Young Black Leadership Alliance

What Young Black Leadership Alliance does

Young Black Leadership Alliance (YBLA) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization headquartered in Charlotte, NC, that develops leadership capacity among young Black participants through a tiered program pipeline spanning high school, college, and early career stages. The organization was formed in 2017 from the merger of Young Black Men Leadership Alliance (founded 2006 by John Martin) and Young Black Women Leadership Alliance (founded 2015 by Tammy Martin), and has operated continuously for over 20 years under its predecessor and current branding. Its three core participant programs are the Ambassadors Program (a 12-month, $3,348+ flagship program for 11th-grade students in Charlotte and Atlanta that includes Belize service trips, Toastmasters certification, and TEDx speaking opportunities), the Collegiate Emerging Professionals/CEP (a free 12-week program for college students incorporating the Truist Emerging Leaders Certification), and the YoPro Leadership Accelerator (a 6-month, $199-$349 program for professionals aged 21-35). The Global Mission Trip Experience is a fourth, distinct turnkey product sold to churches and faith communities seeking international service travel to Belize.

YBLA's revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model combining individual donations (via Network for Good and GiveSmart, with donor tiers from $1,000 to $5,000+), corporate sponsorships (Accenture, Truist, PepsiCo, NASDAQ, Enterprise Foundation, Equitable Foundation), participant program fees, and church-paid mission trip packages. The organization employs approximately 10-12 core staff and operates on a Wix-based website with the Sable platform for membership/enrollment. International service operations span at least eight countries including Belize, Ghana, Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, South Africa, and the UAE. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth, school and church partnerships, and corporate recruitment pipelines.

YBLA reports aggregate outcomes of 500,000+ lives impacted, 1,500+ leaders developed, 15,000+ service hours, 100+ community projects, and a 96% college graduation rate among alumni. The organization is founder-led by John Martin (CEO, 25+ years in IT) and Tammy Martin (CPO, 25+ years in healthcare, certified in nonprofit leadership from Boston College and Duke), with ownership and operational control residing with the Martin family. No parent company, institutional investors, or external equity holders are identified, and no funding rounds are publicly disclosed.

Name

Young Black Leadership Alliance

Legal name

Young Black Leadership Alliance

Website

https://ybla.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Young Black Leadership Alliance (YBLA) is a Charlotte-based nonprofit that develops young Black leaders through a tiered program pipeline spanning high school (Ambassadors), college (CEP), and early career (YoPro), complemented by turnkey international mission trips sold to churches. Founded in 2006 as YBM and rebranded in 2017.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Leadership Development (Nonprofit Services)

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Character Education & Values Development (EDAMAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Government & Leadership Programs (EDAJAJAH), Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA), Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA), Leadership, Debate & Model UN Camps (EDAMALAK)

Keywords

• Youth leadership development
• Nonprofit education programs
• College readiness services
• Community service programs
• Professional leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

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, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through the Network for Good platform and GiveSmart fundraising portal. YBLA recognizes donors at Legacy Level ($5,000+), Visionary Level ($2,500-$4,999), and Empowerment Level ($1,000-$2,499).
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors including Accenture, Truist, PepsiCo, NASDAQ, and others provide partnerships, grants, and service support. Sponsorships fund programs, scholarships, events, and transformational experiences.
3. Program Fees: The Ambassador Program charges $3,348 (or $279/month) plus $149 registration fee and $2,799 Belize trip fundraising requirement. YoPro charges membership fees ($199-$349 depending on early bird status). CEP program is free to participants.
4. Mission Trip Experiences: Churches and faith communities pay for turnkey mission trip experiences to Belize, with tiered packages for 5 days/4 nights.
5. Matching Gift Programs: Corporate matching gift programs double individual donations at no extra cost to donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YBLA delivers multi-tiered leadership development programs that combine curriculum-based training, college and career readiness, public speaking certification (Toastmasters, TEDx), and domestic/international service experiences for young Black leaders. Core offerings include the Ambassadors Program (12-month high school experience), Collegiate Emerging Professionals (12-week college program), YoPro Leadership Accelerator (6-month young professional program), and Global Mission Trip Experiences to Belize and Ghana.

Product overview

YBLA is a nonprofit leadership development organization offering a multi-tiered program pipeline: the Ambassadors Program (12-month high school leadership experience), Collegiate Emerging Professionals/CEP (12-week college student program), YoPro Leadership Accelerator (6-month young professional program for ages 21-35), and the Global Mission Trip Experience (international service trips to Belize and Ghana). These programs collectively provide leadership training, education, service opportunities, and college/career readiness preparation targeting young Black leaders from high school through early career.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• YBLA Ambassadors Program A competitive 12-month leadership experience for high-achieving Black high school students (primarily 11th graders with 3.0+ GPA) that equips them to lead with confidence, serve with purpose, and prepare for college. Includes international service trips to Belize, Toastmasters certification, TEDx speaking opportunities, and college preparation workshops. Delivered in Charlotte and Atlanta metros.
• Collegiate Emerging Professionals (CEP)

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% college graduation rate among YBLA alumni
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AccenturecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAccenture has partnered with YBLA, with Dana Montgomery from Accenture speaking on the impact of their partnership. Accenture provides corporate support, grants, and potential recruitment pipelines for YBLA programs.
• Enterprise FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEnterprise Foundation partners with YBLA as a corporate sponsor supporting programs and leadership development initiatives.
• Equitable FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEquitable Foundation supports YBLA through corporate giving and foundation partnerships for community programs.
• TruistcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTruist provides the Truist Emerging Leaders Certification for CEP program participants and serves as a corporate partner/sponsor.
• Hope for GhanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYBLA partnered with Hope for Ghana to commission a fresh water well in the Kluma Andor Dorfor village, providing clean water access to 500 people.
• Samaritan's FeetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Samaritan's Feet for shoe distribution in Belize and Ghana. YBLA volunteers wash feet and distribute shoes to children and adults in service communities.
• God Cares OutreachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Belize partner organization YBLA works with alongside Samaritan's Feet to help build homes, distribute shoes, deliver food, and engage with locals.
• J. L. Turner Legal AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDallas-based legal association supporting YBLOC's 'Black Ballots, Black Futures' campaign in Texas.
• African American Bar Association of DallasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDallas bar association partnering on Democracy Sunday voter engagement initiative in the Black legal community.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: The National Urban League is a large, established civil rights and workforce development organization serving African American communities through education, job training, and leadership programs — directly comparable to YBLA's mission and target demographic, but with national scale and a much broader portfolio.
• UNCF (United Negro College Fund): UNCF supports Black students through scholarships, college readiness, and leadership development — overlapping with YBLA's CEP and Ambassador programs on college preparation and serving a similar Black youth demographic, with significantly larger national scope.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Boys & Girls Clubs of America operates youth development programs nationwide — overlapping with YBLA's Ambassador Program in serving high school students through leadership and college readiness activities, but at much greater scale and broader demographic scope.
• Black Enterprise: Black Enterprise provides media, events, and professional development targeting Black professionals and entrepreneurs — comparable to YBLA's YoPro Leadership Accelerator in serving Black young professionals, but as a media-and-events platform rather than a direct service provider.

Direct peers

• 100 Black Men of America: 100 Black Men of America runs mentoring, education, and leadership programs for Black youth through local chapters — comparable to YBLA's Ambassador Program in targeting Black male high schoolers for leadership development, with a chapter-based national structure.
• Jack and Jill of America: Jack and Jill of America is a membership organization serving Black families through youth leadership, educational, and cultural programming — directly comparable to YBLA's youth leadership pipeline and demographic, with established national chapter infrastructure.
• National Black MBA Association: The National Black MBA Association provides professional development, leadership programming, and networking for Black professionals and students — directly comparable to YBLA's YoPro and CEP programs in serving Black emerging and young professional talent.
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE): NSBE supports Black engineering students and professionals through leadership development, professional growth, and career programming — overlapping with YBLA's CEP and YoPro programs in serving Black college students and early-career professionals.
• Student Leadership Network: Student Leadership Network runs leadership and college-access programs for underserved youth — directly comparable to YBLA's Ambassador Program in delivering leadership development and college preparation to high school students.
• Lead2Change: Lead2Change is a youth leadership organization developing ethical leaders through service-learning — directly comparable to YBLA's service-integrated leadership model for young people, though operating primarily at the high school level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ1jc3gnW3vh_PxCniXPs9A/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/YBLALeadership
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/young-black-leadership-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/yblaleadership
• Xx.com/yblaleadership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Young Black Leadership Alliance