Impact America
Impact America is a Birmingham, Alabama-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free vision screenings for preschoolers (FocusFirst), financial coaching for low-to-moderate-income families (HomeFirst), and academic debate programs for Birmingham students (SpeakFirst), funded by donations, foundation grants, and AmeriCorps support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Impact America does
Impact America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 20-0850212) founded in 2004 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, that delivers community-based service programs targeting health access, financial inclusion, and educational equity across Alabama. The organization operates three active core programs: FocusFirst, which screens preschool-aged children for vision problems using high-tech screening cameras and refers failed cases to Sight Savers America for free follow-up care; HomeFirst, a three-month financial coaching program covering budgeting, credit building, debt reduction, and homebuyer readiness for low-to-moderate-income families; and SpeakFirst, an academic debate and college-readiness program for Birmingham City Schools students that includes tutoring, mentoring, standardized test prep, and full-tuition scholarship pathways through the University of Alabama System. A fourth program, SaveFirst, which provided free tax preparation across Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida from 2007 to 2025, was discontinued in 2025.
The organization runs an AmeriCorps program that supplies much of its operational labor, and it relies on a mix of individual donations, foundation grants (Eyesight Foundation, Alabama Power Foundation, Wiregrass Foundation, Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation, Coastal Community Foundation, Daniel Foundation of Alabama), corporate contributions (BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Maynard Nexsen, Protective Life, EBSCO, Truist Bank), and federal AmeriCorps pass-through funding. Services are delivered free of charge at partner sites — childcare centers, Head Starts, Pre-K programs, health fairs, schools, and community organizations — with all 67 Alabama counties served. Cumulative reported outcomes include 949,546 vision screenings, 117,641 tax returns prepared (historical), 400 SpeakFirst students impacted, and approximately $16.98 million in college scholarships earned by SpeakFirst graduates.
The 51-100 employee organization is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from Birmingham City Schools, Jefferson County Department of Health, Truist Bank, Protective Life, EBSCO Industries, Cornea & Cataract Consultants, Vision Research Corporation, and major law firms. It maintains a Candid/GuideStar transparency seal and active social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Vimeo. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and no venture, private equity, or institutional investment ownership is indicated; the entity is funded entirely through philanthropic, corporate, and government-grant channels.
Impact America firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Impact America
- Legal name
- Impact America
- Website
- https://impactamerica.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Impact America is a Birmingham, Alabama-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free vision screenings for preschoolers (FocusFirst), financial coaching for low-to-moderate-income families (HomeFirst), and academic debate programs for Birmingham students (SpeakFirst), funded by donations, foundation grants, and AmeriCorps support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Impact America industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Health and Education Services
- NAICS
- Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (6117), Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Inclusive Early Intervention & Transition-to-Preschool Services (EDACAFAM)
Keywords
Where Impact America is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Impact America business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: Impact America operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 20-0850212) that relies on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund its programs including FocusFirst, HomeFirst, and SpeakFirst.
- AmeriCorps Program Funding: Impact America is an AmeriCorps Program that receives federal funding through the Corporation for National and Community Service to support AmeriCorps members who serve in its programs.
- Foundation and Corporate Grants: Various foundations and corporations provide grant funding to support specific programs such as FocusFirst and SaveFirst, including the Eyesight Foundation, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Alabama Power Foundation, Wiregrass Foundation, Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation, Coastal Community Foundation, Daniel Foundation of Alabama, and Maynard Nexsen.
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Impact America product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Impact America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates three free community service programs: FocusFirst (high-tech vision screening for preschool children at childcare centers, Head Starts, Pre-K programs, and health fairs across Alabama, with referral to free follow-up care); HomeFirst (a three-month personalized financial coaching program covering budgeting, credit building, debt reduction, and homebuyer readiness); and SpeakFirst (competitive academic debate, tutoring, mentoring, college guidance, and standardized test prep for Birmingham City middle and high school students). Programs are delivered at no cost through staff, AmeriCorps members, and volunteers.
Product overview
Impact America is a nonprofit organization operating a portfolio of community service programs rather than a commercial software product. The organization offers three main initiatives: FocusFirst (vision screening for preschool children using high-tech cameras), HomeFirst (financial coaching for homebuyers and foreclosure prevention), and SpeakFirst (academic debate and college readiness for Birmingham students). A fourth program, SaveFirst (free tax preparation), was discontinued in 2025. Programs are delivered through AmeriCorps members, volunteers, and staff, with services provided across Alabama and select other states.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FocusFirst Free vision screening program for preschool-aged children (ages 3-5) using high-tech screening cameras that detect a wider range of vision problems than traditional eye charts. Screenings are conducted at childcare centers, Head Starts, daycare centers, Pre-K programs, and health fairs across Alabama, taking roughly 30 seconds to 1 minute per child. Children who fail screening are referred to Sight Savers America for free or subsidized follow-up care, treatment coordination, transportation, and prescribed treatments.
- HomeFirst Free financial wellness initiative delivering personalized financial education and coaching to individuals and families on the path to first-time homeownership or foreclosure prevention. Includes a three-month program with twice-monthly meetings covering budgeting, credit building, debt reduction, homebuyer readiness, money management, savings, and foreclosure prevention support. Coaching is delivered in-person and virtually.
- SpeakFirst (including Birmingham Urban Debate League) Free academic enrichment program for Birmingham City middle and high school students featuring competitive debate team participation, one-on-one tutoring, mentoring, college guidance, and standardized test prep. Eligible seniors may qualify for full-tuition scholarships through the University of Alabama System. Expanded in 2025 with the launch of the Birmingham Urban Debate League.
Quantifiable outcome
- 949,546 children screened for vision problems since 2004
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Impact America
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Impact America technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Impact America partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Sight Savers AmericacoreAfter FocusFirst screens children, any who failed, were unable to screen, or wear glasses/contact lenses are referred to Sight Savers America for follow-up care. SSA coordinates comprehensive eye exams with local providers, reminds parents of appointments, arranges transportation, and coordinates prescribed treatments at no cost to underserved families.
- JLB (Jefferson County Library Board)minorCommunity partner that hosted tax preparation sites in their facilities and assisted in outreach efforts for SaveFirst program.
- JL MontgomeryminorCommunity partner that hosted tax preparation sites and supported SaveFirst outreach efforts.
- University of Alabama System (UA, UAB, UAHuntsville)coreProvides full-tuition scholarships to SpeakFirst seniors who meet eligibility requirements.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Impact America competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Prevent Blindness: National nonprofit focused on eye health and vision screening advocacy and programming. Comparable as a much larger-scale peer in the same preventive vision screening space that FocusFirst occupies at the regional level.
- United Way: National umbrella nonprofit funding and coordinating community-based social services. Comparable as a multi-cause funding and service coordination entity with overlapping donor and program categories.
- Junior Achievement: Large national nonprofit delivering educational enrichment programs to youth. Comparable as an analogous structured nonprofit that delivers curriculum-based enrichment, paralleling SpeakFirst's academic enrichment model.
- YWCA USA: National nonprofit delivering social services, empowerment programming, and education across multiple focus areas. Comparable as a multi-program community services nonprofit with youth and family empowerment programming.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit serving at-risk youth through structured programming. Comparable as a peer in delivering free, community-based education and youth development services to underserved populations.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth mentoring nonprofit pairing adult mentors with youth. Comparable as a structured nonprofit delivering volunteer-driven, long-duration youth outcomes — analogous in model to SpeakFirst's mentoring/tutoring model.
Others
- AmeriCorps: Federal agency funding national service programs. Comparable as the structural sponsor and federal funding source for Impact America's service corps, and as a peer network of similar AmeriCorps-program host sites.
Direct peers
- National Association for Urban Debate Leagues: National network supporting urban debate leagues across U.S. cities. Comparable as the umbrella and direct counterpart to SpeakFirst's Birmingham Urban Debate League launch and as a peer in structured urban debate education.
- Sight Savers America: Alabama-based nonprofit providing comprehensive vision care for underserved children. Directly comparable as a peer in pediatric vision screening follow-up and as Impact America's referral partner for FocusFirst-screened children.
Regional players
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development nonprofit working through local offices on financial empowerment and family stability. Comparable as a peer in delivering financial wellness and family stability services analogous to Impact America's HomeFirst program.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Impact America social profiles
Digital presenceImpact America compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Impact America financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Impact America leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles22 records
Impact America funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Impact America M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Impact America
What does Impact America do?
Impact America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates three free community service programs: FocusFirst (high-tech vision screening for preschool children at childcare centers, Head Starts, Pre-K programs, and health fairs across Alabama, with referral to free follow-up care); HomeFirst (a three-month personalized financial coaching program covering budgeting, credit building, debt reduction, and homebuyer readiness); and SpeakFirst (competitive academic debate, tutoring, mentoring, college guidance, and standardized test prep for Birmingham City middle and high school students). Programs are delivered at no cost through staff, AmeriCorps members, and volunteers.
Is Impact America a public or private company?
Impact America is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Impact America founded?
Impact America was founded in 2004. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Impact America based?
Impact America is headquartered in Birmingham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Impact America make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are ameriCorps Program Funding and foundation and Corporate Grants.
Who are Impact America's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Prevent Blindness, United Way, Junior Achievement, YWCA USA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. AmeriCorps is listed as an others. Direct peers are National Association for Urban Debate Leagues and Sight Savers America. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is listed as a regional player.
Does Impact America have an API?
No public API is recorded for Impact America.
What industry is Impact America in?
Impact America's product category is Community Health and Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAC, After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDACAFAM, Inclusive Early Intervention & Transition-to-Preschool Services. Its NAICS code is 624190 and its SIC code is 8300.