Name

Black United Fund Of Michigan

Legal name

Black United Fund of Michigan, Inc.

Website

https://bufmi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF), Financial Inclusion & Consumer Empowerment (Banking Access, Credit Building) (BPAGALAJ)

Keywords

• Youth empowerment programs
• Workforce development training
• STEM education programs
• Community youth services
• Nonprofit education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

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. Foundation Grants: BUF of Michigan receives grants from corporate foundations such as the PepsiCo Foundation to support youth empowerment programs.
2. Donations and Contributions: The organization accepts financial contributions from individual donors through online donation portals on their website.
3. Event Sponsorships and Fundraising: Annual golf outings and anniversary gala events generate sponsorship revenue at various levels ranging from $150 to $10,000, along with ticket sales and souvenir book advertising.
4. Payroll Deduction Programs: Partnership with Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), State Employees Combined Campaign (SECC), and other workplace giving programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Black United Fund of Michigan (BUF of MI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers the E.Y.E.S. (Empowering Youth for Everyday Success) Initiative, an umbrella program providing underserved and underrepresented youth in Detroit and Michigan with tools to succeed academically, financially, socially, and in career selection. The organization partners with corporations, universities, healthcare systems, and community organizations to deliver 14+ sub-programs covering medical careers, STEM, automotive careers, aviation, financial literacy, coding, literacy, chess, entrepreneurship, health and wellness, photography, female leadership, and youth retail.

Product overview

Black United Fund of Michigan (BUF of MI) is a non-profit youth empowerment organization operating as a program-centric structure. The core offering is the E.Y.E.S. (Empowering Youth for Everyday Success) Initiative, an umbrella program encompassing 14 distinct sub-programs including SINORMS (medical careers), Youth Automotive Careers Academy, STEM Up Summer Camp, Financial Literacy, Project Aviation, Scratch Coding, Child Literacy, BUF 45 Scholars, Chess Program, Entrepreneurial Academy, Health & Wellness, Photography Academy, Female Leadership Development, and Youth Retail Business Institute. Supporting programs include BUF Connect (young professionals arm), annual Golf Outing events, and anniversary luncheons. Annually, over 7,500 youth are served through these collaborative partnership-based programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• E.Y.E.S. Initiative (Empowering Youth for Everyday Success) The umbrella program equipping underserved youth annually with tools to succeed academically, financially, socially, and in career selection, encompassing multiple sub-programs.
• SINORMS (Silas Norman Medical Scholars) A medical careers education program targeting underserved and underrepresented youth starting at grade 7, providing continued education and experiential opportunities through college to increase representation in the medical field.
• Youth Automotive Careers Exploratory Academy A summer academy in partnership with Ford Philanthropy that exposes youth in grades 7-10 to professional and skilled trade careers in the automotive industry through interactive activities at the Ford Community Center-East.
• STEM Up @ LTU Summer Camp A summer camp in collaboration with Lawrence Technological University offering youth hands-on activities across robotics, biology, engineering, health sciences, and chemistry through interactive challenges.
• Financial Literacy Program A program that assists low-income youth and families in breaking cycles of economic poverty through workshops, summits, mentoring, and classroom settings that train participants on budgeting, savings, investing, and responsible credit use.
• Project Aviation: The Sky is Not the Limit An aviation/aerospace experiential academy providing youth of color opportunities to explore careers in aviation, learn physics of flight, mechanics of navigation and weather, with partners including Tuskegee Airmen National Museum, FAA, and Wayne State University.
• Scratch Coding (uCode Program) A coding program in partnership with Calvary Education Center that exposes youth to computer programming through hands-on activities promoting creative expression, storytelling, game design, and music composition.
• Achieve and Accelerate: Child Literacy Program A literacy improvement program in partnership with Calvary Education Center that helps children improve reading, writing, and mathematics skills using adaptive and assistive technology with a remedial model based on universal design approach.
• BUF 45 Scholars Program A scholar support program to assist African American males ages 13-21 with academic, social, and career plans over 5 years, providing laptops, educational field trips, business suits, trainings, and college scholarships.
• Chess Program A chess program in partnership with Detroit Chess Club offering urban youth opportunities to cultivate problem-solving, logical thinking, and concentration skills through weekly training for local, national, and international competitions.
• Entrepreneurial & Employment Academy A program targeting at-risk students in grades 7-11 that builds entrepreneurial mindset and skills, teaching youth various facets of running a business through community partnerships to inspire overcoming barriers and seizing opportunities.
• Health and Wellness for Youth & Young Adults A program that empowers participants to overcome life stressors through workshops and one-on-one coaching, building emotional and social resilience, self-confidence, self-efficacy, and positive self-care habits.
• Photography Academy (Picture Me) A photography program teaching youth camera use, lighting science, composition, and history of famous Black photographers, encouraging creative self-portrait production in group and individual settings.
• Female Leadership Development A female leadership program in partnership with Treasure Within, Inc. that instills confidence, character, and career readiness skills in young ladies ages 8-19 through monthly sessions developing social, emotional, etiquette, and intellectual tools.
• Pathway to Excellence (Young Men of Color) A leadership development initiative for African American high school students in Detroit Public Schools, fully sponsored by Sigma Pi Phi (Boule), utilizing group mentoring to foster personal growth and executive leadership skills.
• Youth Retail Business Institute A retail business and entrepreneurship institute in partnership with IKEA exposing youth to marketing and business planning, with middle and high school cohorts participating in pitch competitions.
• BUF Connect (Millennial Counsel) The young professionals and influencer arm of BUF of Michigan focused on mission awareness, fundraising, volunteerism, professional networking, and cultivating a culture of giving amongst young professionals.
• BUF Golf Outing (Annual) Annual golf event that generates resources to fund BUF sponsored youth empowerment programs and activities, with sponsorship levels including Major, Gold, Silver, Hole Sponsorship, and various underwriter opportunities.
• BUF 56th Anniversary Luncheon Annual anniversary celebration event with sponsorship tiers (Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Table) and souvenir journal advertising opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,500 youth served annually
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sigma Pi Phi (Boule)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull sponsor of the Pathways to Excellence leadership development program for African American high school students since 2010.
• Tuskegee Airmen National MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAviation partner providing exposure to aviation/aerospace careers through the Project Aviation program.
• Federal Aviation AdministrationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal aviation regulator partner for Project Aviation program exposing youth to aviation careers.
• IKEAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner sponsoring the Youth Retail Business Institute program.
• The Skillman FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner supporting youth development programs.
• Calvary Education CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner for Scratch Coding (uCode) program and Achieve and Accelerate literacy program.
• Treasure Within, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Female Leadership Development program.
• Detroit Chess ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Chess Program offering youth opportunity to develop strategic thinking skills.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Way for Southeastern Michigan: Regional federated fundraising and grantmaking nonprofit serving Metro Detroit with comparable workplace giving (CFC/SECC) participation and youth-focused grantmaking. Highly comparable business model and donor ecosystem to BUF of Michigan.
• Detroit Urban League: Detroit-based affiliate of the National Urban League providing youth workforce development, education, and economic empowerment programs for African American communities. Most directly comparable peer in mission, geography, and beneficiary population.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan: Regional youth development nonprofit serving Metro Detroit youth with after-school programming, STEM, and career exploration. Direct operational peer given similar age segments, STEM/career focus, and reliance on corporate sponsorship.
• 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Detroit: African American youth mentoring and education nonprofit serving Metro Detroit. Comparable demographic focus, mentoring model, and scholarship/college-success orientation to BUF's BUF 45 Scholars and Pathway to Excellence programs.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit: Youth mentoring nonprofit serving Metro Detroit with similar target population and partnership-based program delivery. Comparable funding model anchored in corporate partners and workplace giving.
• The Skillman Foundation: Detroit-based children's foundation funding youth development programs citywide. Already a BUF partner, but operates as both collaborator and comparable funder of similar programs in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: National umbrella for African American advancement including youth education and workforce programs. Parent-like body to Detroit Urban League and broader strategic comparable to BUF's mission focus.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): National African American higher-education access and scholarship organization. Comparable on the college-access/scholarship dimension of BUF 45 Scholars and SINORMS programs, but operates nationally rather than regionally.

Emerging players

• NAACP Detroit Branch: Local civil rights and youth advocacy organization in Detroit. Partial overlap on youth empowerment and African American community focus, but with greater emphasis on advocacy than direct program delivery.

Others

• Detroit Public Schools Community District: Primary public school district that BUF partners with for program delivery. Not a peer in fundraising, but the underlying education infrastructure and a key channel partner for BUF's youth programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bufconnect6376
• Xx.com/BUFMI
• Facebookfacebook.com/BUFofMI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buf-of-mi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Black United Fund Of Michigan