Up With People

What Up With People does

The Up with People Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered in Denver, Colorado, established to carry forward the legacy of the international youth organization Up with People founded in 1965 by J. Blanton Belk. The Foundation's mission is to support initiatives that build bridges across cultures and differences through service, music, and youth leadership development. It operates with 11-50 employees and serves individual donors, alumni, registered nonprofit organizations, individual changemakers, and mission-aligned for-profit entities primarily in the United States, with tax-effective donation infrastructure extended through Chapel & York across Canada, the U.K., Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Hong Kong, and project funding reaching Germany.

Name

Up With People

Legal name

Up with People Foundation

Website

https://upwithpeople.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Up with People Foundation is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) public charity that supports youth leadership, cross-cultural understanding, and community transformation through grants, a project fundraising platform, and a membership program serving individual donors, alumni, and mission-aligned organizations across multiple countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders (BPAGAKAO)

Keywords

• Nonprofit foundation
• Grant funding programs
• Youth leadership development
• Cross-cultural exchange
• Donor membership community

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters worldwide. Donors can dedicate gifts to specific projects or contribute to the general fund. Monthly recurring donors receive recognition as steady supporters of lasting change.
2. Global Leaders Circle Membership: Monthly ($100/month) or annual ($1,200/year) recurring memberships offering conversations with the board, GLC gatherings, updates from projects, and connection with alumni community.
3. Major Gifts and Founder's Circle: Major gifts of $10,000+ annually from high-level donors who receive early updates, semi-annual conference calls with board leadership, and special recognition.
4. Platform Fundraising Fee: The foundation retains 15% of funds raised through its platform by approved projects to cover platform, payment processing, and administrative costs. Projects receive 85% of funds raised directly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Up with People Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds and supports youth leadership, cross-cultural understanding, and community service projects through grant programs and a global alumni donor community. Its core offerings include the Grant Funding Program (Individual Project grants up to $500 and Organizational Project grants up to $10,000), the Global Leaders Circle membership program, and a Project Fundraising Platform that enables approved projects to raise funds. The Foundation exists to extend the legacy of the original Up with People organization founded in 1965.

Product overview

The Up with People Foundation operates as a grant-making and fundraising organization supporting initiatives in music, service, and youth leadership development. The core offerings include: the Grant Funding Program providing Individual Project grants (up to $500) and Organizational Project grants (up to $10,000); the Grant Application Platform for submitting and reviewing project proposals; the Project Fundraising Platform enabling approved projects to raise funds (85% to project, 15% retained); and the Global Leaders Circle membership program ($100/month or $1,200/year) offering donor engagement and networking. Currently supported projects include Harmony Jam Sessions in Denver, Sound Collective in Cologne, and Voices Rock performances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Leaders Circle: A community of alumni and supporters committed to carrying the spirit of Up with People forward. Members participate in quarterly conversations with the Board, GLC Gatherings around the world, and support for the next generation of leaders.
• Founder's Circle

Products and services

• Global Leaders Circle Membership A community membership program for Up with People alumni and supporters committed to carrying forward the organization's spirit. Members pay $100/month or $1,200 annually and receive access to quarterly conversations with the Board, GLC Gatherings worldwide, project updates, and alumni community connection.
• Grant Funding Program
• Grant Application Platform
• Project Fundraising Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 22,000+ participants from 138 countries impacted
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Chapel & YorkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerChapel & York serves as the foundation's international giving partner, enabling tax-effective donations for supporters in Canada, U.K., Switzerland, Netherlands, France, Spain, and Hong Kong. This partnership reduces the foundation's operational costs while providing donors with expanded giving options that maximize gift impact.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Peace First: Nonprofit that provides grants, mentorship, and a community platform for young people leading peace and cross-cultural understanding projects. Strong overlap in youth-led grantmaking and global community-building mission.
• DoSomething.org: Youth-activism nonprofit that supports member-led social impact projects with micro-grants and digital tools. Comparable as a youth-driven project funding platform with similar small-grant economics.
• Echoing Green: Foundation that provides fellowships and seed funding to emerging social-impact leaders, with a strong global alumni network. Comparable in grantmaking to young changemakers and alumni engagement model.
• International Youth Foundation (IYF): Global nonprofit that funds and partners on youth leadership and workforce development programs across multiple countries. Comparable mission and grantmaking structure serving youth in 100+ countries.
• Ashoka: Global nonprofit that identifies and funds young changemakers building cross-cultural and social-impact initiatives. Directly comparable to UWP Foundation's grantmaking-to-youth-leaders model and similar applicant/donor ecosystem.
• AFS Intercultural Programs: International youth exchange nonprofit running immersive cross-cultural programs in 90+ countries. Highly comparable to UWP's original traveling-cast cultural exchange model and alumni-network driven fundraising.

Broad incumbents

• Mastercard Foundation: Major foundation focused on youth education, leadership, and economic inclusion across Africa and globally. Comparable youth-leadership funding mandate but operates at multi-billion-dollar scale.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): Established international exchange and education nonprofit operating study-abroad and intercultural programs globally. Overlaps with UWP's cultural exchange legacy but with a broader education-focused portfolio.
• United Nations Foundation: Large public charity that channels donor funding into UN-aligned global programs including youth and cultural initiatives. Operates in the same grantmaking-for-global-impact space but at vastly larger scale.

Emerging players

• YouthActionNet: Program of the International Youth Foundation that supports young social entrepreneurs globally. Smaller, more focused peer in the youth changemaker funding and capacity-building space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/upwithpeople
• Facebookfacebook.com/upwithpeople
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/up-with-people

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Up With People