Urban League Of Springfield

What Urban League Of Springfield does

Urban League of Springfield is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization headquartered at 1 Federal Street, Springfield, Massachusetts, serving the African American community and other underserved populations across Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1913 by Reverend Dr. William N. DeBerry and affiliated with the National Urban League since 1919, the organization operates under a donations- and grants-based revenue model with no commercial pricing structure, raising funds through its website (Givebutter), check donations, and corporate/foundation grants from partners including Comcast, MassMutual Foundation, AmeriCorps, and the City of Springfield. Its mission centers on economic empowerment, equality, social justice, and civic engagement for seniors, children, and families. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

The organization's core 'products' are seven community program lines delivered directly through its headquarters and partner locations: the Computer Literacy Digital Learning Lab (serving ~150 youth, seniors, and adults annually), Project Ready (a National Urban League college-readiness curriculum for grades 8–12), the Foster Grandparents senior volunteer program (placing volunteers in multiple Springfield public schools), NextStage minority business development (delivered with Interise and Urban League of Eastern MA), the Youth Opportunity Tennis Program, two food distribution programs (Dunbar monthly food program and the Brown Bag Program serving 360+ seniors monthly), and scholarship administration. Distribution is direct-to-beneficiary through program sites and partner facilities, with no app, API, or technology product layer.

Underlying technology is minimal and not a differentiator — the Digital Learning Lab offers basic computing access and a podcast creation space for up to 20 participants per class, but ULS builds no proprietary software platforms, has no AI/ML capabilities, and offers no APIs or SDKs. The go-to-market motion is community-rooted outreach through email newsletter, Facebook, the ulspringfield.org website, and annual events such as the Elevating Together celebration. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors led by Board President Maurice Powe, with Yvette M. Frisby serving as President and CEO since August 2024.

Name

Urban League Of Springfield

Legal name

Urban League of Springfield, Inc.

Website

https://ulspringfield.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urban League of Springfield is a 111-year-old nonprofit community organization serving African American and underserved populations in Western Massachusetts through digital literacy, education, workforce development, food assistance, and small business support programs funded by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Workforce development programs
• Digital literacy training
• Youth education support
• Senior nutrition services

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

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. Donations and Fundraising: The organization accepts donations through its website via Givebutter platform and by check mailing to its office address.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Urban League of Springfield is a nonprofit community organization that operates a portfolio of social service programs serving the African American community and underserved populations across Western Massachusetts. Its offerings include digital literacy training (Computer Literacy/Digital Learning Lab), college and career readiness (Project Ready), a senior volunteer mentoring program (Foster Grandparents), small business support (NextStage), youth tennis instruction, food distribution (Food Program at Dunbar and Brown Bag Program), and educational scholarships.

Product overview

Urban League of Springfield is a community nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of social service programs. The organization operates multiple distinct programs including the Digital Learning Lab (Computer Literacy), Project Ready college access program, Foster Grandparents senior volunteer initiative, Economic/Workforce Development (NextStage business programs), Youth Opportunity Tennis Program, Food Programs (Dunbar and Brown Bag), and Scholarships. The Computer Literacy program is made possible with support from Comcast and includes dedicated podcast creation space for youth participants. The programs serve seniors, children, and families within the African American community across Western Massachusetts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,500+ people served in Springfield, MA
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner supporting community programs and initiatives
• National Urban LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization - Urban League of Springfield is affiliated with National Urban League. National Urban League founded in 1910, headquarters in New York City, with 92 affiliates serving 300 communities in 37 states and D.C.
• Food Bank of Western MAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for monthly food distribution at Dunbar Community Center and Brown Bag Program providing 360+ bags monthly to seniors
• InterisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-wide initiative partner with Urban League of Eastern MA for NextStage Minority Business Entrepreneur Academy and NextStage Accelerator, powered by Interise award-winning curriculum. Since 2004, Interise curriculum has over 9,000 graduates with 97% recommending the program.
• Urban League of Eastern MAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in state-wide initiative to support small businesses through NextStage programs
• The Dunbar CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner location for monthly food distribution (4th Friday at Dunbar Community Center's Parking Lot)
• Springfield Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Foster Grandparents Program placement in schools including DeBerry School, Elias Brookings Elementary, Sumner Avenue Elementary
• Ludlow Tennis ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner venue for Youth Opportunity Tennis Program on Sundays
• Bay Path UniversityminorOthersEducational institution partner
• Springfield Technical Community CollegeminorOthersEducational institution partner for workforce development initiatives

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts: Sister Urban League affiliate in Massachusetts and an active state-wide partner on the NextStage programs; directly comparable in mission (African-American empowerment, education, workforce), geography (Massachusetts), and program mix.
• Food Bank of Western Massachusetts: Primary wholesale food supplier to ULS's Brown Bag and Dunbar food programs and itself a direct hunger-relief service provider; comparable on food-insecurity programming, donor base, and Western MA service area.
• YMCA of Greater Springfield: Multi-program community services organization (youth, seniors, health & wellness) operating in the same Western MA region with comparable operating model, scale, and reliance on donations/corporate partners.
• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Springfield: Regional youth development nonprofit serving a similar low-to-moderate income youth population with academic support, mentoring, and life-skills programming — directly comparable on K-12 outcomes and youth-development grants.
• NAACP Springfield Branch: Local civil rights advocacy organization serving the Springfield African-American community; overlaps with ULS on education equity, economic empowerment, and civic engagement, and competes for similar local donors and corporate sponsors.
• MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board: Local workforce-development body operating in Springfield with overlapping minority-business and job-readiness programming comparable to ULS's NextStage and digital literacy initiatives.
• Dunbar Community Center: Active program delivery partner for ULS's monthly food distribution; comparable neighborhood-services nonprofit serving the same Springfield African-American community with shared facilities and beneficiary base.

Broad incumbents

• United Way of Pioneer Valley: Regional umbrella funder and program operator in Western Massachusetts that aggregates many of the same corporate donors (MassMutual, Comcast) that support ULS, and competes for community-services grant allocations.
• National Urban League: Parent/federated network of 92 Urban League affiliates; operates the Project Ready signature curriculum that ULS delivers locally and provides shared brand, fundraising, and best-practice infrastructure.

Regional players

• Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity: Regional nonprofit focused on community development through housing; comparable to ULS in regional nonprofit status, donor base, and equity-focused mission, though specializing in housing rather than education/workforce.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ulspringfield

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Urban League Of Springfield