YWCA St. Paul

What YWCA St. Paul does

YWCA St. Paul is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1907 and headquartered at 375 Selby Avenue in Saint Paul, Minnesota, operating with 101-250 employees across five core program areas: Housing & Supportive Services (57 owned affordable housing units across five sites, including transitional and permanent supportive housing), Youth Development (YW Stride for young women aging out of foster care, and the Young Women's Initiative of Minnesota cabinet), Employment & Economic Development (YW Works as a Ramsey County Workforce Solutions contractor, Career Pathways, and the Housing Stability Initiative), Health & Wellness (a member-based Health & Fitness Center with pool, studios, personal training, Pilates Reformer, aquatics, and group classes), and Racial Justice (21 Day Racial Equity Challenge and monthly Equity & Justice Conversations). The organization serves roughly 5,000-6,000 community members annually through direct service delivery, with housing and employment programs routed through county referrals and partnerships with the Women's Foundation of Minnesota, State of Minnesota, Pohlad Foundation, Neighborhood Development Center, and others.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit funding structure. Disclosed 2021 revenue of $5,808,565 was composed of Government Grants ($1,587,485), Contributions and Donations ($1,553,466), Forgiveness Income ($1,074,129), Rental Income ($742,716), Health & Fitness Center Memberships ($524,846), United Way support ($155,720), and Program Service Fees ($106,705). Total expenses of $6,320,804 produced an operating deficit of approximately $512K. Fitness memberships are priced on monthly and annual subscription tiers ranging from $50/month (youth) to $125/month (family), with senior ($65/month), student, and individual ($80/month) options, plus pay-as-you-go class packs, day passes, pool rentals, and insurance-reimbursement pathways (SilverSneakers, Silver&Fit). The technology footprint is operational—ShapeNet for member/class registration, Team Unify for swim team management, Blackbaud and Snowball Fundraising for donations, Campaign Monitor for email, and a custom member portal/mobile app (iOS/Android) for touchless facility entry, virtual classes, and account management. GTM motion is community-led and event-driven, leveraging signature events (Sweet Success annual fundraiser, Dance-a-Thon, Black History Month Celebration, YW Speaker Series), social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, YouTube), earned media, and partnership co-marketing rather than digital acquisition funnels.

Leadership transitioned in mid-2023 when CEO Gaye Adams Massey retired after eight years and Ashley Booker assumed the role in August 2023. The Board of Directors includes representation from PwC (Chair Angela B. Finney), US Bank (Vice Chair Liesl Kistow), Lucere Solutions, and The Marron Alliance. Strategic priorities under the current leadership emphasize Health Equity, integration of the Health & Fitness Center as a mission-critical asset, and expansion of the Selby Avenue facility as a community hub—evidenced by 2025-2026 partnerships with Motion (physical therapy) and Pathways Life & Health (youth programming).

Name

YWCA St. Paul

Legal name

YWCA St. Paul

Website

https://ywcastpaul.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

YWCA St. Paul is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1907 serving approximately 5,000 community members annually in the Twin Cities through integrated housing, youth development, employment, health & fitness, and racial justice programs across 57 owned affordable housing units.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Major revenue source through government grants for housing, employment, and youth development programs
2. Contributions and Donations: Individual, foundation, and corporate donations and contributions to support mission activities
3. Health & Fitness Center Memberships: Monthly and annual membership fees for fitness center access, pool, and group fitness classes
4. Rental Income: Revenue from 57 affordable housing units owned and operated by the organization
5. Program Service Fees: Fees for specialty fitness classes, personal training, and other program services
6. United Way Support: Funding support from United Way organizations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

YWCA St. Paul is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating since 1907 that delivers integrated social services across four core program areas: Housing & Supportive Services (transitional and permanent supportive housing for families), Youth Development (YW Stride and the Young Women's Initiative of Minnesota), Health & Wellness (a membership-based Health & Fitness Center with pool, group fitness, personal training, Pilates Reformer, and aquatics), and Employment & Economic Development (YW Works, Career Pathways, and Housing Stability Initiative delivered under contract with Ramsey County Workforce Solutions).

Product overview

YWCA St. Paul is a nonprofit social services organization offering a multi-program portfolio centered on four core pillars: Health & Wellness (Health & Fitness Center), Housing & Supportive Services (Transitional Housing, Permanent Supportive Housing), Employment & Economic Development (YW Works, Career Pathways, Housing Stability Initiative), and Youth Development (YW Stride, Young Women's Initiative). The Health & Fitness Center operates as a membership-based fitness facility with group fitness classes, personal training, Pilates (Mat and Reformer), aquatics, and swim programs. Racial justice programming includes the 21 Day Racial Equity Challenge and monthly Equity & Justice Conversations. The organization also maintains a Member Portal and mobile app for fitness center operations. Programs are integrated to provide holistic support—housing participants can access employment services, fitness membership, and youth programming as eligible.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health & Fitness Center (HFC) Membership-based fitness facility with cardio and strength equipment, pool, hot tub, sauna, group fitness classes, personal training, and specialty programs for community members in St. Paul.
• Transitional Housing Program Housing program where single-parent families build life skills and establish stability while living in one of YWCA St. Paul's three transitional housing sites for up to 36 months.
• Permanent Supportive Housing Safe, affordable housing combined with supportive services tailored to help families who have experienced significant barriers resulting in long-term homelessness.
• YW Stride Program helping young women of color ages 17-24 transitioning from foster care secure stable housing and navigate relationships, resources, and systems through an 18-month structured program.
• Young Women's Initiative of Minnesota (YWIMN) Public-private partnership between Women's Foundation of Minnesota, State of Minnesota, and YWCA St. Paul to achieve equity in opportunities for young women of color, American Indian young women, LGBTQ youth, and young women with disabilities through a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment.
• YW Works Employment services program delivered as a contractor of Ramsey County's Workforce Solutions, providing culturally specific employment services for African Americans participating in the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) to maximize economic self-sufficiency.
• Career Pathways Program providing customized career counseling and certification training (CNA/CMA) to help participants overcome barriers to obtaining and sustaining employment in high-demand positions.
• Housing Stability Initiative Program designed for African American families on MFIP providing financial coaching, direct financial assistance to bridge benefit gaps, landlord advocacy, and holistic programming to promote healthy families and housing stability.
• Personal Training Individual and small-group fitness training services including yoga, cycle, and bootcamp modalities delivered by certified personal trainers at the Health & Fitness Center.
• Group Fitness Classes Variety of group fitness classes including Dance Party, SilverSneakers Classic, Yoga, EnerChi, Step & Sculpt, Barbell Strength, Total Body Conditioning, Cycle, Oula Dance, and Tabata, available in-person and virtually.
• Pilates Reformer Classes Core-focused workout using Pilates reformer equipment with drop-in classes at Essentials and Experienced levels, available as pay-as-you-go or class pack options.
• Piranhas Swim Team Competitive and recreational swim team for youth ages 5+ with multiple levels (Juniors, Bronze, Silver, Gold) to develop swimming skills and build confidence.
• Youth Swimming Lessons Group and private swim lessons for infants through teens covering water confidence, stroke technique, and water safety skills at various proficiency levels.
• 21 Day Racial Equity Challenge Educational challenge helping participants understand how racial injustice impacts their community through daily reading, listening, reflection, and action activities over 21 days.
• Equity & Justice Conversations Monthly virtual community conversations with prominent speakers focused on specific topics reflecting consequences of racism such as housing stability, voting rights, employment, and education.
• YWCA St. Paul Member Portal & Mobile App Interactive software platform enabling fitness center members to access touchless facility entry, virtual classes, online account management, class registration, pool reservations, and personal training session scheduling via web or mobile app.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ community members served annually through core programs and Health & Fitness Center
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Women's Foundation of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Women's Foundation of Minnesota and State of Minnesota for the Young Women's Initiative of Minnesota (YWIMN), a public-private partnership and multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment to achieve equity in opportunities for young women of color, American Indian young women, LGBTQ youth, and young women with disabilities. YWCA St. Paul hosts the Young Women's Cabinet.
• State of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic-private partnership through the Young Women's Initiative of Minnesota, with young women ages 16-24 appointed by the Governor to the Young Women's Cabinet to engage in leadership and advocacy development, policy initiatives, and community engagement.
• Ramsey County Workforce SolutionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorContractor of Workforce Solutions, a department of Ramsey County, delivering culturally specific employment services for African Americans participating in the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) through the YW Works program.
• Neighborhood Development CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing business development classes that YWCA St. Paul funds for program participants, such as classes on starting a business.
• Thomson Reuters Black Employee NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate volunteer group that participated in a day of service at YWCA St. Paul alongside the Global Volunteer Network.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Neighborhood House: St. Paul-based community services nonprofit serving immigrant, refugee, and low-income families with housing navigation, youth programming, employment support, and community health. Strongly comparable to YWCA St. Paul by geography, target population, and integrated service model.
• Aeon: Twin Cities affordable housing nonprofit that owns and operates thousands of affordable rental units combined with supportive services. Directly comparable to YWCA St. Paul's owned-housing model (57 units) and supportive housing programs for families experiencing homelessness.
• YWCA Minneapolis: Direct sister YWCA affiliate serving the adjacent Minneapolis market with the same national mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. Most directly comparable by mission, brand, programming pillars (housing, youth, wellness, employment), and Twin Cities geography.
• Simpson Housing Services: Minneapolis-based nonprofit operating emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive housing with employment and youth services. Directly comparable mission alignment on housing-first programming and integrated employment pathways.
• Girls Inc. of the Twin Cities: Affiliate of a national youth development nonprofit supporting girls and young women of color through leadership, education, and advocacy programming. Comparable to YW Stride and YWIMN youth initiatives by mission and target population.

Emerging players

• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities: Youth development nonprofit offering afterschool, leadership, and educational programming for youth across the Twin Cities. Comparable with YWCA St. Paul's Youth Development pillar by mission focus on at-risk youth, though not gender-specific.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army Northern Division: Regional arm of a national nonprofit operating emergency shelter, transitional housing, food, and workforce programs across Minnesota and the Dakotas. Comparable on housing and basic-needs programming, though broader and faith-affiliated.
• Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis: Regional social services nonprofit delivering housing, employment, youth, and family programs across the Twin Cities. Comparable in mission scope and program mix (housing stability, workforce, basic needs), though larger and faith-affiliated.
• YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities: Large established community organization operating residential, fitness, youth, and aquatics programming across the Twin Cities. Overlaps with YWCA St. Paul on the Health & Fitness Center, swim team, group classes, and youth development, but on a materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Others

• YWCA USA (national organization): National coordinating body for the YWCA movement. Comparable as the umbrella brand and standards body underwriting YWCA St. Paul's mission positioning and donor recognition, but not a direct operating competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ywcastpaul
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVSNQ0aDUrW7ONdMA45nePQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/YWCAStPaul
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ywca-st-paul
• Instagraminstagram.com/ywcastpaul

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about YWCA St. Paul