Our Piece of the Pie

What Our Piece of the Pie does

Our Piece of the Pie, Inc. (OPP) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 20-28 Sargeant Street, Hartford, Connecticut, founded in 1975 as Southend Community Services and rebranded to its current name. It serves opportunity youth ages 14-24 in the Greater Hartford region who face barriers such as being under-credited or over-aged for school, involvement with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems, or low-income/underemployed status. Its service model is structured around three pillars — Personal Development, Academic Achievement, and Workforce Readiness — delivered through individualized pairing with a Youth Development Specialist (YDS) who co-creates a success plan, supplemented by the proprietary TEB (Thoughts, Emotions, Behaviors) CBT-based curriculum and a centralized case management system built around Social Solutions ETO.

OPP operates a portfolio of programs anchored by the Hartford Youth Service Corps (HYSC), a paid service-learning partnership with the City of Hartford launched in 2016 that has enrolled 2,773 youth and supports over 300 Hartford youth annually. Other programs include Opportunity Academy (alternative education for overaged, under-credited students), Digital DividEND (computer refurbishment with Google IT Support certification), the Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program (SYELP) operated with Capital Workforce Partners, the Pathways to Careers Initiative for justice-involved youth, and the Youth Empowerment Collective. Workforce pathways cover credentials in CNA, EKG Tech, Phlebotomy, CNC Machinist, Welding, OSHA-10, ServSafe, ForkLift, Guard Card, and Flagger.

Services are provided at no cost to eligible youth. Funding is assembled from federal grants (U.S. Department of Labor, OJJDP), state and municipal contracts (Connecticut DCF, City of Hartford), corporate sponsors (Travelers, The Hartford, Stanley Black & Decker, CVS Health, Cigna, Bank of America, Collins Aerospace, Liberty Bank), and foundations (Dalio Education, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Tow Foundation, M&T Charitable Foundation, Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation, AT&T Foundation). Distribution is community- and referral-led: school district partnerships (Hartford, New Haven, Bloomfield Public Schools), justice and child welfare system referrals, and community events. Leadership is long-tenured: President & CEO Hector Rivera (20+ years at OPP), COO Chanda Robinson (20+ years), and CFO Patricia Moro (joined May 2021), supported by a Board of Directors drawn from corporate partners including Raytheon Technologies, Pratt & Whitney, Travelers, The Hartford, and Hartford HealthCare.

Name

Our Piece of the Pie

Legal name

Our Piece of the Pie, Inc.

Website

https://opp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Our Piece of the Pie is a Hartford-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1975, that delivers Personal Development, Academic Achievement, and Workforce Readiness programming to opportunity youth ages 14-24 across Greater Hartford, operating the Hartford Youth Service Corps, Opportunity Academy, and related programs at no cost.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Benefits Counseling & Financial Literacy for Transition-Age Youth (EDAKANAJ)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Workforce readiness training
• Alternative education services
• Community youth services
• Youth employment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hartford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: OPP receives funding from government sources including U.S. Department of Labor, Department of Children & Families, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and local government entities like the City of Hartford.
2. Individual and Corporate Donations: OPP accepts donations from individuals and corporations through its website, Birdies for Charity program, and special events. Donations are processed via credit card (BlackBaud), PayPal, and check.
3. Foundation Grants: OPP receives funding from multiple foundations including Dalio Education, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Travelers Foundation, AT&T Foundation, and many others listed as lead funders.
4. Planned Giving and Legacy Society: OPP accepts planned gifts including retirement plans, remainder interest in property, and other estate planning vehicles through its legacy society program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Our Piece of the Pie provides free youth development programs for opportunity youth ages 14-24 in Greater Hartford, CT, integrating three pillars: Personal Development (one-on-one Youth Development Specialist pairing and the TEB CBT-based curriculum), Academic Achievement (Opportunity Academy alternative education), and Workforce Readiness (job training, vocational credentials, internships, and paid service-learning through Hartford Youth Service Corps, Digital DividEND, and Summer Youth Employment programs). All services are delivered at no cost to eligible youth and are funded by government grants, foundation grants, and corporate and individual donations.

Product overview

Our Piece of the Pie (OPP) is a nonprofit youth development organization offering an integrated suite of services through three core pillars: Personal Development, Academic Achievement, and Workforce Readiness. The organization operates multiple interconnected programs including the Hartford Youth Service Corps (HYSC), Digital DividEND, Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program (SYELP), Opportunity Academy (alternative education), Pathways to Careers Initiative, and Positive Youth Development Training. All youth receive individualized support through Youth Development Specialists and have access to the full range of services. The programs serve young people ages 14-24 in Greater Hartford, CT who face barriers including being under-credited/over-aged, child welfare or justice involved, or low-income/unemployed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hartford Youth Service Corps (HYSC): A program created in partnership with the City of Hartford to provide employment opportunities, service-learning projects, and workforce readiness training for Hartford youth ages 14-24.
• Opportunity Academy (OA)
• Digital DividEND

Products and services

• Personal Development Services
• Academic Achievement / Opportunity Academy
• Workforce Readiness
• Hartford Youth Service Corps (HYSC)
• Digital DividEND
• Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program (SYELP)
• Pathways to Careers Initiative (PCI)
• Youth Empowerment Collective (YEC)
• Positive Youth Development Training Research-based training for outside organizations on positive youth development principles, covering youth voice, engagement, programming, and work ethics. Developed in collaboration with Cornell University and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and secondary.

• City of HartfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Hartford partners with OPP to implement the Hartford Youth Service Corps (HYSC), addressing youth employment opportunities. The collaboration began in 2016 and is a flagship partnership.
• Dalio EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner providing educational programming support and resources for serving disconnected youth. Barbara Dalio serves as strategy partner.
• Department of Children & FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partnership to support youth involved with child welfare systems.
• Capital Workforce PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional workforce development board partnership for Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program (SYELP).
• Hartford HealthCaremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner providing internship opportunities through Digital DividEND program and supporting workforce pathways.
• CVS HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare employer partner providing job placement opportunities for youth.
• The Village for Families and ChildrenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner for collaborative youth services.
• Hartford Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local school district for educational programming and Opportunity Academy.
• New Haven Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with New Haven district including Riverside Academy pilot for the New Haven Youth Service Corps.
• Bloomfield Public SchoolssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partnership for expanded services.
• Community OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVarious community organizations partner with OPP for service learning projects including food share events, community gardens, and beautification initiatives.
• Dignity GrowssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to distribute hygiene products to youth in need.
• Cornell UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for Positive Youth Development training curriculum development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Year Up: Workforce development nonprofit providing training, credentials, and corporate internships for opportunity youth ages 18-24. Highly comparable to OPP's Workforce Readiness pillar and similar service-learning/internship model, with a national footprint.
• Bottom Line: Nonprofit supporting low-income and first-generation college students from high school through early career with persistence coaching and workforce readiness. Overlaps with OPP's Academic Achievement pillar and post-secondary access services.
• Roca: Massachusetts-based nonprofit providing intensive intervention, workforce training, and re-engagement services for high-risk young adults involved in justice systems. Comparable population (justice-involved, opportunity youth) and similar CBT-informed intervention model to OPP's TEB curriculum and Pathways to Careers Initiative.
• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free IT and tech workforce training for opportunity adults, including Google IT Support certification. Comparable to OPP's Digital DividEND program and IT-credentialing pathway, though more focused on adult learners.
• Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG): State-based nonprofit delivering dropout prevention, career pathways, and workforce development for at-risk youth in schools. Closely matches OPP's Opportunity Academy and re-engagement model serving under-credited youth.
• Capital Workforce Partners: Regional workforce development board that partners with OPP on the Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program (SYELP). Comparable as a workforce intermediary operating in the Hartford region with shared funder relationships.

Regional players

• LifeBridge Community Services: Bridgeport, CT-based nonprofit providing youth development, workforce, and family services. Comparable Connecticut-based mission and serves a similar opportunity-youth population, though geographically distinct from OPP's Hartford focus.
• The Door: NYC-based youth services nonprofit providing integrated education, workforce, health, and legal services for opportunity youth ages 12-24. Closely mirrors OPP's three-pillar integrated model, though regionally focused on New York City.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit serving millions of youth through after-school programs, workforce readiness, and academic enrichment. Comparable to OPP as a multi-pillar youth development provider targeting opportunity youth, though BGCA operates at much larger national scale.

Emerging players

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National nonprofit providing one-to-one mentoring for youth facing adversity. Compares to OPP's mentoring and YDS pairing model, though focused primarily on relationship-based mentoring rather than integrated workforce/academic services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/opp_helps_youth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChKEcmGGF_4JxOExZ_v6T6w
• Facebookfacebook.com/OurPieceOfThePie
• Instagraminstagram.com/opp_ct

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Our Piece of the Pie