Youth Development Foundation

What Youth Development Foundation does

Youth Development Foundation of Pinellas County, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation established in 1998 by the Zeta Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. The foundation operates three core programs serving youth and families in southern Pinellas County, Florida: the AKAdemy signature structured youth development program (serving more than 200 students annually in educational development, leadership, health and wellness, economic security, team building, and community engagement), the biennial Essence of Ebony Pearls Debutante Scholarship Cotillion, and the annual High School Merit Scholarship Program, which awarded more than $60,000 to college-bound high school seniors in 2023.

The foundation's operational technology is minimal: program delivery occurs in-person across Pinellas County schools and community centers, with outreach handled through a WordPress website, Facebook pages, and digital fundraising via the RallyUp platform. There are no proprietary technology products, software platforms, or AI-enabled services; the value proposition rests on community trust, volunteer-driven programming, and the institutional reputation of the parent sorority chapter.

The revenue model is a hybrid nonprofit structure combining individual donations, corporate sponsorships, in-kind services, and a core operational grant from the Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare Board that sustains the AKAdemy program. The Spring Ivy 1955 Virtual Campaign targets a $20,000 fundraising goal with tiered suggested donation levels ($19.55, $25, $70), and additional funding arrives through event sponsorships such as the Winter Soiree and partnership-driven initiatives with peer fraternal organizations. Since its founding, the chapter has directed more than $500,000 in cumulative community impact through charitable donations, scholarships, and service projects.

Name

Youth Development Foundation

Legal name

Youth Development Foundation of Pinellas County, Inc.

Website

https://zuochapter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Youth Development Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in St. Petersburg, Florida, established in 1998 by the Zeta Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. It serves youth and families in southern Pinellas County through the AKAdemy program, scholarship awards, and the Debutante Cotillion.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Youth-to-Adult Bridge & College Readiness (Noncredit) (EDAAAEAK)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Community scholarships
• Nonprofit youth services
• Debutante cotillion
• Leadership development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Petersburg

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. Individual Donations: Accepts donations from individuals through its website and fundraising campaigns such as the Spring Ivy 1955 Virtual Campaign, targeting youth leadership development and scholarship programs.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Receives sponsorships from corporations to help promote its goals and further the mission of the organization.
3. Grants: Through the Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare Board, the organization receives grant funding to support the AKAdemy program annually serving hundreds of students in southern Pinellas County.
4. In-Kind Services: Accepts in-kind services to help promote its goals and further the mission of the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Youth Development Foundation delivers three core programs to youth in Pinellas County: the AKAdemy signature youth development program (educational, leadership, health and wellness, economic security, team building, and community engagement), the biennial Essence of Ebony Pearls Debutante Scholarship Cotillion, and the annual High School Merit Scholarship Program for college-bound high school seniors.

Product overview

Youth Development Foundation of Pinellas County, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1998 by the Zeta Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. The organization operates as a unified youth development and scholarship entity with three core programs: the AKAdemy (signature structured youth development program), the Essence of Ebony Pearls Debutante Scholarship Cotillion (biennial), and the High School Merit Scholarship Program. Programs focus on education and scholarships, health, the arts, the family unit, and economic and community development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AKA AKAdemy: The signature youth development program of YDF that annually serves hundreds of students in southern Pinellas County in areas of Educational Development, Leadership Development, Health & Wellness, Economic Security, Team Building and Community Engagement.

Products and services

• AKA AKAdemy The foundation's signature structured youth development program, annually serving more than 200 students in southern Pinellas County with programming in Educational Development, Leadership Development, Health & Wellness, Economic Security, Team Building, and Community Engagement. Funded by the Pinellas County Juvenile Welfare Board and delivered in local schools and community centers.
• Essence of Ebony Pearls Debutante Scholarship Cotillion A biennial debutante scholarship cotillion conducted in partnership with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Zeta Upsilon Omega Chapter, featuring scholarship awards for young women. More than $15,000 in scholarships was awarded during the 2023 Cotillion.
• High School Merit Scholarship Program An annual merit-based scholarship program providing financial assistance to college-bound high school seniors in Pinellas County. Over $60,000 was awarded during the 2023 AKA AKAdemy Scholarship and Awards Showcase.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 youth served annually through AKAdemy program
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Eta Rho Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with YDF to mentor the Pathfinders program participants. Men of the fraternity provide mentorship services to youth in the AKAdemy program.
• F.I.E.T.T.S. FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored the Winter Soiree event held on December 13, 2025 at University of South Florida, St. Petersburg Campus to support local community.
• House of Skinner WellnessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides warm-ups and wellness activities for the quarterly Walk It Like We Talk It community events held at Lake Vista Recreation Center.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jack and Jill of America Foundation: A national African-American family-focused organization that runs youth development, cultural enrichment, and scholarship programs through local chapters, mirroring YDF's model of community-level programming under a national sorority-style umbrella.
• 4-H Youth Development Program (UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas): Delivers structured youth development programming in Pinellas County, including leadership, healthy living, and STEM tracks, with comparable in-school and community-based delivery and similar funding dependence on public-sector partners.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pinellas County: Provides one-to-one youth mentoring and scholarship programming in the same geography and target demographic. YDF's AKAdemy Pathfinders mentorship and scholarship components directly overlap with this affiliate's mission.
• Boys & Girls Club of the Sun Coast: Operates youth development programs directly in Pinellas County including after-school and summer programming, serving a comparable low- and middle-income youth demographic with similar educational and life-skills objectives.

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: A national civil rights and equity organization with explicit youth-development programming (e.g., Project Ready) targeting African-American adolescents in education and college access, directly comparable to YDF's college-readiness and scholarship work.
• United Negro College Fund: A large-scale national funder of scholarships for African-American college students, overlapping directly with YDF's High School Merit Scholarship Program and Debutante Cotillion scholarship components but at far greater scale.
• AKA Educational Advancement Foundation: The national scholarship and education foundation of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority itself, which provides the umbrella brand and some of the scholarship infrastructure that the local Zeta Upsilon Omega Chapter and YDF operate under.
• Girls Inc. A national nonprofit running out-of-school programming for young women in STEM, leadership, and life skills — directly comparable to AKAdemy's targeted programming for girls, particularly via the Debutante Cotillion scholarship track.

Regional players

• Take Stock in Children: A Florida-based statewide mentorship and college-scholarship program for low-income students in the same geography and demographic, competing for similar mentees, mentors, and donor dollars as YDF.
• Pinellas Community Foundation: The local community foundation serving the same Pinellas County geography; both compete for the same pool of local corporate, family-foundation, and individual donors and operate as grantmaking and capacity-building resources for the regional nonprofit ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/search/top?q=youth%20development%20foundation%20of%20pinellas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Youth Development Foundation