YouthBuild
YouthBuild Global is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1978 that operates a network of 340+ programs across seven countries, providing education, workforce training, and career pathways to opportunity youth ages 16–24 who are out of school and out of work.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersSomerville, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What YouthBuild does
YouthBuild Global, Inc. (formerly YouthBuild USA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1978 by Dorothy Stoneman in East Harlem, New York, and now headquartered in Roxbury, Massachusetts. It operates a global network of more than 340 affiliated programs across seven countries (United States, Mexico, South Africa, United Kingdom, Costa Rica, Brazil, and others), providing education, workforce readiness, and career-pathway training to 'opportunity youth' — young adults ages 16–24 (or 15–29 internationally) who are out of school and out of work, with a primary focus on those lacking a high school diploma and financial resources. The model combines positive youth development, academic instruction, vocational skills (originally construction and now also healthcare, retail, IT, manufacturing, and green building), leadership development, and community service through a six-element framework (Love, Education, Career Pathways, Support Services, Leadership Development, Alumni Success), and the organization reports that 84% of U.S. enrollees obtain a high school diploma, equivalency, or other credentials.
The core technology layer is the myYB platform, a web-based resource hub serving the affiliated network, supported by an internal data management system used for quality assurance and grant-making. Through a 1994 partnership with AmeriCorps, YouthBuild Global serves as a national intermediary distributing AmeriCorps slot positions and Segal Education Awards (over $40 million earned cumulatively by members). The U.S. Department of Labor runs a competitive federal grant program (legislated in 1992 under bipartisan leadership) that funds many local programs, and a YouthBuild Global Leadership Fellows Program supports ongoing leadership development across the network.
YouthBuild Global's revenue is a mix of federal grants (DOL YouthBuild, AmeriCorps), corporate partnerships (Prudential Financial since 1995, Burlington Stores, Grainger, Saint-Gobain, Gray), corporate and private foundation support (Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Arconic Foundation, Walmart.org, Target), and individual donations structured across one-time, monthly, Champion Circle ($10,000+ annual), tribute/memorial, and planned-giving tiers (operationalized via FreeWill). Pricing is donation-based rather than product-based, and the primary distribution channels are the interactive program map on youthbuild.org, in-store retail campaigns at Burlington's 1,200+ locations, an online donation portal, and direct mail.
YouthBuild firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- YouthBuild
- Legal name
- YouthBuild Global, Inc.
- Website
- https://youthbuild.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- YouthBuild Global is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1978 that operates a network of 340+ programs across seven countries, providing education, workforce training, and career pathways to opportunity youth ages 16–24 who are out of school and out of work.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
YouthBuild industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Workforce Development and Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)
Keywords
Where YouthBuild is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Somerville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
YouthBuild business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting YouthBuild Global's mission. Online donation portal with options for one-time and monthly giving at various levels ($50, $100, $500, $1000). Champion Circle requires annual gifts of $10,000 or more.
- Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with companies like Burlington Stores (in-store fundraising campaigns raising over $1.6 million), Prudential Financial (since 1995), and others providing financial support, volunteer programs, and hiring partnerships.
- Government Grants: U.S. Department of Labor YouthBuild grants awarded competitively to eligible community-based nonprofits. AmeriCorps grants providing slot positions and operational funding to domestic affiliates.
- Foundation Support: Grants from private and corporate foundations supporting capacity building, expansion, innovation, and program quality improvement. Partners include Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Arconic Foundation, Walmart.org, Target, and others.
- Tribute and Memorial Gifts: Gifts made in honor or memory of special persons, with notification sent to honorees or next-of-kin.
- Planned Giving/Legacy Gifts: Partnership with FreeWill enables donors to include YouthBuild in wills and designate beneficiaries of IRAs, 401(k)s, and life insurance policies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | One-time or monthly donations at standard levels |
| Other | Annual | Champion Circle - major donors |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
YouthBuild product offering
Product offeringCore offering
YouthBuild Global, Inc. operates a global network of 340+ YouthBuild programs that deliver education, workforce readiness training, and career pathways to opportunity youth (ages 16-24 in the U.S., 15-29 internationally). Programs combine academic instruction (including high school equivalency) with vocational training in construction, healthcare, retail, and information technology, alongside leadership development and community service. The organization functions as the headquarters (YouthBuild Global) providing training, technical assistance, capacity building, and resources to affiliated local programs in seven countries.
Product overview
YouthBuild is a nonprofit organization operating as a global movement and network that provides education, workforce readiness, and career training programs for opportunity youth. The core offering consists of YouthBuild Programs that combine academic instruction with vocational skills training in construction, healthcare, retail, and information technology, supported by the YouthBuild Affiliated Network of over 340 programs across seven countries. The myYB platform provides affiliated network members access to programming information and resources. Through the YouthBuild AmeriCorps Partnership, domestic affiliates receive federal funding and education awards. The YouthBuild Global Leadership Fellows Program offers advanced leadership development for program directors. Together, these products and programs form a comprehensive ecosystem supporting positive youth development, education completion, and career pathway preparation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- YouthBuild Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- 84% of U.S. enrollees obtain a high school diploma or equivalency, or other credentials
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use YouthBuild
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles4 records
YouthBuild technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
YouthBuild partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Burlington StorescoreBurlington Stores partners with YouthBuild through annual in-store fundraising campaigns. Customers can round up purchases or donate at checkout. Fourth campaign launched April 2026. Funds advance YouthBuild Global's efforts to strengthen local programs and expand career pathways. Over $1.6 million raised in fourth year.
- GraingercoreYouthBuild Global and Grainger launched partnership to prepare young people for manufacturing careers. Grainger provides resources, expertise, and support for workforce development initiatives.
- Saint-Gobain CorporationcoreSaint-Gobain Corporation, one of the largest building materials manufacturers in the world, partners with YouthBuild Global to provide pass-through grants to selected YouthBuild programs. Focus on green building approach, retrofitting low-income homes, and encouraging young women to enter construction.
- Prudential FinancialflagshipSince 1995, Prudential Financial and YouthBuild have partnered to support YouthBuild programs globally. Initiatives include hiring partnerships with PGIM Real Estate, livelihood coaching provided by Prudential employee volunteers, sponsorship of financial literacy trainings, and generous financial support.
- FreeWillminorPartnership with FreeWill enables donors to make or update wills and include legacy gifts to YouthBuild Global through a free online resource.
- Hudson Link for Higher EducationminorFounded in 1998 by John Valverde (YouthBuild Global CEO), Hudson Link provides college-level certificate programs in New York prisons. YouthBuild Global CEO previously led this initiative before joining YouthBuild.
- Osborne AssociationminorCEO John Valverde previously served as executive vice president at Osborne Association, which offers workforce development and multiple services for formerly incarcerated individuals.
- Campaign to Invest In America's WorkforceminorCoalition partner for workforce readiness and career training advocacy.
- Reconnecting Youth CampaignminorCoalition partner for policy advocacy supporting opportunity youth.
- Voices for National ServiceminorCoalition partner for national service advocacy.
- America ForwardminorCoalition partner for policy and advocacy work.
- Service Year AllianceminorCoalition partner for national service and youth development advocacy.
- MDRCcoreMDRC conducted four-year random assignment study of YouthBuild at 75 sites in partnership with U.S. Department of Labor. Published interim findings in 2016 and final report 'Laying a Foundation' in 2018 confirming program effectiveness.
- Boston UniversityminorYouthBuild Global and Boston University completed landmark study on how to welcome students with love, examining how caring relationships drive outcomes in youth development.
- GrayminorYouthBuild Global and Gray launched national partnership to connect young people to the skilled trades, expanding access to hands-on training and family-sustaining careers across the U.S.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves12 records
Expansion highlights6 records
YouthBuild competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Year Up: Year Up is a workforce-development nonprofit providing training, credentials, and corporate internships to opportunity youth aged 18-24, directly comparable to YouthBuild's mission, target population, and employer-partnership model.
- Per Scholas: Per Scholas provides tuition-free technology training and career placement for adults from underserved communities, directly comparable to YouthBuild's IT-training track and the same workforce-development, employer-partnership model.
- Job Corps: Job Corps is the U.S. Department of Labor's largest federally funded residential workforce-training program for low-income youth 16-24, the most direct federal counterpart to the DOL-funded YouthBuild program and serves the same opportunity-youth population.
- BUILD Inc. BUILD Inc. is a Chicago-based youth-development nonprofit serving opportunity youth through violence-intervention and workforce pathways, directly comparable as a community-based, opportunity-youth-serving nonprofit with similar program-design philosophies.
- NPower: NPower delivers tech-skills training and career-launch services to young adults from under-resourced communities, directly comparable in target demographic, IT-credentialing curriculum, and corporate employer partnerships.
- Public Allies: Public Allies is an AmeriCorps national-service program that develops young leaders through apprenticeships at nonprofits, directly comparable as a youth AmeriCorps intermediary with similar age demographic and leadership-development model.
- City Year: City Year is a national-service AmeriCorps program placing young adults in schools to support students; comparable as a peer AmeriCorps intermediary and youth-development nonprofit with similar funding structures and youth-population focus.
Broad incumbents
- AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps is the federal agency administering the national-service grants YouthBuild distributes, making it a structural counterpart and incumbent funder/regulator for YouthBuild's AmeriCorps intermediary activity.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a national youth-development nonprofit serving similar young populations through local affiliates; comparable as a broader incumbent in youth development with an affiliate-network structure like YouthBuild's.
Regional players
- International Youth Foundation: International Youth Foundation is a global nonprofit supporting youth workforce and education programs in emerging markets; comparable as a broader international peer in the opportunity-youth and global-youth-development space that YouthBuild now competes with for international footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
YouthBuild social profiles
Digital presenceYouthBuild financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
YouthBuild leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
YouthBuild funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
YouthBuild 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 YouthBuild
What does YouthBuild do?
YouthBuild Global, Inc. operates a global network of 340+ YouthBuild programs that deliver education, workforce readiness training, and career pathways to opportunity youth (ages 16-24 in the U.S., 15-29 internationally). Programs combine academic instruction (including high school equivalency) with vocational training in construction, healthcare, retail, and information technology, alongside leadership development and community service. The organization functions as the headquarters (YouthBuild Global) providing training, technical assistance, capacity building, and resources to affiliated local programs in seven countries.
Is YouthBuild a public or private company?
YouthBuild is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was YouthBuild founded?
YouthBuild was founded in 1978. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is YouthBuild based?
YouthBuild is headquartered in Somerville, United States, in the North America region.
How does YouthBuild make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships, government Grants, foundation Support, tribute and Memorial Gifts and planned Giving/Legacy Gifts.
Who are YouthBuild's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Year Up, Per Scholas, Job Corps, BUILD Inc., NPower, Public Allies and City Year. Broad incumbents are AmeriCorps and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. International Youth Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does YouthBuild have an API?
No public API is recorded for YouthBuild.
What industry is YouthBuild in?
YouthBuild's product category is Youth Workforce Development and Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAOAD, Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth), with a secondary code of EDAAAFAN, Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.