nonprofit that matches adult volunteers with young people aged 6-18. Directly comparable as a community-based youth mentorship model serving similar underserved demographics, but operates at significantly greater scale with formal affiliate infrastructure and evidence-based standards.

Emerging players

• iCouldBe: Online youth mentoring nonprofit pairing underserved high school students with virtual mentors for college and career exploration. Comparable on the SEL, college/career readiness, and digital-delivery dimensions, though specializes in virtual e-mentoring rather than in-person life skills.
• Year Up: National workforce development nonprofit providing young adults (18-24) with job-readiness training, professional skills, and corporate internships. Comparable on the career-readiness and professional-etiquette curriculum components, though focused on the older end of the youth spectrum with a more corporate-employer revenue model.

Regional players

• College Now Greater Cleveland: Cleveland-based college access and success nonprofit serving Greater Cleveland students with mentoring, advising, and career-readiness programming. Comparable as a Cleveland-based nonprofit serving similar youth demographics through school partnerships and life-skills/career-readiness curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/1000-Ties-112437456903001

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 1000 Ties