What Prep for Prep does

Prep for Prep is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City. The organization identifies high-achieving students of color from 750 New York City public schools and prepares them for placement in independent day schools (as seventh-graders) and boarding schools (as ninth-graders) through a 14-month Preparatory Component comprising two summer sessions plus after-school Wednesday and Saturday sessions. Prep for Prep does not charge tuition and is sustained through donations, an annual Lilac Ball fundraising gala, and corporate partnerships; 86% of the organization's budget is directed to program expenses.

The organization operates a multi-decade lifecycle model: Preparatory Component (5th/6th grade) and PREP 9 (7th grade) for placement; student support through grades 7-12; College Guidance including application, financial-aid, and SAT preparation; Undergraduate Support for college students; and ongoing Alumni Affairs. Leadership Development programs include paid internships (210+ annually with 100+ employers; 240+ via the Student Internship Program), the Institute for Entrepreneurship, Aspects of Leadership retreats, Technology & Arts Enrichment (partnering with Google Code Next, Bloomberg Startup, Sotheby's), travel abroad to 12 countries, summer camps, and the Students Advocating for Young Children (SAYC) Saturday Academy community-service program. The organization's alumni community exceeds 5,600 members, with 90% earning degrees from the nation's most competitive colleges and $40M in financial aid awarded annually to Prep students by independent school partners.

The revenue model is donations and fundraising-led: the 2026 Lilac Ball raised $4.7M, and major corporate partners include Kelso & Company (30+ year partnership), Colgate-Palmolive (high school internships since the early 1990s, including AI/data analytics placements), IAC (IAC Fellows Program for nearly a decade), Morgan Stanley, NYU Langone Health Department of Ophthalmology (since 2019), JPMorgan Chase (Saturday Academy since 2009), Google, Bloomberg, Sotheby's, BlackRock, Evercore, Meta, Pfizer, NBCUniversal, and Wachtell Lipton. Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees with more than 20 Prep alumni members; CEO since August 2025 is Diahann Billings (Prep VI). The organization is recognized with Charity Navigator four-star rating, GuideStar Platinum status, and BBB charity accreditation. No proprietary technology product or public-facing API is offered; core technology consists of program-management and student-tracking systems rather than commercial software.

Name

Prep for Prep

Legal name

Prep for Prep

Website

https://prepforprep.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Prep for Prep is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1978 that identifies talented students of color from 750 NYC public schools and prepares them for placement in independent day and boarding schools, then supports them through college and into alumni careers via internships and leadership development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Access Nonprofit

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

College Readiness & Admissions Prep Centers (Small-Group Workshops) (EDANAHAI)

Keywords

• Educational nonprofit
• Independent school placement
• Leadership development programs
• College access services
• Student preparation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Prep for Prep operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that does not charge tuition. The organization raises funds through annual fundraising events (Lilac Ball), direct donations, corporate partnerships, alumni giving campaigns, stock gifts, planned giving, and matching gift programs. Fundraising costs just 4 cents per dollar raised, with 86% of budget dedicated to program expenses.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Prep for Prep is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that identifies talented students of color from New York City public schools and prepares them for placement in independent day and boarding schools through a rigorous 14-month Preparatory Component, ongoing counseling, college guidance, and professional advancement programs. The organization supports students through grades 7-12, college, and into their professional careers, and operates at no cost to students, funded primarily through donations and an annual gala.

Product overview

Prep for Prep is an educational nonprofit organization providing a comprehensive suite of leadership development programs for talented students from New York City public schools. The core offerings include the Prep (Preparatory Component) for 5th-6th graders and PREP 9 for 7th graders, which prepare students for placement in independent day and boarding schools through rigorous academic training. The organization supports students through multiple stages via College Guidance, Undergraduate Support, and the Student Internship Program (offering 240+ paid internships). Leadership Development encompasses Aspects of Leadership retreats, Technology & Arts Enrichment (partnering with Bloomberg, Google, Sotheby's), the Institute for Entrepreneurship, Summer Camps, Travel Abroad programs, and the SAYC Saturday Academy community service initiative. The organization also hosts the annual Lilac Ball gala and operates the Prep in Arts Art Gallery at its 71st Street Brownstone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of Prep for Prep students earn degrees from the nation's most competitive colleges
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Colgate-PalmolivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince the early 1990s, Colgate-Palmolive has partnered with Prep for Prep for its high school internship program, hiring 10 students annually to work across business functions including marketing, data analytics, AI, IT, legal, and finance. Interns work with managers on projects that impact the business and have lunch with senior leaders including CEO Noel Wallace.
• IACcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor nearly a decade, IAC has been one of Prep for Prep's most dynamic corporate partners. The IAC Fellows Program provides approximately 20 fellows annually with hands-on experience across IAC brands, mentorship, academic support, and hardship relief. Two Prep alumni have transitioned from IAC fellows to full-time employees.
• NYU Langone HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2019, NYU Langone Health's Department of Ophthalmology has partnered with Prep for Prep to provide paid, meaningful internships. Three students are selected annually for eight-week rotations where they assist with patient care, observe surgeries, and attend academic lectures. The program is funded by the Manhattan Eye & Ear Ophthalmology Alumni Foundation.
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle partners with Prep for Prep through Google Code Next, which aims to create the next generation of transformational computer scientists with a culturally-relevant curriculum including robot programming and 3D printing. Prep staff collaborated with Google on developing leadership curriculum for CS Edge/Code Next. Google also hosts the Institute for Entrepreneurship program.
• BloombergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBloomberg Startup aims to inspire and support the next generation of technologists and entrepreneurs with workshops for high school students covering Java coding, business journalism, computer-aided design (CAD), and robotics. Bloomberg also hosts CodeNow boot camps.
• Sotheby'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Prep for Prep/Sotheby's Art Academy introduces students to the arts profession through a four-week program providing fundamental grounding in art history, field trips to museums and galleries, and exposure to careers in the art world.
• Student Diplomacy CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner for Prep for Prep's travel abroad opportunities. Student Diplomacy Corps chaperoned programs are three to five weeks long and include home stays with host families in countries including Argentina, Brazil, China, Dominican Republic, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, and Spain.
• JPMorgan Chase & Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJPMorgan Chase employees founded the SAYC Saturday Academy in 2009, providing ELA and math tutorials for more than 100 high-need fifth graders. JPMorgan Chase also provides internship opportunities for Prep for Prep students.
• BlackRockminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides internship opportunities for Prep for Prep high school and college students in the finance/investment sector.
• EvercoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides internship opportunities for Prep for Prep high school and college students in investment banking.
• Mount Sinai HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides internship opportunities for Prep for Prep students in the healthcare/medical field.
• NBCUniversalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides internship opportunities for Prep for Prep students in media and entertainment.
• PfizerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides internship opportunities for Prep for Prep students in pharmaceuticals and healthcare.
• MetaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides internship opportunities for Prep for Prep students in technology.
• Calder ClassicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for travel abroad opportunities alongside Student Diplomacy Corps and Amigos de las Americas.
• Amigos de las AmericasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for travel abroad opportunities alongside Student Diplomacy Corps and Calder Classics.
• Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & KatzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides internship opportunities for Prep for Prep students in law.
• Upperline CodeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of Prep for Prep's first-ever Spring Coding Intensive, a weeklong coding camp for ninth graders learning front-end development and JavaScript.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/prepforprep
• Facebookfacebook.com/prepforprep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prep-for-prep
• Instagraminstagram.com/prep_for_prep
• Xx.com/prep_for_prep

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Prep for Prep