S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth

What S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth does

S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded circa 1999-2000 and headquartered in Uniondale, New York, that delivers youth violence prevention and intervention programming across Long Island. The organization serves K-8 students, justice-involved and high-risk adolescents, youth advocates, and families in four primary school districts — Uniondale, Brentwood, Wyandanch, and Bellport — with additional reach into Nassau and Suffolk counties. Programs are delivered through six branded offerings: STRONG Chapters (K-8 school-based prevention), STRONG University (intervention and reentry for justice-involved youth), STRONG Voices (youth advocacy and leadership), STRONG Talks (workshops and professional development), STRONG Farm (farming and mindfulness), and the STRONG Institute (applied research and systems innovation). The core methodology is neuroscience-informed, integrating adolescent brain science, social-emotional learning, credible-messenger mentoring, and culturally rooted rites-of-passage curricula (Joven Noble, Girasol & Xinachtli).

The organization's underlying technology is a combination of proprietary, trademarked curricula (NeuroQuest, Brain Science Club, Mood Meter Project), structured referral pathways, and an interactive Programs Map (built with mapping partner North Arrow) that visualizes school district-level data such as graduation rates, chronic absenteeism, student-to-counselor ratios, and per-pupil funding. Distribution is community-led: services are delivered directly in schools and community locations, with referrals flowing from parents, teachers, counselors, and partner organizations via online forms.

The business model is nonprofit philanthropy. All youth programs are free to participants. Revenue is generated through individual donations (one-time, weekly, monthly, or yearly contributions ranging from $25 to $200 or custom amounts), foundation grants (e.g., a $109,000 Direct Action Visionary Grant from the American Psychological Foundation in February 2026), and public agency/school district partnerships. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Natasha A. Atkins, MSW, MA, with approximately 11-50 employees and offices in Uniondale and Brentwood.

Name

S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth

Legal name

S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth, Inc.

Website

https://strongyouth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth is a Long Island-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering neuroscience-informed youth violence prevention and intervention programs across school districts, including K-8 prevention, justice-involved reentry, youth advocacy, and applied research through its STRONG Institute arm.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development & Violence Prevention Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Court/Community School Programs (Diversion, Probation-Linked, Community Day Schools) (EDAJAEAI)

Keywords

• Youth violence prevention
• Youth development services
• School-based prevention
• Credible messenger mentoring
• Community violence intervention

Headquarters

HQ city

Uniondale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals, accepted via one-time, weekly, monthly, or yearly donation options ranging from $25 to $200 or other amounts.
2. Foundation Grants: Grant funding from foundations such as the American Psychological Foundation (APF), which awarded $109,000 in Direct Action Visionary Grants to support community-focused programs.
3. Public Agency Partnerships: Funding and partnerships with public agencies, schools, and community organizations to support youth violence prevention programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers school-based prevention, community-based intervention, youth advocacy, and reentry programming for at-risk and justice-involved youth on Long Island. Its programs (STRONG Chapters, STRONG University, STRONG Voices, STRONG Talks, STRONG Farm) and the applied-research STRONG Institute combine neuroscience-informed curricula with credible-messenger mentoring to address youth violence, emotional regulation, and recidivism.

Product overview

S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth operates as a multi-program nonprofit organization with seven distinct program offerings that work together to prevent youth violence and build thriving communities on Long Island. The core programs include STRONG Chapters (school-based prevention for K-8 students), STRONG University (intervention and reentry support for justice-involved youth), STRONG Voices (youth advocacy and leadership platform), STRONG Talks (workshops and professional development), STRONG Farm (farming and mindfulness education), and the STRONG Institute (applied research and systems innovation arm). These programs are coordinated through a Programs Map that visualizes service locations and community needs data. The organization serves youth and families across Long Island with programs ranging from early prevention in elementary schools to intervention for high-risk and justice-involved youth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• STRONG Institute: The applied research and systems innovation arm of STRONG Youth, Inc., advancing evidence-informed prevention strategies that strengthen youth development, reduce violence, and improve long-term community outcomes.
• STRONG Chapters
• STRONG University
• STRONG Voices
• STRONG Farm

Products and services

• STRONG Chapters School-based prevention model serving students in grades K-8, rooted in social-emotional learning, brain science, and youth development. Equips young people with tools to understand themselves, manage emotions, and make healthy decisions before high-risk behaviors take hold. Delivered directly in partner school districts.
• STRONG University Intervention and reentry program for high school youth and young adults who are justice-involved or at high risk of system involvement. Provides intensive mentorship, case management, workforce development, and behavioral health supports focused on stability, accountability, and long-term success in Nassau County and Brentwood/Central Islip/Bayshore.
• STRONG Voices Youth advocacy and leadership platform for high school students and young adults that empowers young people to use their lived experiences and perspectives to influence systems, shape narratives, and drive community change through leadership development, civic engagement, public speaking, and advocacy.
• STRONG Talks Program providing workshops, assemblies, and professional development sessions for schools and community organizations, promoting positive identity formation, development of higher stages of moral reasoning, and providing youth with skills and support.
• STRONG Farm Program combining food and community with hands-on education on farming and mindfulness for children and adults.
• STRONG Institute Applied research and systems innovation arm of STRONG Youth that advances evidence-informed prevention strategies integrating adolescent brain science, bridging practice, policy, and science to design, evaluate, and scale prevention-centered solutions for youth violence.

Quantifiable outcome

• Districts served have 66% economically disadvantaged students vs 37% regional average
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• North ArrowcoreOthersNorth Arrow is an impact mapping and data visualization company that makes, maintains, and updates STRONG Youth's interactive programs maps. These maps show school district-level data including graduation rates, economically disadvantaged students, per pupil funding, and chronic absenteeism rates to identify where programs are most needed.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• iMentor: Nonprofit pairing college-educated volunteer mentors with high school students from low-income communities for long-term support. Comparable in sustained-relationship mentoring model, though STEM/college-focused rather than violence-prevention-focused.
• Roca: Roca is a nonprofit serving justice-involved and high-risk young people in Massachusetts and beyond using an intensive intervention model anchored by credible messenger staff. Highly comparable to STRONG Youth's University program targeting justice-involved youth.
• Cure Violence Global (formerly CeaseFire): Public-health-approach violence interruption organization that places credible messengers in communities to prevent shootings. Directly comparable in mission and methodology to STRONG Youth's violence intervention work.
• Youth Justice Network: NYC nonprofit providing alternatives to incarceration and reentry support for court-involved youth. Highly comparable to STRONG Youth's intervention/reentry model serving justice-involved youth.
• Brotherhood/Sister Sol: NYC-based youth development nonprofit offering rites-of-passage programs, mentorship, and advocacy for youth of color — closely aligned with STRONG Youth's Joven Noble, Girasol, and Xinachtli programs.

Regional players

• Bottom Line: Nonprofit providing case management, mentorship, and college/career support to first-generation students from low-income communities. Comparable target population and case-management model to STRONG Youth's senior case management work.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Defense Fund: National child advocacy organization working on policy and direct programs for at-risk youth, including violence prevention. Comparable in mission and policy-advocacy orientation to STRONG Youth's emerging Institute arm.
• National Urban League: Historic civil rights and youth empowerment organization running workforce, education, and violence prevention programs nationally. Comparable in serving youth of color in underserved communities, though at far larger scale.
• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit embedding support coordinators inside K-12 schools to deliver social-emotional and crisis services. Comparable to STRONG Youth's STRONG Chapters in-school delivery model, but at much larger national scale.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Largest youth mentoring nonprofit in the US, pairing volunteer mentors with at-risk youth. Comparable to STRONG Youth's credible messenger mentoring approach, but with a broader volunteer-driven model rather than paid lived-experience mentors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/STRONGYOUTHINC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/strongyouthinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/strongyouthLI
• Instagraminstagram.com/strongyouthli/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strong-youth-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth