What Midtown Educational Foundation does

Midtown Educational Foundation, doing business as Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1965 in Chicago. It operates a dual-center model comprising the Midtown Achievement Center for boys (opened 1965, Bucktown neighborhood, 1819 N Wood Street) and the Metro Achievement Center for girls (opened 1985, 310 S Peoria Street), serving low-income urban youth in Chicago from grades 3 through 12. Nearly 22,000 students have passed through the programs, accumulating more than 14.5 million hours of academic tutoring and virtue development, and the organization reports 100% high school graduation and college enrollment for its students for over 20 consecutive years.

The organization delivers a unified suite of programs built around four pillars: academic excellence, virtue/character development, individual attention, and parental involvement. Core offerings include after-school and summer day-camp enrichment (six-week summer program priced at $375 with income-based scholarships), grade-level tracks (ONE for elementary, MAP for middle school, COP for high school), paid high-school apprenticeships in fields such as engineering, computer science, filmmaking, business, hospitality, and law, parent workshops and family events, and an alumni network. Curriculum is proprietary and was significantly expanded with a $230,998 multi-year John Templeton Foundation grant funding the "Developing Character for Chicago Inner-City Youth" curriculum. The tutor and staff workforce is developed using the Optimal Work professional development platform, and programming is delivered in person at both centers as well as through remote formats. The Christian orientation of the centers is entrusted to the Catholic institution of Opus Dei.

Funding comes from individual and corporate charitable donations, foundation grants (John Templeton, Motorola Solutions Foundation, Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Award), and annual fundraising events including the Reach for Excellence Awards Gala (33rd annual raised over $1.15M against a $1M goal in November 2024), the Golf for the Kids Outing, and the Midtown-Metro Soirée. Major operational and corporate partners include Walgreens (25+ year relationship), Chicago Public Schools, Chicagoland legal and corporate apprenticeship hosts, and the Chicago Bears. Distribution is geographically concentrated in Chicago, with international knowledge-sharing partnerships formed in 2024 with Strathmore University's Macheo Program (Kenya) and Baytree Centre (London).

Name

Midtown Educational Foundation

Legal name

Midtown Educational Foundation

Website

https://midtown-metro.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Midtown Educational Foundation (Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating two Chicago centers that deliver after-school and summer academic tutoring, character education, mentoring, and paid apprenticeships to low-income urban youth in grades 3–12.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education and Nonprofit Social Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM), K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Homework Clubs & After-School Learning Centers (EDANAHAB), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Youth education programs
• After-school enrichment
• Character development curriculum
• Academic tutoring services
• Summer achievement camp

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual and Corporate Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting the organization's mission to serve underserved youth in Chicago.
2. Special Events Fundraising: Annual fundraising events including the Reach for Excellence Awards Gala, Golf for the Kids Outing, and Midtown-Metro Soirée. The 33rd Gala raised over $1.15 million, exceeding its $1 million goal.
3. Foundation Grants: Grants from foundations including John Templeton Foundation ($230,998), Motorola Solutions Foundation ($25,000), and Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Award ($150,000) to fund specific programs and curriculum development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Midtown Educational Foundation operates two gender-specific achievement centers in Chicago that provide after-school and summer enrichment programs to low-income urban youth in grades 3–12. Its programs combine daily academic tutoring, virtue/character development, one-on-one mentoring, paid high school apprenticeships, and parent engagement activities, delivered in person at its centers and through virtual formats. The organization subsidizes participation through donations and grants so that no family is turned away for financial reasons.

Product overview

Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers (formerly Midtown Educational Foundation, MEF) operates a dual-center model consisting of the Midtown Achievement Center for boys and the Metro Achievement Center for girls, both serving low-income urban youth in Chicago since 1965. The organization offers a unified suite of after-school and summer enrichment programs centered on four pillars: academic excellence, virtue/character development, individual attention, and parental engagement. Core programs include daily tutoring and mentoring, grade-level-specific tracks (ONE for elementary, MAP for middle school, COP for high school), paid high school apprenticeships in career fields, summer day camps, and parent support programming. All programs aim for 100% high school graduation and college enrollment, demonstrated for over 20 consecutive years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Midtown Achievement Center for Boys After-school and summer enrichment program serving low-income urban boys in grades 3–12 in Chicago, providing academic tutoring, character/virtue development, individual mentoring, sports and fitness activities, and college preparation.
• Metro Achievement Center for Girls After-school and summer enrichment program serving low-income urban girls in Chicago, providing academic tutoring, virtue/character development, individual mentoring, paid apprenticeships, parent programs, and college readiness support.
• Summer Achievement Camp Six-week, full-day summer program (June–July) combining academic enrichment, creative electives, sports and fitness, one-on-one mentoring, paid high school apprenticeships, and field trips at low cost with income-based scholarships available.
• High School Apprenticeship Programs Paid apprenticeship programs for 9th–12th grade students in fields including Business, Engineering, Architecture, Hospitality, Visual Media, Computer Science, and Filmmaking, providing career exploration, resume experience, and stipends.
• MMAC Alumni Association Alumni network for former Midtown and Metro students providing ongoing community connection, volunteer opportunities, and events for program graduates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% high school graduation rate for 25+ consecutive years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, major, minor and notable.

• Strathmore University (Kenya)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2024Partnership with Strathmore University's Macheo Program serving high school students from Kibera, Nairobi. Midtown-Metro shared its approach to tutor development, tutor-student relationships, and use of the Optimal Work professional development platform.
• Baytree Centre (London, UK)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2024Hosted Federica Saez, Volunteer Service Manager at Baytree Centre, to observe Midtown-Metro programs. Collaboration focused on character education, mentorship, program delivery, volunteer management, and fundraising.
• WalgreensmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 July 2022Over 25-year partnership supporting MEF's mission. Walgreens summer interns served as guest staff at summer camps, paired with students for activities. Former Walgreens President & CEO Dan Jorndt spoke at events. Many Walgreens employees serve as volunteer academic tutors during the school year.
• Chef Lupita Romero / Cocina RxminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2022Former Master Chef Latino contestant (3rd place) served as guest instructor for Metro's Hospitality Apprenticeship. During the pandemic, she prepared over 75,000 meals for low-income communities. Organization she founded, Cocina Rx, shares culinary knowledge with underrepresented communities.
• Chicago BearsnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 January 2022MEF participated in the Chicago Bears' 'Inspire Change' game highlighting the team's commitment to social justice. Students and families took part in game-day activities.
• Ground Up Coffee Co. (Chicago)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2021Metro's first Filmmaking Apprenticeship students created a documentary about Ground Up Coffee Co. Owner Alex Theoharris served as a role model for students, sharing his story of attending DePaul University and opening his business.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Year Up: National nonprofit providing skills training, mentoring, and corporate internships for low-income young adults aged 18-24, with strong outcome metrics. Comparable in the focus on closing the opportunity gap through structured programming, though serving an older post-secondary cohort rather than K-12.
• Catholic Charities USA: National network of faith-based social service agencies providing youth, family, and community programs, including after-school and educational support. Comparable as a Catholic-affiliated social services nonprofit with educational programming for low-income populations, though operating at vastly larger scale and across many service lines beyond youth education.
• KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program): National network of public charter schools serving low-income K-12 students with an extended-day model that combines academics and character education. Comparable mission (closing the achievement gap for underserved youth through academic and character development) and a similarly long-hours, tutoring-intensive operating philosophy, though delivered as charter schools rather than supplemental centers.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National nonprofit operating after-school and youth development programs for low-income youth across 1,100+ clubs. Directly comparable as a similarly mission-aligned after-school academic and character program for underserved youth, but at vastly greater national scale and as an umbrella organization rather than a single-site operator.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National nonprofit providing one-on-one mentoring for youth, including those from low-income families, with measurable outcome metrics around education and behavior. Comparable as a youth-mentoring nonprofit with an evidence-based model and a volunteer-leveraged delivery model, though broader in scope and not site-based.

Direct peers

• Prep for Prep: New York-based nonprofit providing academic enrichment, leadership development, and placement into independent schools for high-achieving underserved minority youth. Comparable as a long-running (since 1978) nonprofit with intensive academic preparation, character/leadership components, and very strong college placement outcomes.
• Horizons for Youth: Chicago-based nonprofit providing after-school and summer programs, scholarships, and family support for low-income youth. Highly comparable as a directly peer Chicago nonprofit serving the same target population with a similar after-school and summer enrichment model, with overlapping corporate volunteer and donor bases.
• Harlem Children's Zone: New York-based nonprofit running a comprehensive pipeline of after-school, academic, and family support services for low-income children in a defined urban geography. Closely comparable to Midtown-Metro's two-center, community-embedded, multi-pillar approach (academic, character, family engagement) and is one of the best-known urban youth-pipeline models in the country.
• Breakthrough Collaborative: National network of pre-college academic enrichment and college-prep programs for underserved middle and high school students, with a strong student-teaching model. Comparable mission (college access for underserved youth) and similar use of trained tutors, though serving older students and operating as an affiliate network rather than standalone centers.

Regional players

• Chicago Youth Centers: Chicago-based nonprofit providing after-school, summer, and family support programming for low-income youth across multiple sites. Highly comparable as a regional peer in the same Chicago market with a directly overlapping target population and similar after-school and summer enrichment program design.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MidtownMetro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midtown-metro-achievement-centers
• Instagraminstagram.com/midtownmetro
• Xx.com/MidtownMetro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Midtown Educational Foundation