America Needs You

What America Needs You does

America Needs You (ANY) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by Robert Reffkin with the mission of advancing economic mobility for first-generation college students. The organization operates two core programs: (1) the Fellows Program, a two-year intensive mentorship model pairing first-generation college students with professional volunteer Mentor Coaches through monthly Saturday workshops in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois, one-on-one mentoring, career-readiness curriculum, internship placement support, and up to $1,000/year in grant funding per Fellow; and (2) FirstGenU, a self-paced digital career development program launched in 2021 that extends the organization's reach nationally beyond its three regional sites. ANY reports measurable outcomes including a 96% six-year college graduation rate among Fellows versus 21% nationally for first-gen students (Pell Institute), and a $70,000-$80,000 median salary six months post-graduation versus $50,000 nationally.

The organization's underlying technology stack is conventional nonprofit infrastructure — Salesforce for CRM, Canvas LMS for FirstGenU digital content delivery, and standard web/social channels — with no disclosed proprietary platform, AI/ML capabilities, or API surface. It is governed as a New York non-profit corporation with separate regional advisory boards for NY, NJ, and IL.

ANY's business model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack: foundation grants (notably a $1,000,000 grant from the Apollo Opportunity Foundation in November 2025), multi-tier corporate sponsorships ($5,000 to $100,000+ tiers with 80+ partners including Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Blackstone, BCG, McKinsey, PwC, KKR, BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, Macquarie, and ADP), individual donations (including stock gifts and estate/bequest planning), and fundraising events. The Fellows Program and FirstGenU are delivered free of charge to students. The organization reports 51-100 employees, is led by CEO Marianna Tu (since 2018, previously a Mentor Coach who joined staff in 2012), and operates with a Chief Growth and Strategy Officer (Markus Ward) and regional VPs. Its stated strategic plan calls for doubling its budget and tripling its geographic reach by 2030.

Name

America Needs You

Legal name

America Needs You

Website

https://americaneedsyou.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

America Needs You is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs a two-year mentorship program pairing first-generation college students with professional volunteer coaches in NY, NJ, and IL, plus a national digital program called FirstGenU, funded through foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: ANY receives significant grants from foundations such as the Apollo Opportunity Foundation ($1,000,000 grant) to expand mentorship services and support strategic growth plans including budget expansion and geographic reach increase by 2030.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners provide financial support at various tiers ($100,000+, $50,000-$99,999, $25,000-$49,999, $10,000-$24,999, $5,000-$9,999). Partners include major firms like Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Blackstone, and BCG. Partners receive talent identification, network access, recognition, and reporting.
3. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting first-generation college students. Donors receive recognition and community engagement opportunities. Stock donations also accepted.
4. Event Revenue: Fundraising events including golf tournaments and other gatherings generate revenue while providing networking opportunities for supporters and corporate partners.
5. Estate Planning/Bequests: Deferred giving through bequests and estate planning allows donors to leave lasting legacies supporting future generations of first-gen students.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

America Needs You operates the two-year Fellows Program, which pairs first-generation college students with volunteer Mentor Coaches from leading firms and delivers monthly Saturday workshops covering career readiness skills such as resume writing, networking, interviewing, financial literacy, and public speaking, supplemented by up to $1,000/year in grant funding and internship support. The organization also runs FirstGenU, a self-paced digital career development program available nationwide that teaches job search, leadership, and career management through online modules and virtual enrichment events.

Product overview

America Needs You offers two core programs: the two-year Fellows Program providing one-on-one mentorship through Mentor Coaches and monthly Saturday workshops covering career readiness skills (resume, interviewing, networking, public speaking, financial literacy), and FirstGenU, a digital career development program available nationwide. Both programs aim to help first-generation college students graduate and launch careers, with Fellows receiving up to $1,000 in grant funding each year and internship support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fellows Program: Two-year program pairing first-generation college students with Mentor Coaches for deep one-to-one mentoring relationships, career readiness skills in peer cohorts
• FirstGenU

Products and services

• Fellows Program A two-year intensive program that pairs first-generation college students with volunteer Mentor Coaches in deep one-on-one mentoring relationships. Fellows attend 15 Saturday workshops covering resume writing, networking, interviewing, financial literacy, public speaking, and career readiness; receive up to $1,000/year in grant funding; get internship placement support; and join a peer cohort and lifelong alumni network. Program is free to participants and operates across NY, NJ, and IL.
• FirstGenU A self-paced digital career development program available to first-generation college students nationwide. Students complete online modules focused on job search, leadership, and career management skills, and attend virtual enrichment events to build skills, peer connections, and professional networks. Delivered via Canvas LMS.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of Fellows graduate from four-year institutions within 6 years vs. 21% nationally for first-gen students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Princeton UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partner institution referring first-generation college students to the Fellows Program. Princeton students participate in monthly workshops and receive mentorship.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partner institution. Cornell students participate in the ANY Fellows Program, attending workshops and receiving one-on-one mentorship.
• Columbia University (Columbia College Chicago)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partner in Chicago. Columbia College Chicago students engage with the ANY-IL program.
• Northwestern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partner institution. Northwestern students participate in Chicago-area workshops and mentorship.
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partner institution (previously California operations). Students recruited for Fellows Program.
• University of California, BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partner institution (previously California operations). UC Berkeley first-gen students participated in ANY programs.
• NYUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partner in New York. NYU first-generation students participate in ANY-NY programming.
• Rutgers UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partner in New Jersey (Rutgers University-Newark and Rutgers University-New Brunswick). Significant partner with multiple students in the program.
• The Pell InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing data on first-generation college student graduation rates (21% national average) used to demonstrate program impact.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• College Possible: College Possible provides intensive coaching and supports college persistence and graduation for low-income and first-generation students, with strong outcome reporting — a peer organization focused on the same first-gen college completion gap ANY addresses.
• SEO (Seizing Every Opportunity): SEO delivers mentoring, career training, and professional development programs for underrepresented high school and college students with strong corporate partner engagement in finance and consulting — closely overlapping ANY's target population and employer ecosystem.
• Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT): MLT provides career development, mentorship, and recruiting pipelines for high-achieving underrepresented college students and alumni, including placement into leading employers — a direct analog to ANY's combination of coaching, workshops, and employer partnerships.
• QuestBridge: QuestBridge connects high-achieving low-income and first-generation students with selective colleges and universities, providing scholarship support and ongoing community through college — closely aligned with ANY's first-gen college access mission.
• iMentor: iMentor pairs first-generation college students with adult mentors for sustained one-on-one relationships during high school and college — directly comparable to ANY's Mentor Coach model and target population of first-generation college students.
• Braven: Braven runs a career accelerator and post-secondary success program for first-generation college students and recent graduates, combining skill-building with employer mentorship — directly competing with ANY's Fellows Program and FirstGenU offerings.
• Year Up: Year Up provides workforce development, mentorship, and corporate internship/placement programs for young adults from low-income backgrounds, with employer sponsorship — comparable mentoring-to-career model targeting similar first-generation talent.
• Posse Foundation: Posse Foundation identifies, selects, and trains cohorts of high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds for top colleges and supports them through graduation with peer cohort mentorship — a near-identical structural model to ANY's two-year Fellows Program targeting first-generation and underrepresented college students.
• NPower: NPower provides technology skills training, professional development, and job placement for underserved young adults, with strong corporate partnerships — a peer in the workforce development/mentorship space serving a comparable population.

Emerging players

• Breakthrough Collaborative: Breakthrough Collaborative runs tuition-free pre-college programs and college counseling for students from under-resourced communities, with strong first-gen outcomes — overlapping with ANY's first-generation student mission but primarily focused on the pre-college pipeline rather than college persistence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/Americaneedsyou
• Facebookfacebook.com/americaneedsyou
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/america-needs-you
• Instagraminstagram.com/americaneedsyou
• Xx.com/americaneedsyou

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 America Needs You