Make A Chess Move

What Make A Chess Move does

Make A Chess Move (MACM) is a Denver, Colorado-based nonprofit that delivers chess-based youth development programming intended to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. Founded in 2012 by Phillip Douglas and Sir Martin, the organization serves youth ages 8 through 26 across the Denver metropolitan area, with deep operational roots in Northeast Denver. Its program delivery is fully free to participants.

The organization's core instructional asset is a proprietary CHESS curriculum co-developed with Project VOYCE in 2013, which anchors the broader #MACMWorks Program Universe. This universe bundles multiple modules including Chess 101, MACreativeM, Make A Compassion Move, Make A Castle Move, Make A Career Move, Make A Christ Move, Make A Culinary Move, and Make A Corner Move, combining chess instruction with life skills, creativity, career readiness, and wellness content. Programs are delivered both in-school, currently across 17 high schools, and through community venues such as the Safe Zone Open Chess weekly events.

As a 501(c)-style nonprofit, Make A Chess Move does not sell products or charge tuition; revenue is generated from individual donations, recurring monthly donors, and grants. The publicly visible institutional funding relationship to date is a 2022 grant from the Caring for Denver Foundation. The organization reports a cumulative reach of 15,682 youth served and partnerships with 83 schools, and staffs programs primarily with facilitators who are 95% BIPOC and bring lived experience from the communities served.

Name

Make A Chess Move

Legal name

Make A Chess Move

Website

https://makeachessmove.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Denver-based nonprofit delivering free chess-based youth development programming to youth ages 8-26 across schools and community venues, operating the #MACMWorks Program Universe and CHESS curriculum to counter the school-to-prison pipeline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Chess education
• Life skills training
• Mentorship services
• Nonprofit education

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals, including a newly launched monthly donor program. Donations can be made through the Colorado Gives platform.
2. Grant Funding: As a nonprofit organization, MACM receives grant funding as evidenced by references to small grants (e.g., Boston P-8 grant partnership). Financial transparency is maintained through annual reports and Form 990 filings.
3. Volunteer and Mentorship Support: Community members support through volunteering and mentoring, which enables program delivery without direct monetary exchange.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Make A Chess Move delivers chess-based youth development programming for youth ages 8-26 in the Denver metro area, using a research-based curriculum (CHESS) developed in collaboration with Project VOYCE. Programs are delivered directly through partner schools, libraries, recreation centers, and community organizations, supplemented by weekly Open Chess sessions at the MACM Safe Zone, and are offered free of charge to youth participants.

Product overview

Make A Chess Move (MACM) is a nonprofit youth development organization that offers a unified suite of chess-based curriculum programs designed to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. The organization's '#MACMWorks Program Universe' consists of multiple interconnected program modules including: Make A Chess Move 101 (foundational curriculum), MACreativeM (creativity), Make A Compassion Move (compassionate leadership), Make A Castle Move (strategic thinking), Make A Career Move (workforce readiness), Make A Christ Move (ethical decision-making), Make A Culinary Move (culinary skills), and Make A Corner Move (community engagement). These programs are delivered alongside weekly Open Chess sessions and are augmented by volunteer/mentor opportunities, all unified by MACM's research-based curriculum that targets positive youth protective factors and reduction of youth risk factors for participants ages 8-26.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open Chess Weekly community drop-in chess sessions providing community access to chess instruction and play at the MACM Safe Zone location in Denver.
• Make A Chess Move 101 Foundational program module introducing youth to chess strategy and life skills through the game, targeting youth ages 8-26.
• MACreativeM Program module focused on fostering creativity among youth participants as part of the MACM Universe curriculum.
• Make A Compassion Move Program module focused on developing compassionate leadership qualities in youth as part of the MACM Universe curriculum.
• Make A Castle Move Program module focused on strategic thinking and defensive positioning skills as part of the MACM Universe curriculum.
• Make A Career Move Program module focused on career development and workforce readiness for youth as part of the MACM Universe curriculum.
• Make A Christ Move Program module focused on spiritual development and ethical decision-making as part of the MACM Universe curriculum.
• Make A Culinary Move Program module combining culinary skills with chess strategy for youth development as part of the MACM Universe curriculum.
• Make A Corner Move Program module focused on corner positioning tactics and community engagement strategies as part of the MACM Universe curriculum.

Quantifiable outcome

• 105% attendance achieved at Manual High School classes in 2013 (more students attended than on roster)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Project VOYCEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMACM collaborated with Project VOYCE to develop and teach the CHESS (Challenging How Every Student Strategies) curriculum. This partnership enabled MACM to pilot programming at six schools and two non-profits, establishing the foundation for the organization's methodology.
• Colorado GivesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerColorado Gives platform is used for donation processing, enabling donors to contribute to MACM through their online giving portal.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chess Without Borders: Nonprofit delivering chess-based education and life skills to underserved youth domestically and internationally. Closely aligned with MACM's chess-as-educational-tool model and target demographic.
• Chess in the Schools: NYC-based nonprofit that uses chess as an educational tool to improve academic and life outcomes for public school students. Highly comparable: same chess-as-youth-development model, school partnerships, and curriculum-based delivery.
• America's Foundation for Chess: Nonprofit promoting chess literacy and life skills through school and community programs. Comparable educational mission and chess-based curriculum delivery model.
• US Chess Center: Washington D.C. nonprofit providing chess instruction and life skills to underserved youth, with school and community center programming. Comparable mission and youth-development focus via chess.
• Project VOYCE: Denver youth leadership nonprofit that co-developed MACM's CHESS curriculum. Highly comparable as a community-rooted youth leadership organization working in the same geography and demographic.

Regional players

• KIPP Colorado Schools: Denver-area public charter school network serving predominantly low-income students with extended programming. Comparable geographic and demographic focus with overlapping school partnerships.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver: Denver-based youth development nonprofit serving similar demographics (ages 8-18) with after-school programming in the same metro footprint as MACM. Comparable target audience and partner-school distribution channel.

Emerging players

• The Right Move Chess Foundation: Smaller nonprofit using chess to teach life skills and strategic thinking to youth in underserved communities. Similar niche focus to MACM but smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• After-School All-Stars: National after-school programming nonprofit serving underserved middle and high school youth. Comparable after-school delivery model and target demographic, though not chess-specific.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado: Large, established youth-mentorship nonprofit serving Colorado with similar at-risk youth focus. Comparable outcomes mission (graduation, juvenile justice avoidance) but broader portfolio beyond chess.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MACM303
• YouTubeyoutube.com/MACM303
• Facebookfacebook.com/MACM303
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/MACM303
• Instagraminstagram.com/MACM303
• Pinterestpinterest.com/MACM303

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Make A Chess Move