Youth on Root

What Youth on Root does

Youth on Root is a California-based nonprofit organization founded in 2020 by Candice Youngblood that centers low-income youth and youth of color as change agents in the environmental justice movement. The organization provides wraparound support — education, direct resources, a community of peers, and a statewide network — to frontline youth in California. Its core programs include the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) for leadership development, the annual Seeds of Change Summit (held at UC Berkeley in 2023 and UCLA in 2025), regional Youth Power Convenings, and in-person workshops delivered at schools and community spaces. Youth on Root also develops an open-source Environmental Justice Curriculum created by and for California youth, available in print and online with six modules covering EJ history, intersectional environmentalism, local-to-global issues, storytelling for justice, art as activism, and EJ movement leadership.

The underlying technology is a Squarespace-hosted website serving as the digital front door for the curriculum, events, donations, and blog, alongside direct in-person event delivery. The organization is fiscally sponsored by Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE), a 501(c)(3), and operates with a 1–10 person staff supplemented by a 10-person unpaid Advisory Council and a Youth Advisory Board. Governance is structured in three equal branches: the Executive Director, the Advisory Council, and the Youth Advisory Board. Founder Candice Youngblood transitioned to a governance role in 2025 as Rachael MeyersJones was promoted to Executive Director.

Youth on Root's business model is a nonprofit donation-and-grant hybrid. Revenue streams include individual donations, foundation and funder grants (with W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Tides Foundation, CLIF Family Foundation, Justice Outside, and Rachels Network identified as supporters), and corporate partnerships providing mentorship, event sponsorships, in-kind gifts, and discounts. There is no product pricing; all youth-facing programs are free. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with schools, nonprofits, and campus student groups serving as the primary acquisition channels. Geographic scope is California statewide, with no international footprint.

Name

Youth on Root

Legal name

Youth on Root

Website

https://youthonroot.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Youth on Root is a California-based nonprofit founded in 2020 that centers low-income BIPOC youth ages 16–25 as organizers in the environmental justice movement through leadership development, an open-source EJ curriculum, and the annual Seeds of Change Summit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Environmental Justice Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health (BPAGAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI), Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Youth empowerment programs
• Environmental justice education
• Community organizing services
• Nonprofit youth leadership
• Civic engagement training

Headquarters

HQ city

Calabasas

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donations from supporters who invest in youth empowerment. The organization's 'From Roots to Resources' fundraising strategy balances grassroots support with strategic corporate partnerships.
2. Foundation and Funder Grants: Funding from foundations and institutional funders including W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Tides Foundation, and other environmental justice funders listed as part of the 'Community of Changemakers'.
3. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Resource exchange and collaborative innovation with corporations through donations, mentorship programs, job placements, event sponsorships, in-kind gifts, expertise, or discounts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Youth on Root provides wraparound support to low-income youth and youth of color from frontline environmental justice communities through free leadership development, community organizing, and education programs. Its offerings include the Youth Advisory Board program, the annual Seeds of Change Summit, regional Youth Power Convenings, in-person workshops at schools and community spaces, and an open-source Environmental Justice Curriculum with lessons, videos, and projects available online and in print.

Product overview

Youth on Root is a nonprofit organization (fiscally sponsored by Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs) offering a portfolio of youth empowerment programs focused on environmental justice. The core offerings include the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) Program for leadership development, Youth Power Convenings including the annual Seeds of Change Summit, an Environmental Justice Curriculum with open-source educational resources, and In-Person Workshops for schools and communities. These programs work together to equip frontline youth with tools, resources, and networks to become organizers, storytellers, and policy advocates in the environmental justice movement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of speakers and presenters at Youth on Root events are frontline youth under age 25

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE)coreOthersYouth on Root is a fiscally sponsored project of SEE, a registered 501(c)(3) organization. SEE provides organizational infrastructure, financial management, and legal status as a nonprofit. The fiscal sponsor's physical office sits on traditional, ancestral land of the Chumash, Fernandeño Tataviam, Kizh, Micqanaqa'n, and Tongva peoples.
• Alianza CVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Curriculum Working Group composed of adult and youth leaders from community-based organizations across California. Represents communities that have championed environmental justice for decades, contributing to curriculum creation and ensuring communities 'speak for themselves.'
• Californians United for a Responsible Economy (CAUSE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Curriculum Working Group contributing to the development of open-source environmental justice educational materials for California youth.
• Loud for TomorrowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Curriculum Working Group contributing to youth environmental justice curriculum development.
• Communities for a Better Environment (CBECal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Curriculum Working Group representing communities that have championed environmental justice for decades in the development of educational curriculum.
• Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Curriculum Working Group contributing expertise and 'extending reach' beyond immediate service areas in curriculum development.
• Central California Environmental Justice (CCAEJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Curriculum Working Group collaborating on environmental justice curriculum creation.
• Environmental Health CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the Curriculum Working Group working to ensure communities 'speak for themselves' through direct participation in curriculum creation.
• Sunrise MovementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Sunrise Movement on the 2025 Seeds of Change Summit in Los Angeles, bringing radical and hopeful perspectives that energized attendees.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sunrise Movement: Youth-led climate and environmental movement that directly collaborates with YoR (co-hosted the 2025 Seeds of Change Summit). Sunrise operates a hub model nationwide with youth-led campaigns, making it the closest direct peer in youth-driven climate/EJ organizing.
• Earth Guardians: Youth-led environmental organization training young people as organizers and leaders on climate and EJ issues. Directly comparable to YoR's mission of centering young people, particularly BIPOC youth, as the protagonists of the environmental movement.
• Communities for a Better Environment (CBE): Long-standing California EJ organization and YoR Curriculum Working Group partner. Directly comparable as a California-based EJ group working with frontline communities on pollution, oil/refinery proximity, and youth engagement.
• Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN): APEN is a YoR Curriculum Working Group partner and an established California EJ organization organizing API and frontline communities on air quality, energy democracy, and climate. Comparable mission, geography, and youth-adjacent constituency.
• Environmental Health Coalition: San Diego/Tijuana-based EJ organization and YoR Curriculum Working Group partner. Comparable as a community-based EJ nonprofit focused on pollution, toxic exposure, and youth/family leadership in frontline communities.
• Central California Environmental Justice Network (CCAEJ): CCAEJ is a YoR Curriculum Working Group partner and a California-based grassroots EJ organization. Comparable in mission and constituency with comparable youth-and-community-led organizing models.
• Movement Generation: California-based EJ and movement-building organization focused on base-building and leadership development of frontline communities. Comparable in geography, theory of change (movement-led EJ), and adult-youth leadership pipeline approach.

Emerging players

• UPROSE: Brooklyn-based, multigenerational, mostly-youth-of-color EJ and climate-justice organization. Comparable to YoR in centering BIPOC youth in EJ leadership and offering comparable youth development and advocacy programming; differs in being NYC-based rather than California-based.
• Generation Green (Hip Hop Caucus): Hip Hop Caucus's youth-and-culture-centered environmental justice initiative engaging young people of color in climate action. Comparable in demographic targeting (young BIPOC) and in leveraging culture and storytelling for EJ advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• Green For All: National EJ and economic-justice organization focused on building an inclusive green economy, with strong California presence. Comparable as an EJ advocacy and capacity-building organization, though broader in scope and more established than YoR's youth-led niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/candice-youngblood
• Xx.com/youthonroot
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthonroot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Youth on Root