Communities In Schools

What Communities In Schools does

Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo (CIS of Kalamazoo) is a Michigan-incorporated nonprofit organization founded in 2004 that operates an integrated student support model by embedding site coordinators directly inside 18 Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) buildings. The organization serves approximately 12,000 K-12 students with wraparound services focused on attendance improvement, academic achievement, social-emotional learning, and graduation readiness. Its core service portfolio includes the CIS Site Coordinator Program, an After School Program operating in ten school buildings under Michigan Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding, a Youth Development Coach Program, and the DifferenceMakers AZO leadership initiative for high school juniors. For the 2024-2025 school year, CIS of Kalamazoo reports 97% high school graduation among seniors working with the organization, 70% of students improved attendance, 94% of K-11 students promoted, and 72% meeting or progressing on academic goals.

CIS of Kalamazoo generates no fee-based revenue; it is funded through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and state education funding. Major corporate and foundation funders include Stryker, JP Morgan Chase, Kalsec, Stryker-Johnston Foundation, Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation, Dorothy U. Dalton Foundation, ENNA Foundation, and VanDalson Foundation, among others. Community engagement channels include the annual Champs Celebration (19th edition in 2026 with over 300 attendees), the Walking With Purpose fundraiser (2025 edition with ~1,000 walkers, 40 teams, 34,000+ miles, and ~$60,000 raised), and an active blog, email newsletter, and social media presence. The organization is an affiliate of the national Communities In Schools network of 181 affiliates and is governed by a local Board of Directors with James Devers serving as CEO since July 2019.

Name

Communities In Schools

Legal name

Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo

Website

https://ciskalamazoo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo is a nonprofit that embeds site coordinators in 18 Kalamazoo Public Schools to deliver wraparound academic, attendance, and social-emotional support to approximately 12,000 K-12 students, funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Student support services
• Dropout prevention programs
• School-based mentoring
• After-school programming
• Wraparound student services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kalamazoo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization receives donations from individual community members who support the mission of helping students stay in school and achieve in life. Donors are recognized through annual contributor lists.
2. Corporate and Foundation Funding: Major funding comes from corporations and foundations including JP Morgan Chase, Kalsec, Stryker, Stryker-Johnston Foundation, Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation, Dorothy U. Dalton Foundation, ENNA Foundation, VanDalson Foundation, and others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo is a nonprofit organization that embeds site coordinators directly inside 18 Kalamazoo Public Schools to deliver integrated student support services, including attendance improvement, academic support, social-emotional learning, and graduation readiness. The organization also operates after-school programs staffed by youth development coaches in multiple school buildings and runs specialized initiatives such as the DifferenceMakers AZO leadership program for high school juniors. Services are delivered at no cost to students and families and reach approximately 12,000 children annually.

Product overview

Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo is a nonprofit organization providing integrated student support services, not a technology product company. The organization operates as a single unified service model consisting of site coordinators embedded within 18 Kalamazoo Public School buildings, after-school programming with youth development coaches, and various community engagement initiatives including the annual Champs Celebration, Walking With Purpose fundraising challenge, DifferenceMakers leadership program, and the Honor A Champion initiative. The organization serves over 12,000 students and functions as one of 181 CIS affiliates throughout the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CIS Site Coordinator Program
• CIS After School Program
• DifferenceMakers AZO Program
• CIS Newcomer Program

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• The Kalamazoo PromisemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner whose scholarship program provides post-secondary educational opportunities for Kalamazoo Public Schools graduates. CIS works to prepare students to qualify for and benefit from The Kalamazoo Promise.
• Western Michigan UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner supporting CIS through the College of Education, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Office of Student Affairs. Provides collaborative programming and student support initiatives.
• Kalamazoo Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary school district partner. CIS site coordinators are embedded within 18 KPS school buildings to provide integrated student services. Partnership enables wraparound support for 12,000+ students.
• Kalamazoo Symphony OrchestramajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic education partner through the Kids in Tune program, a trio partnership providing music instruction to CIS after-school program students at Woods Lake Elementary School.
• The People's Church of KalamazoomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner2026 recipient of the Diether Haenicke Promise of Excellence Award for long-standing partnership with Lincoln International Studies Elementary School supporting immigrant and refugee families through the Newcomer Program.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Communities In Schools of North Carolina: State-level CIS affiliate operating the same site-coordinator-in-school wraparound model. Direct functional and operational peer, serving students within North Carolina public schools and demonstrating the same model in a different geography.
• Communities In Schools of Georgia: Another large state-level CIS affiliate using the identical integrated student services model with site coordinators embedded in public schools. Closest analog in terms of program design and target population.
• Communities In Schools of Texas: Texas state affiliate of the national Communities In Schools network delivering the same wraparound support services to K-12 students. Directly comparable operating model and donor ecosystem.
• Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kalamazoo: Local Kalamazoo youth-development nonprofit serving K-12 students with after-school programming and mentoring. Competes for the same corporate and foundation donors and serves overlapping student populations in the same geography.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kalamazoo: Local Kalamazoo youth-mentoring nonprofit operating in schools and the community. Directly comparable in target population (at-risk youth), service mechanism (adult-youth relationships in schools), and local funding sources.

Regional players

• YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo: Regional youth-development and after-school provider in the same Kalamazoo market offering comparable after-school programming and youth services. Competes for the same pool of local corporate and foundation support.
• United Way of Greater Kalamazoo: Local community-support umbrella organization funding many of the same K-12 and youth-development programs CIS serves. Operates in overlapping donor and partner networks within Kalamazoo.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth-services umbrella organization supporting the local Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kalamazoo. Operates the same after-school and youth-development model at scale across the U.S., competing for the same philanthropic dollars.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National mentoring organization with the local Kalamazoo affiliate; provides youth-mentoring services through school and community settings with a comparable mission and outcome framework.

Emerging players

• Reading Partners: National nonprofit providing volunteer tutoring to K-12 students in under-resourced schools. Comparable in model (school-embedded volunteer-driven academic support) but focused narrowly on literacy rather than full wraparound services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CISKalamazoo
• Instagraminstagram.com/ciskalamazoo
• Xx.com/CISKalamazoo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/communities-in-schools-of-kalamazoo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Communities In Schools