Jaylen D. Berry Foundation

What Jaylen D. Berry Foundation does

The Jaylen D. Berry Foundation (JDBF) is a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization founded in August 2016 by Jaylen D. Berry while he was a student at Wesleyan University. Originally established as the Jaylen D. Berry Scholarship Fund, the entity was expanded into a full foundation in 2018 following Berry's graduation, broadening its mission from scholarships alone to a multi-program community development model branded as "Pro-Mobility" — promoting upward socio-economic movement through financial, educational, and professional means. The foundation is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, and operates under the leadership of Founder and Board Chair Jaylen D. Berry, with an 8-member board of directors including Vice Chair Brandon McPherson (former Goldman Sachs/Bank of America/JPMorgan strategy executive, currently SVP at Warner Music Group), Treasurer Deloris Johnson Drakes (CPA), and members drawn from PWC, asset management, design/construction, and Dell Services.

The foundation's program portfolio comprises eight core offerings: the Scholarship Program (annual awards of $500 to $3,000 for Connecticut high school seniors attending 2-4 year colleges); the Bridge Program (free workshops in technology, finance, and entrepreneurship for middle and high school students); the Internship Program (year-round Spring/Summer/Fall college internships with corporate mentorship); the Externship Program (paid consulting externships delivered in partnership with Paragon One and PWC); Business Grants (financial grants to local small businesses); Charity Drives (toy and resource donations to families); the Loyalty Program (a tiered monthly donation subscription with branded merchandise); and the Art of Impact Virtual Fundraiser (an annual virtual art auction event). Cumulative impact metrics reported by the foundation include $40,000+ in scholarships, $90,000+ in total charitable support, $50,000+ in internship funding, 2,000+ people directly impacted, 500+ Bridge Program students, 100+ paid externship students from 40+ colleges across 20+ states, $10,000+ in business grants, and 1,000+ toys donated to 50+ families.

The foundation operates on a donation-based revenue model with three primary streams: individual one-time and recurring donations (processed via the Zeffy platform), event-based fundraising through the annual Art of Impact virtual art auction (ticketing via Eventbrite, bidding via Air Auctioneer), and tiered monthly loyalty subscriptions. Beneficiary customer segments span Connecticut high school students, college students, middle/high school students in the Bridge Program, and local small businesses. Marketing and community engagement are conducted primarily through Instagram, the Squarespace-hosted website, virtual events, and a monthly email newsletter. No proprietary technology is built or operated; the foundation's digital footprint relies entirely on third-party SaaS platforms.

Name

Jaylen D. Berry Foundation

Legal name

Jaylen D. Berry Foundation

Website

https://jberryfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Jaylen D. Berry Foundation is a Connecticut-based nonprofit founded in 2016 that operates scholarships, internships, externships, business grants, and youth workshops to promote socio-economic mobility for underserved students and local communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education and Community Development Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Youth education funding
• Community foundation services
• Scholarship programs
• Workforce development
• Nonprofit fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

East Hartford

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: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters seeking to support Connecticut youth education and community development
2. Loyalty Program Membership: Monthly subscription-style donations with tiered benefits including merchandise (water bottles, notebooks, shirts, certificates) and recognition on website and social media
3. Event Fundraising: Virtual art auctions and events like Art of Impact generate donations through ticket sales, auction purchases, and direct contributions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Jaylen D. Berry Foundation is a nonprofit organization that delivers educational scholarships, internship and externship placements, youth career-readiness workshops, small business grants, and community charity drives to underserved Connecticut residents. Its core deliverables are the Bridge Program, Scholarship Program, Internship Program, Externship Program, Business Grants, Charity Drives, and a recurring Loyalty Program for donors, all funded through individual donations, event fundraising, and corporate support.

Product overview

The Jaylen D. Berry Foundation operates a multi-program community development organization focused on bridging the opportunity gap in Connecticut and beyond. The foundation's offerings include five core programs: the Bridge Program (professional development workshops for middle/high school students), Scholarship Program (annual awards of $500-$3,000 for college-bound students), Internship Program (year-round college internships), Externship Program (paid consulting externships via Paragon One partnership), and a Loyalty Program (tiered donation rewards). Additional programs include Business Grants (small business financial aid) and Charity Drives (toy and resource donations). The foundation also hosts the Art of Impact Virtual Fundraiser, an annual virtual art auction event. All programs implement a 'Pro-Mobility' model aimed at upward socio-economic movement through financial, educational, and professional development means.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bridge Program Free workshops and networking sessions exposing Connecticut students ages 10–18 to technology, finance, and entrepreneurship, delivered with finance and tech professional mentors.
• Scholarship Program Annual scholarship awards of $500–$3,000 disbursed to Connecticut high school seniors attending 2- or 4-year colleges, based on academic merit and a stated intent to use education for positive social change.
• Internship Program Year-round (Spring, Summer, Fall) internship placements for college students, applied to through Handshake, providing non-profit experience, professional skills development, and mentorship aligned with corporate career paths.
• Externship Program Paid externships delivered in partnership with Paragon One and PWC in which students work on consulting projects supporting the foundation's mission; over 100 paid students from 40+ colleges across 20+ states have participated.
• Business Grants Financial grants distributed to local Connecticut small businesses to support community economic development, with over $10,000 disbursed to date.
• Charity Drives Community charity initiatives that provide essential resources and holiday gifts to local families; over 1,000 toys have been donated to 50+ families.
• Loyalty Program Tiered recurring monthly donation program that rewards supporters with exclusive branded merchandise (water bottles, notebooks, shirts, certificates) and recognition on the foundation website, social media, and newsletters; merchandise shipped annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• $40,000+ in scholarships given
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Paragon OnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for externship program providing over 100 paid students working on consulting projects, with representation from 40+ colleges across 20+ states. The program supports the foundation's mission through meaningful project work.
• PWCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Paragon One and JDBF to provide externships to students working on consulting projects supporting the foundation's mission. Angela Moore serves as Director at PWC.
• EventbriteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent ticketing platform used for Art of Impact virtual fundraiser RSVP management.
• Air AuctioneerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVirtual auction platform used for Art of Impact fundraiser art auction functionality.
• Goldman SachsminorOthersAJ Girard serves as Wealth Management Professional at Goldman Sachs and has shared insights with the JDBF community. Brandon McPherson served as strategy executive at Goldman Sachs before joining Warner Music Group.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• College Possible: Delivers near-peer coaching for college admission and success to students from low-income backgrounds. Comparable in bridging opportunity gaps through structured college-prep programming.
• Bottom Line: Provides college access and success coaching to students from low-income backgrounds. Comparable in mission and pipeline-style programming that goes beyond scholarship checks into sustained advising.
• Minds Matter: Combines mentoring, test prep, and college advising for low-income high school students. Closely mirrors JDBF's Bridge-to-Scholarship model combining academic preparation with college access for underserved youth.
• QuestBridge: Connects high-achieving, low-income students with college scholarships and supports. Directly comparable in combining scholarship awards with mentorship and college-access programming for underserved students.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Provides scholarships and educational support to high-achieving students with financial need. Comparable as a scholarship-focused foundation serving college-bound high school students.
• Horatio Alger Association: Awards scholarships to students who have overcome adversity to pursue higher education. Comparable as a scholarship foundation focused on resilience and educational mobility.

Emerging players

• Year Up: Workforce development program for young adults connecting them with corporate internships and career pathways. Comparable in the internship/career-launch component of JDBF's work, particularly the externship model.

Broad incumbents

• UNCF (United Negro College Fund): A national education-grantmaking organization providing scholarships and programmatic support to underrepresented students. Comparable in mission (education access for underserved youth) and grantmaking function, but at materially larger scale.
• KIPP Foundation: National college-preparatory public charter school network focused on underserved students. Comparable in education-mobility mission but operates schools rather than grant programs.

Regional players

• Hartford Foundation for Public Giving: Community foundation serving the Greater Hartford region with grantmaking and donor-advised funds. Comparable as a Connecticut-based grantmaking organization, though at much larger scale and broader focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jaylen-d-berry-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/jdb_foundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jaylen D. Berry Foundation