Jiff

What Jiff does

JIFF (Juvenile Intervention and Faith-Based Follow Up) is a Memphis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1970 that delivers Christ-centered intervention services to at-risk youth ages 10-18 referred through Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court. Its core service portfolio comprises five interconnected programs: the Evening Reporting Center, a community-based alternative to detention operated in collaboration with the court; the Early Intervention Program (EIP), a restorative-justice diversion program with a 90% success rate since 1993; JIFF Case Mentoring (JCM), a four-month intensive intervention for higher-risk repeat offenders; Live Life Together (LLT), a one-year community volunteer mentoring program for graduates; and Workforce Training, delivered through culinary and arts partnerships. Programs are structured around the "Six H's" framework (Head, Heart, Health, Home, Hire-ability, Hobbies) and combine classroom-based learning, case management, mentorship, group counseling, and spiritual development.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its delivery model is fundamentally human-services-based, supplemented by commodity tools (Zoom, Flipgrid, MentorPortal.net) and AT&T-enabled tablets for remote case management. Operating infrastructure centers on the 254 S. Lauderdale St. headquarters—a renovated former YMCA facility with commercial kitchen, gymnasium, education department, and offices—acquired in 2006 and opened in 2009 after a $3 million renovation.

JIFF's business model is donation-and-grant funded. Revenue streams include individual and corporate donations (including stock/securities gifts via PayPal), government grants from Memphis City, Shelby County, and the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, and foundation grants from Formanek, Pyramid Peak, Speer Charitable Trust, The Children's Foundation of Greater Memphis, Christian Community Foundation, and Slingshot Memphis (as an Investee Partner). All services are provided free of charge to court-referred youth and their families; there is no pricing model or paying customer base. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and referral-driven: youth are exclusively acquired through court referrals, supplemented by community outreach, mentor recruitment, and donor engagement.

Name

Jiff

Legal name

JIFF, Inc.

Website

https://jiffyouth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JIFF is a Memphis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1970, that delivers Christ-centered court-referred intervention, case management, mentoring, and workforce training to at-risk youth ages 10-18 in Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Juvenile Justice Diversion and Youth Intervention Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Juvenile Justice Education Programs (Detention & Correctional Education) (EDAJAEAB)

Keywords

• Juvenile intervention services
• Faith-based youth programs
• Juvenile justice diversion
• Community youth mentoring
• Nonprofit case management

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual and Corporate Donations: JIFF raises operating funds from individual donors, corporate donors, and community supporters via its donate page, which accepts PayPal contributions and stock/securities donations. A contact email ([email protected]) is listed for stock and securities donations.
2. Government Grants: JIFF receives grant funding from government entities including Memphis City Government, Shelby County Government, and the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. The Evening Reporting Center is operated through collaboration with Shelby County and Memphis Juvenile Court.
3. Foundation Grants: JIFF receives funding from charitable foundations listed as partners including Formanek Foundation, Pyramid Peak Foundation, Speer Charitable Trust, The Children's Foundation of Greater Memphis, Christian Community Foundation, and Slingshot Memphis (as an Investee Partner).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JIFF provides free, Christ-centered intervention services to at-risk youth ages 10-18 referred exclusively through the Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court. Its core offerings are five intervention programs (Evening Reporting Center, Early Intervention Program, JIFF Case Mentoring, Live Life Together, and Workforce Training) that combine case management, mentoring, spiritual development, and job-skills training to break the cycle of juvenile crime.

Product overview

JIFF (Juvenile Intervention and Faith-Based Follow Up) is a nonprofit organization providing Christ-centered intervention services to at-risk youth ages 10-18 referred through Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court. The organization operates five interconnected programs: Evening Reporting Center (ERC) as a community-based detention alternative, Early Intervention Program (EIP) for restorative justice-based diversion, JIFF Case Mentoring (JCM) for intensive four-month intervention with repeat offenders, Live Life Together (LLT) community volunteer mentoring for program graduates, and Workforce Training for employment preparation through culinary partnerships. Programs emphasize the Six H's: Head, Heart, Health, Home, Hire-ability, and Hobbies, combining classroom-based learning with field trips, workforce training, and one-on-one case mentor support to reduce recidivism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evening Reporting Center (ERC)

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% success rate in Early Intervention Program since 1993
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AT&TcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020AT&T partnered with JIFF to provide refurbished tablet computers powered by AT&T mobile connectivity, enabling JIFF participants to stay connected with their case managers and counselors during COVID-19 when in-person services were not possible. This mobile program also narrowed the digital divide for youth living in extreme poverty. JIFF serves 65 youth per week through this program.
• Epiphany MinistryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Epiphany Ministry is an ecumenical Christian Ministry for young men and women who have been involved with Juvenile Justice Facilities. The purpose is to manifest God's love to youth through a three-day course in Christianity and an ongoing follow-up program. Twenty-one JIFF youth and 25 adult volunteers participated in the 2019 event, with seven youth accepting Christ and three following up with baptism.
• Memphis Brooks Museum of ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018JIFF partners with Memphis Brooks Museum of Art to provide Art Therapy to Opportunity Youth. Participants create masks representing who they show the world versus who they are inside. The artwork is displayed as a showcase in the museum. Through metaphors of abstract art, colors, choices, and vision, youth learn to better understand and express themselves.
• Visible Music CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership with Visible Music College gives JIFF youth the opportunity to write and produce their own music. This skill-building increases their talent and allows them to express themselves from an open and honest place. Youth created a song called 'Opportunity Don't Sleep' which was featured on the gallery page.
• Memphis RoxminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Memphis Rox is a fun, safe place for JIFF youth to eat, play, workout, and access WiFi while learning important life lessons. The art of climbing teaches youth perseverance, overcoming fears, trusting others, working together, and achieving more than they think is possible.
• Chrysalis WalkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Chrysalis is a three-day spiritual retreat that gives participants the opportunity to learn more about their faith and experience Christ's love and grace. Chrysalis partnered with JIFF allowing this ministry to outreach to Opportunity Youth for the first time. Twelve youth and thirteen adults participated in the 2018 retreat.
• Slingshot MemphiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018In 2018, JIFF became an Affiliate Partner with Slingshot Memphis. After the first year, JIFF became an Investee Partner in 2019. As an Investee Partner, JIFF participates in rigorous annual evaluations that have strengthened evidence-based practices and aligned with best practices for measurement infrastructure. Slingshot Memphis aims to reduce poverty in Memphis through collective impact partnerships.
• Memphis Grizzlies FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016The Memphis Grizzlies Foundation collaborates with JIFF to provide free mentor training to all volunteers through the Live Life Together mentoring program. The foundation also provides in-person training for mentors. Tonya Watson, JIFF's Volunteer Coordinator, also serves as a Teen Mentor with Memphis Grizzlies Foundation.
• Mediation and Restitution Reconciliation Services (MARRS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016In 2016, MARRS (formerly part of Memphis Leadership Foundation's ministry) merged with JIFF. This program receives referrals for lower-risk first, second, or third-time offenders from juvenile court with the goal of diverting continued criminal behaviors. The merger doubled the number of evidence-based programs JIFF provides.
• Sweet LaLa's BakerycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Sweet LaLa's Bakery and JIFF partnered from 2014-2019 to create an employment pipeline for JIFF graduates. Le Cole Culinary School students interned at JIFF and trained youth in culinary skills. Upon graduating from JIFF programs, participants became eligible to become Sweet LaLa's employees and received workforce training classes and certification. One graduate, 'Dr. Sprinkles,' became the Cookie Lead at Sweet LaLa's.
• Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government referral partner. Through collaboration with Shelby County and Memphis Juvenile Court, JIFF operates an Evening Reporting Center, a national best practices community-based model. JIFF is the primary faith-based youth intervention program serving youth with three or more offenses referred through this court.
• Le Cole Culinary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Cole Culinary School students interned with JIFF and trained JIFF youth in culinary skills through a partnership with Sweet LaLa's Bakery, with the goal of participants entering the restaurant industry upon completion.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Youth Villages: Memphis-headquartered nonprofit serving at-risk youth and families through intensive residential, community-based, and family intervention programs. Highly comparable given shared Memphis base, court-involved youth focus, and evidence-based intervention model.
• Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA): National nonprofit recruiting and training volunteers to advocate for children in the court system, including those in juvenile justice proceedings. Directly comparable court-involvement focus and volunteer-driven service model.
• National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP): National nonprofit providing community-based intervention, family preservation, and juvenile justice services including mentoring and case management. Directly comparable in target population and community-based diversion programming.
• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit embedding site coordinators in schools to deliver case management and mentoring for at-risk students, including those at risk of court involvement. Comparable in wraparound case management and dropout/justice-system diversion focus.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National nonprofit providing one-to-one mentoring for youth, many of whom are court-involved or at-risk. Directly comparable to JIFF's Live Life Together mentoring program in mission, volunteer-driven model, and target population.

Emerging players

• Hope for Youth: Community-based nonprofit providing diversion and intervention services for court-involved youth. Comparable mission in youth justice diversion with a smaller-scale, community-rooted operating model similar to JIFF's.
• Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption: National nonprofit focused on adoption from foster care, including for older youth aging out of the system. Partial overlap with JIFF's older-youth intervention and workforce-readiness mission for at-risk adolescents.

Broad incumbents

• Casey Family Programs: Large national foundation operating direct services and policy initiatives focused on safely reducing the number of children in foster care and juvenile justice systems. Comparable in juvenile justice reform and child welfare focus, though operating at much greater scale.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Largest US youth-development nonprofit serving at-risk youth across hundreds of clubs with mentoring, workforce, and educational programming. Broader portfolio than JIFF but overlapping youth-development and court-referred youth audiences.

Others

• Memphis Leadership Foundation: Memphis-based nonprofit that previously operated MARRS, which merged into JIFF in 2016. Historically adjacent operator in the same Memphis faith-based intervention ecosystem and direct predecessor of one of JIFF's core programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JIFFyouth
• Facebookfacebook.com/JIFFyouth
• Instagraminstagram.com/jiffyouth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Jiff