KEEN Greater DC

What KEEN Greater DC does

KEEN Greater DC (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 in Bethesda, Maryland, that operates free, non-competitive, one-on-one recreational programs for children and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities including autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and spina bifida. The organization delivers its services through a volunteer-led model where trained adult coaches are matched individually with each athlete, and serves 400+ young people across 27+ programs in the Greater Washington DC-Baltimore metropolitan area, including gym-based sports, swimming, tennis, bowling, music/sensory, fitness/weight training, dance/Zumba, yoga, soccer, and Tae Kwon Do. Program delivery takes place at partner schools and community facilities in Maryland (Montgomery County, Baltimore, Takoma Park, Prince George's County), Washington DC, and Northern Virginia, supplemented by an online virtual programming library that originated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization is staffed by 1-10 paid employees, with Founder Elliott Portnoy (who started the original KEEN in Oxford, England in 1988) and Executive Director Beata Okulska leading operations, and Board President Burt Braverman and Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes as honorary board members.

KEEN operates an entirely donation-funded business model with no fees charged to athletes or families. Revenue streams include individual donations (including the monthly KEEN Community Builders program), corporate and foundation grants (such as the $60K raised by Joyce Koons Honda Buick GMC), the annual KEENFest gala (tickets $125 general / $250 VIP), the annual KEEN Golf Classic, and the Fund-an-Athlete campaign priced at $1,200 per athlete per full season. Marketing is driven primarily by earned media from local news outlets (WUSA9, NBC4, Fox 5, ABC7, WJLA) and publications (Washingtonian Magazine, Potomac Almanac, Connection Newspapers, WTOP), supplemented by the organizational website, social media (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), Constant Contact email newsletters, and special event marketing. The organization was the founding affiliate of KEEN USA, which now has affiliates in 8 US cities plus 3 UK sister organizations (London, Oxford, York), and has established academic partnerships with Johns Hopkins University (for-credit kinesiology course since 2013) and the University of Maryland School of Public Health (2024). The organization has been recognized by the Catalogue for Philanthropy (2005, 2010-11), Washingtonian Magazine (2000, 2005), and the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (2009).

Name

KEEN Greater DC

Legal name

KEEN Greater DC (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)

Website

https://keengreaterdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KEEN Greater DC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1992 that provides free, one-on-one, volunteer-led recreational programs to 400+ children and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities across the Greater Washington DC-Baltimore metropolitan area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adaptive Recreation Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Recreational & Intramural Sports Programs (MPAKACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Adaptive & Special Needs Personal Training (HSADAAAL)

Keywords

• Adaptive recreation programs
• Disability inclusion services
• Youth sports programs
• Volunteer coaching services
• Nonprofit community programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Donations from individual supporters including the monthly giving program 'KEEN Community Builders' and one-time donations.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Support from corporations, foundations, and businesses such as Joyce Koons Honda Buick GMC which raised $60K through summer fundraisers.
3. KEENFest Annual Gala: Signature annual fundraising event featuring auctions and sponsorships. Tickets priced at $125 general admission and $250 VIP sponsor level.
4. KEEN Golf Classic: Annual golf fundraising event launched in 1993.
5. Fund-an-Athlete Campaign: Community-driven campaign where $1,200 provides one athlete access to a full season of programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KEEN Greater DC provides free, non-competitive, one-on-one recreational programs that pair children and young adults with physical and developmental disabilities with trained volunteer coaches. Programs span sports, swimming, tennis, bowling, music, fitness, dance, yoga, soccer, and martial arts, delivered at schools and community facilities across the Greater Washington DC-Baltimore metropolitan area, September through June.

Product overview

KEEN Greater DC is a nonprofit volunteer-led organization offering a portfolio of free, non-competitive recreational programs for children and young adults with physical and developmental disabilities. The core offering consists of one-to-one athlete-to-coach pairing programs across multiple activity types: Sports (gym-based activities), Swimming, Tennis, Bowling, Music/Sensory, Fitness/Weight Training, Dance/Zumba, Yoga, Soccer, and Tae Kwon Do. Supplementary programs include Teen Club for social activities and outings, the KEEN Virtual Programming Library for online sessions, and KEEN Prom for teenage athletes. The organization also hosts signature events including the annual Sports Festival and KEENFest gala. All programs operate September through June across Maryland (Montgomery County, Baltimore, Takoma Park, Prince George's County), Washington DC, and Northern Virginia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KEEN Sports Programs Gym-based sports activities including basketball, kickball, and volleyball, where athletes are paired one-to-one with volunteer coaches for individualized noncompetitive recreational activities.
• KEEN Swimming Swimming programs held in indoor pools, providing aquatic recreational activities for children and young adults with disabilities.
• KEEN Tennis Tennis programs offering racket sports activities adapted for athletes with various disabilities.
• KEEN Bowling Bowling programs providing recreational lane activities for athletes with disabilities, offered in Maryland, Virginia, and Baltimore locations.
• KEEN Music Music and sensory programs providing creative arts activities for kids and teens with disabilities, including sessions in Southeast DC.
• KEEN Fitness and Weight Training Fitness programs combining exercise equipment and weight training activities designed for young adults with disabilities.
• KEEN Dance/Zumba Dance and Zumba programs including ZamDance in Chevy Chase and KEEN DC Zumba, offering rhythmic movement activities for young adults.
• KEEN Yoga Yoga programs for young adults, including sessions offered in partnership with the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Silver Spring, MD, and in Washington, DC.
• KEEN Soccer Clinic Soccer clinic program launched in Washington, DC, providing team sport activities for athletes with disabilities.
• KEEN Tae Kwon Do Martial arts program for teens in Maryland providing combat sport training in a supportive, noncompetitive environment.
• KEEN Teen Club Social club program for teenagers with disabilities providing peer companionship, team sports participation, and group outings.
• KEEN Virtual Programming Library Online virtual programs including KEEN Live at Home offering 8 online sessions for athletes during COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
• KEEN Prom Annual prom event for teenaged athletes, including the first virtual prom during COVID-19, created in partnership with the Bullis School Community.
• KEEN Sports Festival Annual outdoor recreational event bringing together athletes from all KEEN programs for activities including tug-of-war, obstacle courses, kickball, and volleyball.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 400+ young people with disabilities through 27+ programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• University of Maryland School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2024Partnership with UMD's Kinesiology Department launched KEEN Sports at UMD in 2024. In 2025, expanded with swim program at University of Maryland.
• Don Bosco Cristo Rey High SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership established in 2023 for new program location in Takoma Park, MD.
• Columbia Country ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership for ZamDance program for young adults in Chevy Chase launched in 2019.
• Bullis SchoolcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 November 2018Bullis School received KEEN's Distinguished Community Impact Award. Bullis students have been active volunteers including giving promposals to KEEN athletes and supporting the annual KEEN Prom.
• Kennedy Krieger InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership launched Yoga program for young adults at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Silver Spring, MD in 2018.
• Kilmer Center SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2013Kilmer Center School in Vienna, VA hosts KEEN's sports program for children with disabilities launched in March 2013.
• Johns Hopkins UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2013Established an extraordinary relationship with Johns Hopkins University in 2013, which created a for-credit undergraduate course 'KEEN: Practicum in Neuroscience' for kinesiology students.
• Key Center School (Fairfax County)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2010Key Center School in Springfield, VA served as the host site for KEEN Sports VA, KEEN's second program in Northern Virginia serving 30 children ages 5-15 with disabilities.
• St. Coletta SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Southeast DC: Sports program moved to St. Coletta school in 2007.
• KEEN USAcoreOthersKEEN Greater DC is the founding affiliate and flagship of KEEN USA, a national organization with affiliates in 8 US cities (Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, St. Louis, and others) and 3 UK sister organizations (London, Oxford, York).

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Special Olympics International: Global nonprofit providing sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities. While KEEN focuses on non-competitive one-on-one programming and Special Olympics centers on competitive sports, both serve youth with disabilities through organized athletic programming and rely on volunteer coaches.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development organization serving millions of children through local clubs offering sports, recreation, and educational programming. Comparable to KEEN as a youth-serving organization with volunteer-supported sports programming, though BGCA serves all youth rather than specializing in disabilities.
• YMCA of the USA: National community recreation organization operating fitness facilities, swimming programs, and youth sports. Comparable to KEEN in offering accessible recreation and adaptive sports programming across many of the same activity types (swimming, sports, youth programs), though YMCA serves broad populations rather than specializing in disabilities.

Direct peers

• KEEN USA: National umbrella organization for KEEN affiliates across 8 US cities and 3 UK sister organizations. Operates the same one-on-one volunteer coaching model for youth with disabilities, and KEEN Greater DC serves as its founding flagship affiliate.
• Move United (Disabled Sports USA): National nonprofit network providing adaptive sports opportunities for people with disabilities across the US. Directly comparable to KEEN in mission (adaptive sports/recreation for people with disabilities) and volunteer-based delivery model, though with a broader geographic and activity footprint.
• Challenger Division (Little League Baseball): Little League's adaptive baseball division for children with physical and intellectual disabilities. Comparable to KEEN in providing volunteer-supported recreational sports programming tailored to youth with disabilities, with similar one-on-one buddy system structure.
• Miracle League Association: National nonprofit operating adaptive baseball leagues on custom-designed accessible fields for children and adults with disabilities. Comparable to KEEN in providing volunteer-driven adaptive sports opportunities for youth with disabilities, with a focus on inclusion through team sport rather than KEEN's broader multi-sport menu.
• National Ability Center: Park City-based nonprofit providing adaptive recreation and outdoor adventures for people of all abilities. Comparable to KEEN in offering adaptive sports and recreation programming, with stronger emphasis on outdoor/adventure activities and skiing versus KEEN's multi-sport one-on-one model.
• KEEN Chicago: Sister KEEN affiliate serving youth with disabilities in the Chicago metropolitan area using the same one-on-one volunteer coaching model. Most directly comparable peer, as both operate as regional affiliates under the same national KEEN USA brand with identical programmatic philosophy.

Emerging players

• Best Buddies International: Nonprofit creating one-to-one friendships and opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Comparable to KEEN in mission focus on inclusion of people with IDD through structured one-to-one relationships, though Best Buddies emphasizes social/employment inclusion rather than sports/recreation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=jblkzvTN22U&feature=youtu.be
• Facebookfacebook.com/KEENGreaterDC
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/tags/keengreaterdc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kids-enjoying-exercise-now-keen-greater-dc-baltimore

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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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 KEEN Greater DC