M.E.N.T.O.R

What M.E.N.T.O.R does

M.E.N.T.O.R (legally MENTOR National) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1990 and headquartered at 225 Franklin St., Floor 26, Boston, MA. Its mission is to close the mentoring gap for youth in the United States, with statistics showing that more than 1 in 3 young people grow up without a mentor and roughly 9 million youth could benefit from one. The organization serves as the national coordinating body for youth mentoring, supporting grassroots mentoring programs, individual volunteer mentors, corporate partners, and policymakers through research, advocacy, and public awareness work.

MENTOR's core product is the Mentoring Connector, described as the only national database of mentoring programs, which uses baseline quality standards grounded in evidence-based research to screen programs for inclusion. The platform allows volunteers to search and connect with local mentoring opportunities and serves as the central digital infrastructure for the field. Supporting products include the Resource Library, the monthly Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series, the National Mentoring Resource Center (funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention), the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring (now in its 5th edition), the National Quality Mentoring System, the annual National Mentoring Summit, the Movement Makers workforce report, and the quarterly Mentoring Research Roundup newsletter. The organization operates a national network of 25 Affiliates that function as local leadership hubs for training, resource dissemination, advocacy, and fundraising.

As a nonprofit, MENTOR does not generate revenue from product or service sales; funding comes from individual donations, corporate sponsors (e.g., Altria sponsored the Movement Makers research), and federal grants via OJJDP. Co-founder Geoffrey T. Boisi is listed in leadership materials. The organization marked its 35th anniversary in October 2025 with a New York City gala. With 11-50 employees and no disclosed financial figures, MENTOR functions as a small, mission-driven national nonprofit rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

M.E.N.T.O.R

Legal name

MENTOR National

Website

https://mentoring.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

M.E.N.T.O.R is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1990 and headquartered in Boston that works to close the U.S. youth mentoring gap. It operates the Mentoring Connector, the only national database of mentoring programs, and supports a network of 25 affiliates serving youth mentoring organizations, volunteer mentors, policymakers, and corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentorship Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAD

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAJALAL

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Educational Support Services (Tutoring & Counseling)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Nonprofit mentoring advocacy
• Mentor program database
• Mentoring research publications
• Mentoring workforce training

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

M.E.N.T.O.R is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the Mentoring Connector, the only national database of youth mentoring programs in the United States, which uses evidence-based baseline quality standards to screen programs and connect volunteers with local mentoring opportunities. Beyond the platform, the organization produces research publications, hosts training webinars, runs the National Mentoring Summit, and delivers free technical assistance through the federally funded National Mentoring Resource Center to help grassroots organizations run quality mentoring programs.

Product overview

MENTOR operates as a nonprofit organization that functions as both an informational platform and a national coordinating body for youth mentoring. The core offering is the Mentoring Connector, described as the only national database of mentoring programs, which allows independent organizations to list their services. Supporting this platform are content resources including a Resource Library, the Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series (free monthly training), and research publications such as the Mentoring Research Roundup (quarterly newsletter) and the Movement Makers Report (annual workforce study). The National Mentoring Summit serves as the organization's flagship annual event. MENTOR also provides quality frameworks through the National Quality Mentoring System and the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring publication. The organization does not offer a software-as-a-service product with integrations but rather operates a website-based information platform with database functionality for connecting volunteers with mentoring organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mentoring Connector The only national database of mentoring programs in the United States; allows independent youth mentoring organizations to list their programs online and uses baseline quality standards grounded in evidence-based research to screen programs for inclusion. It is designed for both volunteers seeking mentoring opportunities and grassroots organizations seeking visibility.
• National Mentoring Resource Center Free technical assistance and approved quality mentoring materials funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and facilitated in partnership with MENTOR. It serves youth mentoring practitioners nationwide with no-cost assistance.
• National Mentoring Summit Annual national convening that brings together mentoring professionals, researchers, and stakeholders to elevate the field, recognize excellence through awards, and drive collective action.
• Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring Evidence-based guidelines and standards for quality mentoring programs, now in its 5th Edition, providing best practices for the mentoring field. Targeted at mentoring program operators and practitioners.
• National Quality Mentoring System System for driving quality standards in mentoring programs, providing frameworks and assessments to ensure effective mentoring relationships. Designed for mentoring program operators seeking to certify program quality.
• Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series Free monthly training webinar series for youth mentoring practitioners nationwide, highlighting the latest research, best practices, and new resources to help programs strengthen their services.
• Mentoring Research Roundup Quarterly newsletter offering mentoring professionals insights into youth development research, featuring articles on new findings and trends that can improve mentoring work. Published in partnership with the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring.
• Movement Makers Report Annual research report on the state of the youth mentoring workforce, based on surveys of over 1,000 mentoring professionals across America covering their career pathways, job duties, compensation, and career outlook. Supported by Altria with research conducted by Olympic Research and Strategy.
• Resource Library Comprehensive digital library containing research publications, training materials, guides, and evidence-based resources for mentoring practitioners seeking to build or improve programs.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Olympic Research and StrategyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOlympic Research and Strategy provided expertise in data collection, analysis, and reporting for the Movement Makers research project.
• Center for Evidence-Based MentoringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMENTOR collaborates with the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring on research initiatives, including the Mentoring Research Roundup newsletter and studies on mentoring outcomes.
• MENTOR AffiliatescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA national network of 25 Affiliates serve as local leadership hubs that expand and deepen the mentoring community's footprint through hands-on training, resource dissemination, and support in local advocacy and fundraising efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• 4-H: National youth development organization affiliated with the Cooperative Extension system, providing mentoring-style programs in leadership, STEM, and citizenship. Comparable as a long-standing nonprofit youth-development platform with research, standards, and a federated delivery model.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: A large, established youth development organization providing mentoring, education, and enrichment programs through a national affiliate network. Operates in a broader youth-development space but is highly comparable in mission, federated structure, and federal/state funding profile.
• Year Up: National nonprofit providing mentoring, training, and career pathways for young adults facing opportunity gaps. Comparable in mission (closing opportunity gaps for young people), target population, and reliance on corporate, foundation, and public funding.

Regional players

• MENTOR Colorado: One of MENTOR's 25 state/regional affiliates operating a local leadership hub for youth mentoring. Highly comparable as a regional MENTOR affiliate structure for local advocacy, fundraising, and program support.
• Mass Mentoring Partnership: MENTOR's Massachusetts state affiliate, focused on expanding quality mentoring across the state. Directly comparable as a MENTOR affiliate model demonstrating how local hubs deliver training, advocacy, and program support in a defined geography.

Emerging players

• iCouldBe: An e-mentoring nonprofit focused on connecting at-risk youth with online adult mentors. Comparable as a youth mentoring organization but with a more digital-native, technology-forward delivery model that contrasts with MENTOR's hybrid information/standards approach.
• After-School All-Stars: National nonprofit providing after-school programming, including mentoring and academic support, to underserved youth. Comparable as a youth-development intermediary with school-based delivery, federal/city funding, and a focus on opportunity gaps.
• National Youth Leadership Council: Nonprofit focused on youth voice, service-learning, and leadership development with a national footprint. Comparable as a youth development nonprofit that produces research, training, and quality frameworks, similar to MENTOR's standards and training work.

Direct peers

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: The largest direct-service youth mentoring organization in the U.S., operating one-to-one mentoring programs nationwide. Directly comparable to MENTOR's mission of closing the mentoring gap and competes for the same donor, volunteer, and policy attention.

Others

• Points of Light: Large nonprofit focused on volunteerism and civic engagement, including corporate and individual volunteer mobilization. Adjacent peer that overlaps with MENTOR's volunteer-recruitment mission and federal/corporate funding ecosystem, though not a direct youth-mentoring competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mentornational
• YouTubeyoutube.com/MENTORhq
• Facebookfacebook.com/mentornational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mentor-national

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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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 M.E.N.T.O.R