Back 2 School Alliance
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersNormal, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Back 2 School Alliance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Back 2 School Alliance
- Legal name
- Back 2 School Alliance
- Website
- https://back2schoolalliance.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Back 2 School Alliance industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Charity Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)
Keywords
Where Back 2 School Alliance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Normal
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Back 2 School Alliance business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Monetary Donations: The organization accepts cash, check, and credit card donations through PayPal and direct giving. Donations are used to purchase backpacks and school supplies for distribution to eligible students.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Back 2 School Alliance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Back 2 School Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that collects and distributes free backpacks and school supplies to K-12 students from low-income families in the Bloomington-Normal, Illinois school districts (District 87 and Unit 5). The organization funds and sources supplies through monetary donations via PayPal, an Amazon Wishlist program for direct supply donations, in-kind supply drives at nearly 70 community partner locations, and corporate sponsorships. Its Back to School Program also encourages families to complete school registration and medical/immunization requirements on time so students begin school prepared on day one.
Product overview
Back 2 School Alliance is a nonprofit organization operating a single unified charitable program focused on providing backpacks and school supplies to K-12 students in the Bloomington-Normal, Illinois area who qualify for free or reduced lunches. The organization operates through three primary channels: an e-commerce shop selling merchandise such as the Amethyst Dreams Baby Leggings, an Amazon Wishlist program enabling direct supply donations, and traditional monetary/in-kind donation collection through community partnerships and collection sites. The organization's core service is its annual Back to School Program, which encourages and rewards completion of public school registration and medical/immunization requirements by qualifying students so they can begin school prepared on day one.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Back to School Program A free charitable program that distributes backpacks and school supplies to K-12 students in Bloomington-Normal Districts 87 and Unit 5 who qualify for free or reduced lunches, while incentivizing families to complete public school registration and any school-mandated medical and immunization requirements ahead of the school year so students can begin school prepared on day one. The program serves approximately 6,000 students annually and is funded entirely through donations and sponsorships.
- Amazon Wishlist Program An online donation program that allows supporters to shop from home via BTSA's curated Amazon Wishlist, with purchased supplies shipped directly to Back 2 School Alliance for distribution to qualifying students. The program enables low-effort, remote in-kind giving.
Quantifiable outcome
- 33% of kids in Bloomington-Normal schools qualify for free or reduced lunches - targeting the most in-need students
Companies that use Back 2 School Alliance
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Back 2 School Alliance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Back 2 School Alliance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Midwest Food BankcoreIn-kind sponsor and year-round collection site. Provides logistics support and serves as a collection point for donated supplies.
- Bloomington-Normal Association of REALTORSminorCommunity supply drive partner hosting collection boxes at 407 Detroit Ave., Bloomington location.
- Heartland Community ChurchminorCommunity supply drive partner at 1811 N Linden St, Normal location.
- Central Catholic High SchoolminorFamily Friend Sponsor and community partner supporting supply drives.
- Bloomington Sunrise RotaryminorCommunity supply drive partner supporting backpack collection efforts.
- Normal RotaryminorCommunity supply drive partner supporting backpack collection efforts.
- HyVeeminorCommunity supply drive partner providing collection box locations for donations.
- Texas RoadhouseminorCommunity supply drive partner at 1713 Empire, Bloomington location.
- McLean County FairminorCommunity supply drive partner hosting collection boxes during fair events.
- Katie's KidsminorCommunity supply drive partner collaborating on collection efforts.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Back 2 School Alliance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kids In Need Foundation: National 501(c)(3) that provides free school supplies to K-12 students in need across the US through teacher and partner-school networks. Closest direct comparable to BTSA's backpack-and-supplies mission at significantly larger scale.
- Schoolhouse Supplies: Portland-based nonprofit operating a free store for teachers serving low-income students. Highly comparable model: distributing school supplies to under-resourced classrooms through community partnerships and donations.
- Cradles to Crayons: Nonprofit providing children from birth through age 12 with essential items including back-to-school supplies. Operates a community collection-and-distribution model similar to BTSA's ~70 partner collection sites.
- AdoptAClassroom: National nonprofit that channels donor funds directly to teachers for classroom supplies. Comparable supply-focused mission targeting K-12 students in under-resourced schools, with a more digital/online donor funnel.
- Volunteers of America - Operation Backpack: Annual Operation Backpack drive distributed by Volunteers of America collects and delivers backpacks filled with school supplies to children experiencing homelessness. Operates a national version of BTSA's single-county model.
- Stuff the Bus (United Way): Regional United Way-led school supply drives running in many US cities during the back-to-school season. Directly comparable back-to-school supply mission, often run through school district partnerships similar to BTSA's District 87/Unit 5 model.
Broad incumbents
- Communities In Schools: National nonprofit that surrounds students with community support to stay in school and graduate. Larger-scale, broader mission — addresses the same at-risk-student population BTSA serves but with year-round case management rather than seasonal supply distribution.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth-development organization serving low-income K-12 students with after-school programming, including back-to-school supply drives. Broader portfolio than BTSA but directly comparable in serving the same student demographic.
- United Way of McLean County: Local United Way affiliate serving the same Bloomington-Normal geography as BTSA and already a Diamond sponsor. Larger, broader community fundraiser that funds BTSA and many similar programs — a key funder/partner and a structural competitor for local donor dollars.
- Feeding America: National hunger-relief nonprofit operating through local food banks (including Midwest Food Bank, a BTSA partner). Comparable as a high-leverage community-organization network addressing child poverty, though focused on food rather than school supplies.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Back 2 School Alliance social profiles
Digital presenceBack 2 School Alliance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Back 2 School Alliance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Back 2 School Alliance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Back 2 School Alliance M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Back 2 School Alliance
What does Back 2 School Alliance do?
Back 2 School Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that collects and distributes free backpacks and school supplies to K-12 students from low-income families in the Bloomington-Normal, Illinois school districts (District 87 and Unit 5). The organization funds and sources supplies through monetary donations via PayPal, an Amazon Wishlist program for direct supply donations, in-kind supply drives at nearly 70 community partner locations, and corporate sponsorships. Its Back to School Program also encourages families to complete school registration and medical/immunization requirements on time so students begin school prepared on day one.
Is Back 2 School Alliance a public or private company?
Back 2 School Alliance is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Back 2 School Alliance founded?
Back 2 School Alliance was founded in 1999.
Where is Back 2 School Alliance based?
Back 2 School Alliance is headquartered in Normal, United States, in the North America region.
How does Back 2 School Alliance make money?
One revenue line is on record: monetary Donations.
Who are Back 2 School Alliance's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kids In Need Foundation, Schoolhouse Supplies, Cradles to Crayons, AdoptAClassroom, Volunteers of America - Operation Backpack and Stuff the Bus (United Way). Broad incumbents are Communities In Schools, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, United Way of McLean County and Feeding America.
Does Back 2 School Alliance have an API?
No public API is recorded for Back 2 School Alliance.
What industry is Back 2 School Alliance in?
Back 2 School Alliance's product category is Community Charity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAB, K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGADAC, After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8300.