Alpha Foundation of Howard County

Name

Alpha Foundation of Howard County

Legal name

Alpha Foundation of Howard County, Inc.

Website

https://alphafoundationhc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Educational Services and Scholarship Programs

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Youth education programs
• College scholarship funding
• Mentorship programs
• Leadership development training
• Nonprofit educational foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

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: Unrestricted gifts supporting general operations and allowing the foundation to allocate funds where most needed. Restricted gifts can be designated for specific programs such as Scholarships or Alpha Achievers.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate and individual sponsorship packages including Alpha Achievers Program Sponsor and Scholarship Partner levels. Provides mentorship funding and direct scholarship support.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual Golf Classic tournament generates revenue through sponsorships, player registrations, and auction items. The 19th Annual AFHC Golf Classic is advertised via Zeffy ticketing platform.
4. Endowment Gifts: Long-term endowment contributions through Community Foundation of Howard County. Building the endowment supports the foundation's move toward self-sufficiency.
5. Educational Success Grants: Awards given to Alpha Achievers for passing Advanced Placement exam scores, funded through foundation resources.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Alpha Foundation of Howard County funds and operates educational programs for African American male youth in Howard County, Maryland. The flagship Alpha Achievers program runs at all 12 Howard County public high schools with a paired teacher-advisor and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity mentor model, complemented by the High Achievers middle school pilot, Leadership Development Institute, Harambee Conference, Project Alpha, Ojise Essay Contest, Alpha Sankofa cultural programming, Alpha Foundation Scholarships (over $350,000 awarded since 1975), and Educational Success Grants for AP exam passers.

Product overview

The Alpha Foundation of Howard County operates as a single unified nonprofit organization offering multiple educational programs and support services rather than a commercial product platform. The core offerings center on the Alpha Achievers mentoring program (operating at all 12 Howard County high schools), complemented by the High Achievers middle school preparation program, the Leadership Development Institute (LDI), and the Harambee Conference. Additional programs include Project Alpha (health education), the Ojise Essay Contest, and Alpha Sankofa (cultural programming including Ghana travel). Financial support is provided through Alpha Foundation Scholarships and Educational Success Grants for AP exam scores. All programs work in concert to support African American male youth through mentorship, leadership development, academic enrichment, and financial assistance for higher education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alpha Achievers A mentoring program for African American males in grades 9-12 operating in all twelve Howard County public high schools. The program fosters academic excellence requiring a minimum 3.0 GPA and promotes character growth, leadership skills, and community service, with each school chapter supported by a teacher-advisor and a fraternity mentor.
• High Achievers A pilot program preparing African American male middle school students for the academic, emotional, and social transition into high school through mentorship and extracurricular activities within the Howard County Public School System.
• Leadership Development Institute (LDI) An annual three-day intensive leadership training program for high-school age young men conducted at local colleges and universities, covering parliamentary procedures, conflict resolution, leadership models, public speaking, and civic engagement.
• Harambee Conference An annual conference providing Alpha Achievers chapter representatives opportunities to learn and collaborate through guest speakers, workshops, and luncheons focused on specific themes, hosted at Howard Community College.
• Project Alpha An education and skill-building program addressing responsibility, relationships, teen pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases for high school males, conducted through workshops and informational sessions in partnership with March of Dimes.
• Ojise Essay Contest An essay competition encouraging critical thinking among African American males in Howard County Public Schools, with financial awards for top essays based on an established rubric.
• Alpha Sankofa Program A cultural program re-establishing connections between young African American males and their historic and cultural roots, including the Du-Bois-Robeson International Scholars Ghana travel program and the Dr. Henry Arthur Callis Memorial Project for health and science education in Ghana.
• Alpha Foundation Scholarships A college scholarship program for Howard County Public School African American high school students, offering financial support based on academic achievement and need, with applications submitted via Google Forms.
• Educational Success Grants Grants awarded to Alpha Achievers for earning passing scores on Advanced Placement exams, with applications available starting in May each year and funded through foundation resources.
• Youth Engagement Programming A comprehensive youth engagement initiative including Alpha Achievers Induction ceremonies, HBCU Expo, Black History Expo, and voter registration events across Howard County high schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $350,000 in scholarships awarded since 1975
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community Foundation of Howard CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFHC partners with the Community Foundation of Howard County to accept endowment gifts. Donors can make checks or money orders payable to the Community Foundation of Howard County with AFHC designated in the memo section. This partnership supports the foundation's long-term goal of building an endowment for self-sufficiency.
• United WayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFHC has partnered with United Way through the Community Foundation of Howard County. Donors can designate their United Way payroll deductions to the Community Foundation of Howard County (designation code 7180) and further specify their contribution for AFHC.
• Kappa Phi Lambda Chapter - Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Alpha Foundation of Howard County was established to provide funding for educational initiatives sponsored by the Kappa Phi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. The foundation works in conjunction with KPL to provide educational programming including Alpha Achievers, Leadership Development Institute, and Harambee Conference. KPL members serve as mentors to Alpha Achievers chapters at each high school.
• March of DimesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity program partner for Project Alpha, which provides education on teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. March of Dimes conceived the program in partnership with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
• Howard Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHoward Community College serves as venue host for the Annual Harambee Conference, providing facilities (RCF #400) for the half-day session including guest speakers, workshops, and luncheon.
• Howard County Public School SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with HCPSS enables Alpha Achievers chapters at all twelve Howard County Public High Schools. Teacher-advisors from the school system support program operations alongside fraternity mentors. The High Achievers middle school pilot program also operates within the school system.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: Historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization with educational programming for African American youth including scholarships and mentoring. Comparable in mission and demographic focus but operates at national scale with multiple programmatic verticals.
• KIPP Foundation: National network of public charter schools focused on college readiness for underserved students. Comparable in educational equity mission but operates schools directly rather than funding external programs.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): Major scholarship and education fund provider for African American students and HBCUs. Comparable to AFHC's scholarship disbursement function but operates at national scale with significantly larger cumulative scholarship outlays.
• Thurgood Marshall College Fund: National organization providing scholarships and programming to students attending HBCUs. Comparable to AFHC's scholarship function but operates at national scale and focuses on the HBCU ecosystem.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development organization operating after-school programs with academic enrichment, leadership, and college readiness components. Comparable in K-12 youth development mission but serves broader demographics and operates at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• 100 Black Men of America: National mentoring organization for African American males focused on educational enrichment, leadership development, and economic empowerment. Directly comparable to AFHC's Alpha Achievers program model and African American male youth focus.
• Ron Brown Scholar Program: Scholarship program for high-achieving African American high school students pursuing higher education. Highly comparable to AFHC's scholarship and Educational Success Grants model with similar target demographic and merit-based criteria.
• Jack and Jill of America: African American family organization focused on youth development, educational enrichment, and leadership development. Comparable to AFHC in mission scope and African American youth programmatic focus, though structured around family units.
• National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME): Largest provider of scholarships for underrepresented minority students in engineering. Comparable in scholarship administration for minority youth but specializes in STEM disciplines.
• Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity / Sigma Beta Club: Historically Black Greek-lettered fraternity with youth mentoring programs (Sigma Beta Clubs) targeting African American males. Directly comparable to AFHC's Alpha Achievers as parallel Greek-letter youth development infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/alphaachievers1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Wix
• Facebookfacebook.com/wix
• Instagraminstagram.com/wix

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Alpha Foundation of Howard County