Youth Guidance

What Youth Guidance does

Youth Guidance is a Chicago-headquartered nonprofit organization founded in 1924 that designs and operates school-based programs for youth in grades 6 through 12, primarily those exposed to traumatic stressors in under-resourced communities. Its flagship offerings are two registered, evidence-based group counseling programs: Becoming A Man (BAM®), serving male-identifying students, and Working on Womanhood (WOW®), serving female-identifying students through a trauma-informed methodology grounded in social-emotional learning and social-cognitive skill development. The portfolio has expanded over time to include Evolve (Tier-2 educator-led SEL), Project STRIVE (for youth in care transitioning to adulthood, in partnership with Illinois DCFS), Community & Afterschool Programming (CAP), Career Readiness & Success, The Fellowship Initiative, Alumni Engagement, and Community Connections, giving the organization a full-stack SEL and youth-development platform delivered inside public schools.

Youth Guidance delivers its programs through direct, long-term partnerships with public school districts (including LAUSD, DCPS, Highline Public Schools, Center School District, and Allegheny County schools), county departments of human services, and community-based organizations — most visibly through the BLOOM Alliance in Los Angeles and the Sto-Rox Community Violence Reduction Initiative in Greater Pittsburgh. Programs are staffed by full-time Youth Specialists embedded on school campuses, which creates high integration with district operations but also limits unit-economics scalability. As of 2024-2025 the organization serves more than 18,000 students across seven US states, Washington D.C., and London, operates with 251-500 employees, and is led by CEO Michelle Adler-Morrison.

The business model is nonprofit and grant-funded: revenue derives from foundation grants (JPMorgan Chase, Ballmer Group, GreenLight Fund, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, California Community Foundation, The Dallas Foundation, Nike), corporate giving, and government contracts rather than per-student fees from families. Go-to-market is school-district-led and evidence-led — entry into new cities has typically followed a seed-investment model through intermediaries such as GreenLight Fund, combined with outcome data (50% lower violent-crime arrest rate, 19% higher on-time graduation, $30 societal ROI per $1 invested) used to recruit district and county partners. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Youth Guidance

Legal name

Youth Guidance

Website

https://youth-guidance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 1924 delivering school-based social-emotional learning and trauma-informed counseling programs — primarily Becoming A Man (BAM) and Working on Womanhood (WOW) — to over 18,000 students in grades 6-12 across seven US states, Washington D.C., and London.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development & Social-Emotional Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• School-based counseling
• Social-emotional learning
• Violence prevention services
• After-school programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Services Revenue: Youth Guidance generates revenue through delivering school-based counseling and youth development programs under contracts with school districts, county governments, and grant agreements with foundations and government agencies.
2. Grant Funding: The organization receives significant funding from foundations including JPMorgan Chase, Ballmer Group, GreenLight Fund, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation to support program expansion and operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Youth Guidance is a nonprofit that creates and implements school-based youth development programs for students in grades 6–12, delivered by trained Youth Specialists embedded in public schools. Its core offerings are the Becoming A Man (BAM) school-based group counseling program for young men and the Working on Womanhood (WOW) trauma-informed counseling program for girls, supported by social-emotional learning curricula, community and after-school programming, career readiness services, and partnerships with school districts, county agencies, and community organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BAM® (Becoming A Man): School-based group counseling program for young men in 6th to 12th grades that guides them to learn, internalize and practice social cognitive skills, make responsible decisions for their future and become positive members of their school and community.
• WOW® (Working On Womanhood)
• Community & Afterschool Programming (CAP)
• Career Readiness & Success (CRS)
• Project STRIVE
• Evolve
• Community Connections

Products and services

• BAM® – Becoming A Man School-based group counseling program that guides young men in 6th to 12th grades to learn, internalize, and practice social cognitive skills, make responsible decisions for their future, and become positive members of their school and community. Delivered by Youth Specialists embedded in partner public schools.
• WOW® – Working On Womanhood School-based, trauma-informed group counseling program that improves the social-emotional competencies of girls in 6th to 12th grades who are exposed to traumatic stressors in under-resourced communities. Delivered inside public schools with documented reductions in PTSD and depression symptoms.
• Evolve Tier 2 educator-led social-emotional learning (SEL) program that provides training and implementation resources to 2–3 school-based staff per school so they can deliver the most effective components of Youth Guidance's evidence-based BAM and WOW programs.
• Community & Afterschool Programming (CAP) Transformative initiative revolving around neighborhood public schools that invites youth, families, and communities into a culture of learning through extended-day and enrichment activities.
• Extended Day & Enrichment School-day extension and enrichment programming offered through neighborhood public schools as part of Youth Guidance's community-focused youth development services.
• School-Based Counseling School-embedded counseling services delivered by Youth Guidance counselors inside public schools, providing group and individual social-emotional support for students in 6th to 12th grades.
• Project STRIVE School-based partnership with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services dedicated to supporting youth in care during their transition into adulthood and empowering them to lead productive lives.
• Career Readiness & Success (CRS) Career readiness and success programming that bridges the opportunity gap for youth from under-resourced communities, including pre-professional exposure, postsecondary readiness, and alumni engagement services.
• The Fellowship Initiative (BAM-FI) Career-mentorship and postsecondary-readiness fellowship program for BAM participants in Washington, D.C. that pairs students with career mentors and creates college and career pathways in partnership with JPMorgan Chase and Howard University.
• Community Connections Family-facing program that addresses challenges faced by families — including grief, loss, economic hardships, isolation, and mental health concerns — through wraparound support services.
• Sto-Rox Community Violence Reduction Initiative (BAM component) Public-health-driven community violence reduction initiative in the Sto-Rox community that delivers BAM programming as a core component, in partnership with Allegheny County Department of Human Services and Focus On Renewal.
• BAM & WOW Kansas City Program Launch Market-specific launch of BAM and WOW programs in Kansas City, Missouri, serving approximately 350 students across Center School District and DeLaSalle Education Center as part of Youth Guidance's expansion.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in violent crime arrests among BAM participants
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term community partnership with DCPS within their racial equity commitment, student support services, and postsecondary framework. BAM-FI program operates in six DC high schools.
• Howard UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPostsecondary institution partner creating college and career pathways for BAM-FI program participants.
• MENTOR Maryland-DCsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides training for volunteer career mentors and facilitates strategic introductions to grow community engagement.
• Highline Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership to implement BAM program across King County schools. BAM currently operates in five Highline schools.
• Allegheny County Department of Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Community Violence Reduction Initiative and BAM/WOW program delivery in Greater Pittsburgh area schools.
• Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched BAM in 5 LAUSD middle and high schools during 2020-21 school year, expanding to 8 schools by 2022-23.
• Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in BLOOM Alliance with almost 70 years of combined experience serving South Los Angeles community.
• Brotherhood CrusadecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in BLOOM Alliance with almost 70 years of combined experience serving South Los Angeles community.
• Focus On RenewalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOversees the Sto-Rox Community Violence Reduction Initiative (CVRI) public health-driven strategy with support from Youth Guidance's BAM program.
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Project STRIVE supporting youth in care during transition into adulthood.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National nonprofit providing school- and community-based mentoring for youth. Directly comparable to Youth Guidance's BAM mentoring/counseling model, with similar funder base (corporate + foundations) and outcomes-focused mission.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit delivering after-school programming and SEL in schools and clubhouses. Comparable target population (under-resourced youth), school-district partnerships, and outcome-driven model.
• Communities In Schools: Nonprofit that places staff inside public schools to deliver integrated student supports and SEL, with measured outcomes on attendance, behavior, and graduation—directly comparable to Youth Guidance's embedded-counselor model.
• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): National umbrella nonprofit advancing youth mentoring and SEL partnerships; comparable mission of connecting at-risk youth with mentors through school-based programs and federal/state policy work.
• iMentor: Nonprofit pairing college mentors with high-school students in under-resourced communities via school partnerships—directly comparable mentoring/SEL integration model.

Regional players

• After School Matters: Chicago-based nonprofit providing after-school and summer programming for high-school youth. Comparable focus on school-linked programming, career readiness, and similar geography, though not trauma-counseling focused.
• Chicago Children's Initiative (Bright Spot): Chicago-based youth development nonprofit comparable to Youth Guidance's Chicago roots and school-anchored SEL/career programming for at-risk youth in specific neighborhoods.

Emerging players

• Year Up: National workforce development nonprofit serving opportunity youth, including a Career Readiness & Success-adjacent model. Comparable in serving under-resourced young adults with employer partnerships, though focused on older ages.
• Bottom Line: Nonprofit supporting low-income and first-generation students through college access and success, complementary to Youth Guidance's career-readiness and postsecondary pathways (e.g., Howard University partnership).
• ScholarMatch: Nonprofit supporting first-generation college students with advising and wraparound services—comparable to Youth Guidance's career-readiness and postsecondary pathways work via partners like Howard University.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YG_Chicago
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2Cs6eM9F4IBZQWXrUpoOUw
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthguidance.chicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-guidance
• Instagraminstagram.com/youthguidancechi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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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 Youth Guidance