Junior Achievement of San Diego County

What Junior Achievement of San Diego County does

Junior Achievement of San Diego County, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1950 and headquartered at 4756 Mission Gorge Place, San Diego, California. As a local licensee of Junior Achievement USA and JA Worldwide, the organization delivers experiential learning programs focused on three pillars — financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship — to K-12 students across 36 San Diego County school districts, reaching more than 30,000 students annually. Its core delivery infrastructure consists of two proprietary physical simulation facilities: McGrath Family JA BizTown, a simulated mini-city where students run businesses and manage personal finances, and Mission Fed JA Finance Park, an immersive personal finance simulation. The technology layer also includes the JA Connect online learning platform and competitive simulations such as the JA Stock Market Challenge and JA Company of the Year competition.

The business model is donation-funded rather than transaction-based: programs are provided at no cost to students and schools, with operations sustained through individual donations, corporate sponsorships (including named facility sponsors such as Mission Fed and McGrath Family), grants from institutional philanthropy (notably a $1.1M MacKenzie Scott gift in 2022 and $1.9M from Life Science Cares San Diego in 2025), and volunteer-supported program delivery via a network of 3,000+ business professionals. The customer base spans four segments: K-12 students as program beneficiaries, high school juniors and seniors (particularly first-generation college-bound students) as the JA Fellows target audience, corporate and business volunteers as delivery partners, and corporate/individual donors as funders.

Recent strategic activity centers on the expansion of the JA Fellows workforce development program into underserved San Diego communities (Hoover High School, 2025) and the addition of new revenue and program channels including summer camps, paid employer-hosted internships, and federal appropriations. Governance is provided by a board led by Chair Erin Polek (retired Qualcomm CAO) with operational leadership under President & CEO Sidd Vivek and Chief Impact Officer Hanna Jensen. The organization is part of a global JA network that provides curriculum framework, brand recognition, and a 70+ year legacy of youth economic education methodology.

Name

Junior Achievement of San Diego County

Legal name

Junior Achievement of San Diego County, Inc.®

Website

https://jasandiego.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Junior Achievement of San Diego County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1950 that delivers experiential financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programs to 30,000+ K-12 students annually across 36 San Diego County school districts through donation-funded facilities including BizTown and Finance Park simulations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Financial Literacy and Workforce Development Education

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit) (EDAHADAG), Credit Recovery & Learning Loss Catch-Up Programs (K–12) (EDAJAGAI)

Keywords

• Youth financial literacy
• Experiential learning programs
• Work readiness education
• Entrepreneurship education
• K-12 business education

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual and Corporate Donations: The organization relies heavily on charitable contributions from individuals and corporate sponsors. The website lists multiple giving options including one-time donations, monthly recurring giving, and planned giving (bequests, charitable trusts).
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners sponsor specific programs (e.g., Mission Fed sponsors JA Finance Park, McGrath family sponsors BizTown) and events, providing funding in exchange for brand visibility and community engagement.
3. Volunteer-Supported Program Delivery: The organization delivers programs at no cost to students through a network of 3,000+ volunteers, reducing operational costs while expanding reach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Junior Achievement of San Diego County delivers experiential learning programs in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to K-12 students across San Diego County. Core offerings include simulated environments (JA BizTown and JA Finance Park), the JA Company Program, JA Stock Market Challenge, JA Fellows workforce development with paid internships, and summer camps. Programs are delivered free of charge to students through school district partnerships and a 3,000+ volunteer network.

Product overview

Junior Achievement of San Diego County operates as an educational nonprofit offering a portfolio of experiential learning programs focused on financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship for K-12 students. The core programs include McGrath Family JA BizTown (elementary/middle school simulated city), Mission Fed JA Finance Park (financial literacy simulation), JA High School Experiences (including the JA Company Program and Stock Market Challenge), and the JA Fellows workforce development program. The organization delivers programs through in-person simulations, classroom instruction, summer camps, and the JA Connect online learning platform, reaching approximately 30,000 students annually with support from 3,000+ volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• McGrath Family JA BizTown: A simulated mini-city where students experience running and working at businesses to learn about financial literacy, work-readiness, and entrepreneurship.
• Mission Fed JA Finance Park
• JA Fellows
• JA Stock Market Challenge
• JA Summer Camps

Products and services

• McGrath Family JA BizTown A simulated mini-city experience for elementary and middle school students where they run businesses, hold jobs, and make financial decisions in a realistic environment, teaching financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.
• Mission Fed JA Finance Park An immersive personal finance simulation where students make real-world financial decisions including budgeting, saving, investing, and career planning in a risk-free learning environment. Curriculum aligns with 13 state-mandated financial literacy themes.
• JA Fellows A workforce development program for high school juniors and seniors providing professional training, career exploration, mentorship, and culminating in paid summer work-based learning experiences with local employer partners.
• JA High School Experiences Experiential programs for high school students encompassing the JA Company Program, JA Stock Market Challenge, and JA Fellows workforce development initiative.
• JA Company Program A student entrepreneurship program where teams develop business plans, launch actual companies with mentor guidance, and compete in regional and national competitions including the JA Company of the Year (COY) competition.
• JA Stock Market Challenge A competitive stock market investing simulation where students build mock investment portfolios over a simulated 60-day trading period, learning risk assessment, diversification, and long-term investing strategies.
• JA Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) A workforce development program that places youth in paid internships with local employers, providing hands-on work experience and career exploration opportunities during summer break.
• JA Summer Camps Summer camp programs including BizTown Summer Camp and JA Titan Summer Camp that teach business concepts, entrepreneurship, and career readiness through interactive hands-on activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 74% of employers reported higher employee engagement and leadership development after hosting JA interns
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mission Fed Credit UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Mission Fed Credit Union sponsors the JA Finance Park facility (Mission Fed JA Finance Park) and serves as an employer partner for the Summer Youth Employment Program, hosting JA Fellows students for paid internships in the banking and financial services sector.
• Maya's CookiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Maya's Cookies (San Diego's #1 Black-Owned Gourmet Vegan Cookie Company) serves as an employer partner hosting JA Fellows students for paid work-based learning experiences. Founder Maya Madsen also serves as a board member and volunteer with JA San Diego.
• Neighborhood HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Neighborhood Healthcare serves as an employer partner for the JA Fellows Summer Youth Employment Program, providing healthcare career exposure and internship opportunities for students interested in health professions.
• County of San Diego Treasurer & Tax Collector's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The County of San Diego Treasurer & Tax Collector's Office hosts JA Fellows students for work-based learning experiences exploring career pathways in the public sector, finance, and government operations.
• San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025JA San Diego partnered with the San Diego Regional EDC on research examining the organizational benefits of employer-hosted student internships. The partnership produced a research report highlighting internship program outcomes for employers.
• Avenues for Success (AFS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Avenues for Success partners with JA San Diego to deliver the JA Fellows workforce development program at Hoover High School through their after-school college access program serving first-generation students. AFS helps expand JA's reach into the Mid-City region.
• Kitchens for GoodminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Maya Madsen, founder of Maya's Cookies and JA board member, serves as a mentor with the apprenticeship program at Kitchens for Good, connecting youth professional development opportunities.
• San Diego State University (SDSU) Division of Research and InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024SDSU Division of Research and Innovation, through its Center for Equity and Postsecondary Attainment, supports the JA Fellows program by providing career exploration resources and connections to higher education pathways for first-generation students.
• San Diego CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024San Diego County expanded its youth workforce development program in partnership with JA San Diego, providing funding and resources to support underserved youth employment opportunities through the Summer Youth Employment Program.
• Cox CommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Cox Communications serves as a founding member and longstanding supporter of JA BizTown, having invested millions into local nonprofit organizations including JA San Diego. Cox played a key role in supporting the expansion of JA Fellows youth workforce development program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): National nonprofit delivering youth entrepreneurship curricula and competitions in schools. Closely comparable to JA San Diego's JA Company Program and Stock Market Challenge, serving the same K-12 audience with overlapping entrepreneurship and work-readiness content.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County: Local youth mentoring nonprofit using volunteer role models to deliver outcomes for K-12 youth. Comparable in its volunteer-driven, donor-funded, outcome-oriented service model within San Diego County.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of San Diego: San Diego-based youth development nonprofit serving K-12 students with education, workforce readiness, and life-skill programming funded through corporate and individual donations. Comparable in target audience, nonprofit funding model, and donor base within the same geography.

Regional players

• Junior Achievement of South Florida: Sister JA chapter serving South Florida. Operates the same JA programmatic portfolio and serves as a relevant regional comparable for JA San Diego's scale, sponsor mix, and program outcomes, albeit in a different metro.
• Junior Achievement of Chicago: Sister JA chapter serving the Chicago metro. Directly analogous operating model (BizTown, Finance Park, Fellows-style workforce programs), making it a structurally comparable peer for benchmarking scale and outcomes, though operating in a different geography.
• Junior Achievement of Greater Washington: Mid-Atlantic JA chapter operating BizTown, Finance Park, and high-school experiential programs. Directly comparable in program mix and corporate/educator stakeholder model, though serving a different region.
• Junior Achievement of New York: Large sister JA chapter operating the full JA programmatic portfolio in the New York metro. Comparable in programmatic breadth and corporate sponsorship strategy, providing a benchmark for a large-market JA chapter operating model.
• Junior Achievement of Los Angeles: Adjacent Southern California JA chapter. Operates the same JA programmatic portfolio (BizTown, Finance Park, Company Program) in a neighboring California market, making it the closest geographic comparable for JA San Diego.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA: National parent organization and federation coordinator for all local JA chapters, including JA San Diego. Directly comparable because it owns the curriculum framework, trademarks, and programmatic IP that JA San Diego licenses and delivers locally.

Emerging players

• Take Stock in Children: Florida-based nonprofit providing mentorship, college scholarships, and workforce development for low-income K-12 students. Closely comparable to JA San Diego's JA Fellows workforce development track in mission, target student, and scholarship-plus-internship model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JASanDiego
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/jasandiego
• Facebookfacebook.com/JASanDiego
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jasandiego
• Instagraminstagram.com/jasandiego
• TikToktiktok.com/@jasandiego_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Junior Achievement of San Diego County