Score Association
SCORE Association is a U.S. nonprofit founded in 1964 that provides free, confidential mentoring, business education, and resources to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs through a nationwide network of volunteer mentors organized into local chapters.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1964
- HeadquartersDoylestown, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Score Association does
SCORE Association is a U.S. nonprofit organization founded in 1964 that provides free, confidential mentoring, business education, and resources to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs nationwide. Its core service is 1:1 mentoring delivered by a volunteer network of experienced business leaders organized into chapters across all 50 states, U.S. territories, and Puerto Rico, supplemented by expert-led webinars, workshops, courses, CEO forums, roundtables, and pitch events. The documented Greater Philadelphia chapter is headquartered at 11 Welden Drive, Suite 100, Doylestown, PA, and serves Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania suburbs, and South Jersey.
The product portfolio spans free core services — the mentor-matching service, the Startup Roadmap Course, the Small Business Essentials Series (a five-webinar certificate program), and a content library of articles, guides, templates, and recorded webinars — plus a premium tier, SCORE Academy (academy.score.org), offering exclusive live and on-demand courses. The technology layer is a standard nonprofit web platform (WordPress-based score.org hosted on Linode objects) with ZIP-code-based mentor matching, online event registration, and a recently added real-time Live Chat Mentoring channel. There is no proprietary technology product; the underlying "platform" is the volunteer mentor network and the chapter system.
SCORE's revenue is a mix of charitable contributions, corporate sponsorships (including Visa as flagship and Pilot as a national sponsor), a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and state-level grant funding (e.g., the South Carolina Research Authority). Pricing to end users is freemium: mentoring, many workshops, and most content are free, while select workshops and certificate programs carry nominal fees ($10–$35) and SCORE Academy is a gated premium offering with undisclosed subscription pricing. Distribution is hybrid: national self-serve web and live chat, plus in-person delivery through ~1,500 volunteer-staffed chapters and partnerships with local chambers of commerce.
Score Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Score Association
- Legal name
- SCORE
- Website
- https://buckscounty.score.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1964
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SCORE Association is a U.S. nonprofit founded in 1964 that provides free, confidential mentoring, business education, and resources to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs through a nationwide network of volunteer mentors organized into local chapters.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Score Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Small Business Mentorship and Education Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assessment & Quiz Item Authoring Tools (within course builders) (EDAFAHAG)
Keywords
Where Score Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Doylestown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Score Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: SCORE receives tax-deductible charitable gifts from donors supporting small business entrepreneurship.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Support provided by corporations allows for the development of SCORE programs, projects, and resources. Major sponsors include Visa, Pilot, and various local businesses and chambers of commerce.
- Government Funding: Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
- Grant Funding: Receives grant funding from organizations such as the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) to sustain SCORE's programs and support small business mentorship efforts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Mentoring - Core Service |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium Content - SCORE Academy |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Workshop and Event Fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Score Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Score Association (SCORE) is a U.S. nonprofit that provides free, confidential one-on-one mentoring from experienced business leaders, complemented by expert-led webinars, workshops, courses, CEO forums, roundtables, and pitch events. It serves small business owners and entrepreneurs at every stage — from idea validation and business planning through launch, growth, and management — with paid premium content offered via the SCORE Academy platform.
Product overview
SCORE is a nonprofit organization providing free, expert mentoring and resources to help small businesses start, grow, and succeed since 1964. The organization operates a platform-plus-services model centered on free mentorship matching combined with fee-based educational programs. Core offerings include free mentoring services, business education workshops and webinars, and a resource library. Premium offerings include SCORE Academy with exclusive live and on-demand courses, while foundational services like mentorship and basic workshops remain free. The Startup Roadmap Course provides structured guidance for new entrepreneurs, and the Small Business Essentials Series offers certificate programs for comprehensive business education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mentorship Services
- Business Education (Webinars, Workshops, Courses, CEO Forums, Roundtables, Pitch Events)
- SCORE Academy
- Startup Roadmap Course
- Small Business Essentials Series (Certificate Program)
- Resources Library
Quantifiable outcome
- 848 new businesses created in 2024 through mentorship efforts (SCORE South Carolina)
Companies that use Score Association
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Score Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Score Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- VisaflagshipSCORE serves as Visa's exclusive U.S. nonprofit partner for the Tap In to Impact campaign surrounding the 2026 international soccer tournament. SCORE and Visa bring international soccer momentum to Philadelphia small businesses, helping them prepare for increased tourism and customer traffic during major events.
- South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA)coreSCRA is partnering with the University of South Carolina Columbia Technology Incubator to fund SCORE South Carolina. The partnership aims to sustain SCORE's programs amid potential funding cuts, supporting the creation of new businesses and job growth in South Carolina.
- University of South Carolina Columbia Technology IncubatorcorePartnering with SCRA to fund SCORE South Carolina and sustain mentorship programs for small businesses in South Carolina.
- PilotminorPilot is a sponsor of SCORE, supporting the development of SCORE programs, projects, and resources through corporate sponsorship.
- Bucks CountyminorBucks County sponsors SCORE Greater Philadelphia, supporting local small business mentorship and resources.
- C&NminorC&N sponsors SCORE Greater Philadelphia, supporting local small business mentorship and resources.
- Greater BucksMont Chamber of CommerceminorChamber partner supporting SCORE's mission to help small businesses in the Greater BucksMont area.
- Indian Valley Chamber of CommerceminorChamber partner supporting SCORE's mission to help small businesses in the Indian Valley area.
- Lower Bucks County Chamber of CommerceminorChamber partner supporting SCORE's mission to help small businesses in Lower Bucks County.
- Upper Bucks Chamber of CommerceminorChamber partner supporting SCORE's mission to help small businesses in Upper Bucks County.
- Parx CasinominorParx Casino sponsors SCORE Greater Philadelphia, supporting local small business mentorship.
- QNBminorQNB sponsors SCORE Greater Philadelphia, supporting local small business mentorship.
- Innovative Financing SolutionsminorInnovative Financing Solutions sponsors SCORE Greater Philadelphia, supporting local small business mentorship.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Score Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- MassChallenge: Global nonprofit accelerator supporting early-stage startups through mentorship, curriculum, and corporate partnerships. Comparable free mentor-driven model for entrepreneurs but more selective/accelerator-style than SCORE's open-access mentoring.
- Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator and entrepreneur training program providing structured mentoring, coursework, and cohort-based support to founders. Comparable in delivering free/low-cost structured entrepreneurship education with mentor pairing.
Broad incumbents
- Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Major philanthropy focused on entrepreneurship education and research, funding programs like FastTrac. Comparable in advancing small-business education and supporting ecosystem intermediaries, but operates as a grantmaking/research foundation rather than direct program delivery.
- Babson College (Lewis Institute for Social Innovation): Leading educator for entrepreneurship with degree and executive education programs, plus the Lewis Institute focused on entrepreneurial leadership. Comparable focus on entrepreneurial skill-building though primarily academic rather than free volunteer-driven.
- Y Combinator (Startup School): Offers free online Startup School curriculum, video lectures, and community for early-stage founders, plus a flagship accelerator. Comparable in delivering structured, free startup education at massive scale to first-time entrepreneurs served by SCORE.
Direct peers
- Vistage: Peer advisory and executive coaching organization for SME CEOs and business leaders, delivering facilitated group mentoring and 1:1 advisor support. Comparable in serving SMB decision-makers through trusted-advisor relationships, though paid vs. SCORE's free volunteer model.
- Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO): Global peer-to-peer network of entrepreneurs offering member learning events, mentoring, and resource sharing for SME founders who have surpassed the startup stage. Overlaps with SCORE's mentorship-for-entrepreneurs value proposition for the higher-growth founder segment.
- America's SBDC: National network of Small Business Development Centers, also funded in part via SBA Cooperative Agreements to provide free, confidential business advising and training to entrepreneurs. Most direct functional peer to SCORE's mandate and delivery model.
- FastTrac (Kauffman Foundation): Entrepreneurship education curriculum and programs originally developed by the Kauffman Foundation, widely delivered through partner networks to help aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Shares SCORE's educator-for-entrepreneurs orientation and free/low-cost delivery model.
- Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: Philanthropically funded program offering free business education, mentoring, and networking to small business owners in the U.S. Comparable mission, free cohort-based delivery, and similar SMB target audience as SCORE.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Score Association social profiles
Digital presenceScore Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Score Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Score Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Score Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Score Association
What does Score Association do?
Score Association (SCORE) is a U.S. nonprofit that provides free, confidential one-on-one mentoring from experienced business leaders, complemented by expert-led webinars, workshops, courses, CEO forums, roundtables, and pitch events. It serves small business owners and entrepreneurs at every stage — from idea validation and business planning through launch, growth, and management — with paid premium content offered via the SCORE Academy platform.
Is Score Association a public or private company?
Score Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Score Association founded?
Score Association was founded in 1964. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Score Association based?
Score Association is headquartered in Doylestown, United States, in the North America region.
How does Score Association make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships, government Funding and grant Funding.
Who are Score Association's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are MassChallenge and Founder Institute. Broad incumbents are Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Babson College (Lewis Institute for Social Innovation) and Y Combinator (Startup School). Direct peers are Vistage, Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), America's SBDC, FastTrac (Kauffman Foundation) and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.
Does Score Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Score Association.
What industry is Score Association in?
Score Association's product category is Small Business Mentorship and Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAHAG, Assessment & Quiz Item Authoring Tools (within course builders). Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.