Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida

What Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida does

Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida (JASWFL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1994 and headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida. Operating as a regional chapter within the Junior Achievement USA national network, the organization delivers K-12 educational programs in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to students across Collier, Lee, and Charlotte counties. Programs are delivered at no cost to students, schools, or families, through trained corporate and community volunteers who teach curriculum directly in classrooms. The organization is funded entirely through foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations — it has no paying customers in the conventional sense, with three county school district partnerships (Collier, Lee, Charlotte) serving as delivery channels rather than revenue sources.

The program portfolio spans more than 25 named offerings, organized by grade band. Elementary products include JA Ourselves, JA Our Families, JA Our Community, JA Our City, JA Our Region, and JA Our Nation; middle school offerings include JA It's My Future, JA Career Speakers Series, and JA Inspire (career expo). High school products include JA Personal Finance 2.0, JA Economics, JA Be Entrepreneurial, JA Career Success, and the Pre-Apprenticeship Program (a 6-month work-based learning track for trade-industry careers). Digital infrastructure includes JA Engage (volunteer/class matching), JA Connect (self-guided student resources), JA Learning Platform/D2L (LMS), and JA Central (staff/volunteer portal). Signature events include the annual JA Business Hall of Fame and JA Inspire career expo held at Florida Gulf Coast University's Alico Arena. The organization maintains a lean staff of 1–10 employees and is led by CEO Cheryl Kunkle (appointed 2025), succeeding Angela Fisher.

Name

Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida

Legal name

Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida, Inc.

Website

https://southwestflorida.ja.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida is a nonprofit that delivers volunteer-led financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programs to K-12 students across Collier, Lee, and Charlotte counties, serving 27,285 students in the 2023-2024 academic year as a regional chapter of Junior Achievement USA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Financial Literacy Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Core Curriculum Small-Group Tutoring Centers (Math/ELA/Science/Social Studies) (EDANAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Title I & Compensatory Education Programs (EDAJAGAJ), Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH)

Keywords

• Youth financial literacy
• Workforce readiness education
• Entrepreneurship curriculum
• K-12 economic education
• Career exploration programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Myers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Primary funding from private foundations including Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation ($40,000), Collier Community Foundation ($5,000), State Farm ($70,000 statewide), Bank of America ($10,000), Robert W. Baird ($50,000), and others.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Event sponsorships for JA Business Hall of Fame and JA Inspire events. Sponsorship tiers range from $3,000 to $10,000+ with Presenting, Diamond, Platinum, and Gold sponsor levels.
3. Individual Donations: Donations from individuals and community members to support program delivery at no cost to students.
4. Partnership Contributions: Contributions from corporate partners like Synovus Bank ($250,000 nationally), Suncoast Credit Union Foundation ($15,000), The UPS Store ($15,427.90), and others for specific programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida delivers free K-12 educational programs in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship through volunteer-led classroom instruction, large-scale career expos, and digital learning platforms. Programs are offered at no cost to students and schools, funded entirely through foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations. The organization partners with Collier, Lee, and Charlotte county school districts and dozens of regional employers to deliver experiential curriculum aligned to national and state education standards.

Product overview

Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida offers a comprehensive suite of educational programs focused on financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship for K-12 students. The core product portfolio includes flagship programs like JA Personal Finance 2.0 for high school students and Pre-Apprenticeship Programs for career training, supplemented by career exposure programs (JA Inspire, JA Inspire Too), elementary programs (JA Ourselves, JA Our Community, JA Our City), middle school programs (JA Career Speakers Series, JA It's My Future), and high school programs (JA Economics, JA Company Program). Supporting digital platforms include JA Connect (self-guided learning), JA Learning Platform/D2L (LMS), and JA Engage (volunteer management). The organization delivers programs through classroom-based, after-school, and virtual formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JA Inspire: Career exploration program for middle school students connecting them with regional employers
• JA Personal Finance
• JA Pre-Apprenticeship Program
• JA Business Hall of Fame
• JA Inspire Too

Products and services

• JA Personal Finance 2.0
• Pre-Apprenticeship Programs
• JA Inspire

Quantifiable outcome

• 122.9% increase in students reached (from 12,259 to 27,285) in 2023-2024 academic year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• Collier County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary school district partner providing access to students in Collier County for delivery of JA financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programs.
• Lee County School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary school district partner providing access to students in Lee County for delivery of JA programs and hosting of JA Inspire career expo at FGCU.
• Charlotte County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner in Charlotte County receiving JA programs for students.
• Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner hosting JA Inspire career expo at Alico Arena and collaborating on workforce development initiatives.
• First Horizon BankflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor for JA Business Hall of Fame events (2023, 2024, 2025), providing major event funding.
• Buckingham Exceptional Student CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in JA Inspire Too inclusive career expo for exceptional students with disabilities, hosting events and collaborating on inclusive workforce preparation.
• LARCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in JA Inspire Too career expo for exceptional students, providing career path advisors and employment resources.
• Goodwill Industries of Southwest FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in JA Inspire Too career expo, providing career path advisors representing diverse employment sectors for exceptional students.
• Suncoast Credit UnionflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond sponsor for JA Inspire career expo, supporting workforce readiness for Lee County students.
• Edison National BankmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter/sponsor displayed on website supporter section.
• EntechmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter/sponsor displayed on website supporter section.
• Gulf Coast Business BankmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter/sponsor displayed on website supporter section.
• GunstermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter/sponsor displayed on website supporter section.
• Lee County IDAmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter/sponsor and partner for JA Inspire career expo.
• Lee County Sheriff's OfficemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter/sponsor displayed on website supporter section.
• Title Professionals of FloridaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond sponsor for JA Business Hall of Fame events, major event supporter.
• Miromar Development CorporationflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond sponsor and 2024 Hall of Fame laureate, led by Margaret Antonier.
• Moran Wealth ManagementflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor for JA Business Hall of Fame events, led by 2023 laureate Thomas M. Moran.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement of the Heartland: Mid-sized regional JA chapter offering the comparable K-12 financial literacy and entrepreneurship programming in the Quad Cities region. Identical product suite, volunteer-led classroom model, and corporate sponsorship tiers.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): National nonprofit focused specifically on youth entrepreneurship education for high school students from low-income communities. Direct mission overlap with JA's entrepreneurship and work readiness programs.
• Junior Achievement of South Florida: Adjacent regional JA chapter serving Broward and Miami-Dade counties with identical curriculum, volunteer-led delivery, and event formats (Business Hall of Fame, JA Inspire). Direct geographic peer competing for regional Florida corporate funding.
• Junior Achievement of New York: One of the largest JA regional chapters, delivering the same curriculum suite in the New York metro area. Comparable student reach scale and event-driven fundraising (JA Hall of Fame, JA Inspire).
• DECA: International student organization preparing high school and college students for careers in business, entrepreneurship, finance, and hospitality. Direct overlap with JA's work readiness and entrepreneurship programs in secondary schools.
• Junior Achievement of Central Florida: Regional JA chapter serving Orlando and Central Florida with the same K-12 financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programs. Competes for statewide Florida foundation grants and corporate sponsors.

Broad incumbents

• EverFi (Vector Solutions): Education technology company providing digital financial literacy, STEM, and college readiness courses to K-12 students. Competes for school district adoption of supplemental financial literacy curriculum but with a tech-led vs. volunteer-led delivery model.
• 4-H Youth Development (National 4-H Council): Largest youth development organization in the U.S., offering financial literacy, career exploration, and entrepreneurship curricula to K-12 students through extension programs. Operates at similar scale with comparable volunteer-led, community-based delivery.
• Junior Achievement USA: National parent organization that sets curriculum standards and brand framework under which JA SWFL operates. Reaches 4.8M+ students and 185,953 volunteers nationally with the same financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship mission.

Emerging players

• Next Gen Personal Finance: Nonprofit providing free personal finance curriculum to K-12 teachers and students nationwide. Direct curriculum competitor in high school financial literacy with rapidly growing teacher adoption and free digital content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida