YouthBuild

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.

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

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

• Youth workforce development
• Education and job training
• Career pathway programs
• Community development services
• Nonprofit youth programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Somerville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Tribute and Memorial Gifts: Gifts made in honor or memory of special persons, with notification sent to honorees or next-of-kin.
6. 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

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Burlington StorescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Burlington 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.
• GraingercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019YouthBuild Global and Grainger launched partnership to prepare young people for manufacturing careers. Grainger provides resources, expertise, and support for workforce development initiatives.
• Saint-Gobain CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Saint-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 FinancialflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995Since 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.
• FreeWillminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership 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 EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded 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 AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO 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 WorkforceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for workforce readiness and career training advocacy.
• Reconnecting Youth CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for policy advocacy supporting opportunity youth.
• Voices for National ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for national service advocacy.
• America ForwardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for policy and advocacy work.
• Service Year AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for national service and youth development advocacy.
• MDRCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDRC 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 UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouthBuild Global and Boston University completed landmark study on how to welcome students with love, examining how caring relationships drive outcomes in youth development.
• GrayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouthBuild 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/youthbuildusa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@YouthBuildGlobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthbuildusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youthbuild-global
• Instagraminstagram.com/YouthBuild_Global

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 YouthBuild