Lead with Love
Lead with Love is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 2020 that delivers no-cost youth and family programming in mental health, physical health, education, and exposure across six Southside Chicago priority communities, funded primarily by donations, fundraising events, and branded merchandise sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Lead with Love does
Lead with Love is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization founded in 2020 that delivers no-cost youth and family programming across six Southside Chicago priority communities: Auburn Gresham, Englewood, West Englewood, Chatham, Greater Grand Crossing, and Roseland — all areas identified in Chicago's top 15 violence priority rankings. Its programs are organized under a four-pillar framework (Mental Health, Physical Health, Education, Exposure) and branded as five initiatives: Love Leads (youth leadership for ages 14-18), Love Heals (wellness classes such as yoga, meditation, drum circles), Love Moves (free dance instruction for ages 5-18), Love Gives (emergency relief including clothing, hygiene products, and food), and Love Educates (after-school and summer programming delivered in partnership with the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation). The organization also operates a Community Center at 7318 South Racine Avenue opened in July 2023, supplementing a network of partner venues (dance studios, parks, schools, YMCA Lake View, skating rinks, 115 Bourbon St.) used for pop-up programming.
Lead with Love has no proprietary technology platform; its digital footprint consists of a Squarespace-hosted website (leadwithlovechi.org), an e-commerce merchandise storefront, email newsletter, and grassroots social media. The business model is donation- and event-driven: primary revenue comes from individual donations routed through Quickpay/Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App, supplemented by ticketed fundraising events (e.g., Women Empowerment Heels Dance Class at $10-$15, annual fundraisers via Eventbrite) and branded merchandise sales (apparel, accessories, and drinkware priced $16-$55). All youth programming is provided at no cost to participants, making donor and grant support the operational backbone rather than service fees.
The organization reports 11-50 employees and operates exclusively within Southside Chicago, with strategic partnerships anchoring program scale: a core institutional partnership with the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation for K-8 extracurriculars, a flagship cultural partnership with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater via its ADMIT ONE program (announced 2022-03-02), and recurring collaborations with local mental health providers and the Coast to Coast Children's Book Expo. No parent company, venture capital backing, or institutional investors are disclosed; the organization is independently operated and founder-led with no published management team.
Lead with Love firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lead with Love
- Legal name
- Lead with Love
- Website
- https://leadwithlovechi.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lead with Love is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 2020 that delivers no-cost youth and family programming in mental health, physical health, education, and exposure across six Southside Chicago priority communities, funded primarily by donations, fundraising events, and branded merchandise sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lead with Love industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth and Community Development Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)
Keywords
Where Lead with Love is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices9 records
Markets served
Lead with Love business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Primary revenue source relying on donations to host events, give away resources to communities, and fund operations. Accepts donations via Quickpay/Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App platforms.
- Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales of branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, shorts, tote bags, water bottles, mugs, and accessories. Prices range from $16-$55 per item.
- Event-Based Fundraising: Ticketed events including annual fundraisers, dance classes, wellness fairs, and community celebrations. Events such as Women Empowerment Heels Dance Class charge $10-$15 per participant.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Branded merchandise - t-shirts, hoodies, accessories |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Community programs - free for youth |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Adult fundraising events |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Lead with Love product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lead with Love is a nonprofit community organization that provides no-cost youth development programs and family support services in Southside Chicago's priority communities. The organization delivers five core initiatives — Love Leads (youth leadership), Love Heals (mental health and wellness classes), Love Moves (free dance training), Love Gives (emergency relief), and Love Educates (extracurricular programming) — addressing mental health, physical health, education, and exposure for youth ages 5-18. The organization also sells branded merchandise and accepts donations via multiple digital payment platforms to fund operations.
Product overview
Lead with Love is a community organization offering five core programs focused on serving youth and families in Southside Chicago's priority communities. The programs are organized under the 'Love' framework: Love Leads (youth leadership), Love Heals (mental health/wellness classes), Love Moves (free dance instruction), Love Gives (emergency assistance), and Love Educates (extracurricular activities). Additionally, the organization operates a merchandise shop selling branded apparel and accessories to support fundraising efforts. The organization does not offer a software product but rather provides in-person community services and programming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Love Leads: Youth Leader Program under the Exposure Pillar, designed for high schoolers 14-18 years of age offering mentorship and leadership development.
- Love Heals
- Love Moves
- Love Gives
- Love Educates
Products and services
- Love Leads — Youth Leader Program A free youth leadership program for high schoolers aged 14-18 offering mentorship, leadership skill development, community service projects, personal development workshops, and exposure trips, designed to develop agents of change in Southside Chicago communities.
- Love Heals — Community Classes Free community wellness and healing classes including yoga, meditation, support groups, and drum circles offered year-round in pop-up style formats to community members in Southside Chicago.
- Love Moves — Free Dance Program A free community dance program providing professional-level training, technique, flexibility, and creative expression for youth ages 5-18 with no previous dance training required.
- Love Gives — Emergency Need Response Emergency assistance program providing immediate relief to families in need through the distribution of clothing, hygiene products, and food.
- Love Educates — Extracurricular Programs After-school and summer programming offered in partnership with the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation (GAGDC), including sports, fitness, art, social-emotional learning, yoga, tutoring, health and wellness, and music production for kindergarten through 8th grade students.
- Branded Merchandise Shop
Quantifiable outcome
- Free programs for youth ages 5-18 including dance classes, leadership development, and community events provided at no cost
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Lead with Love
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lead with Love technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Lead with Love partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Local Mental Health Organizations and ProviderscorePartnership with local mental health organizations and providers to support families experiencing loss during the holidays. Youth completing wish lists are grieving immediate family members. Partner organizations help provide resources and support to affected families.
- Alvin Ailey American Dance TheaterflagshipThrough the ADMIT ONE program, Lead with Love received 15 free tickets to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance for youth exposure and cultural enrichment. The organization provided bus transportation from Barton Elementary to the theater.
- Coast to Coast Children's Book ExpominorCollaboration with Coast to Coast Children's Book Expo to provide free diverse books for youth at MLK Skating Rink event.
- The Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation (GAGDC)corePartnership with GAGDC provides Lead with Love access to AG Gold Elementary Schools for extracurricular after-school and summer programming. Programs offered include sports & fitness, art, social-emotional learning, yoga, tutoring, health & wellness, and music production for kindergarten through 8th grade students.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lead with Love competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- UCAN (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network): Chicago nonprofit serving youth and families through trauma-informed counseling, youth development, and foster care services. Comparable in delivering multi-pillar youth and family services in Chicago's underserved communities with mental health as a core focus.
- After School Matters: Chicago nonprofit providing after-school and summer programming in arts, sports, STEM, and communication for teens, primarily in underserved communities. Comparable target audience (Chicago teens), program model (free extracurriculars), and partnership-based delivery through schools and community sites.
- Chicago Youth Centers: Multi-site Chicago nonprofit offering youth development programming including academic support, athletics, and arts across underserved neighborhoods. Comparable in delivering holistic, no-cost youth programming with multiple program pillars and a community-center-based delivery model.
- The Children's Place Association: Chicago nonprofit providing child welfare, family support, and youth development services to vulnerable children and families, including those impacted by trauma and violence. Comparable in serving at-risk Chicago youth with holistic support services and family-centered programming.
- BUILD Chicago: Chicago-based nonprofit focused on youth development in underserved neighborhoods through mentoring, violence prevention, and college/career readiness. Directly comparable as a youth-serving nonprofit in Chicago's priority communities with similar violence-intervention framing.
- Chicago Freedom School: Chicago nonprofit focused on youth leadership development and social justice education for teens in underserved communities. Comparable in targeting Chicago youth with leadership/empowerment programming and emphasizing social change agency among participants.
Broad incumbents
- YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago: Major regional nonprofit providing youth programming, wellness classes, and community services across the Chicago metro area, including Southside locations. Comparable in offering free and low-cost wellness/youth programming but operates as a broad incumbent rather than a community-embedded specialist.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago: Established national-affiliate nonprofit operating club facilities offering youth programming, education, athletics, and mentorship in Chicago's underserved communities. Comparable mission and target population but operates at significantly larger scale as an incumbent.
Regional players
- Bright Star Community Outreach: Chicago nonprofit providing trauma-informed youth and family services, mental health support, and violence prevention programming in Southside communities. Comparable mission overlap in mental health and violence intervention for Chicago youth, though anchored in a different specific geography.
Others
- K.A.R.M.A. (Korean American Resource & Cultural Arts) and similar Asian-American community nonprofits: Small, community-embedded youth and family service nonprofits serving priority neighborhoods in other U.S. cities. Comparable as grassroots, donation-dependent, multi-program community nonprofits targeting underserved youth, but not direct Chicago peers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lead with Love social profiles
Digital presenceLead with Love financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lead with Love leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Lead with Love funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lead with Love M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lead with Love
What does Lead with Love do?
Lead with Love is a nonprofit community organization that provides no-cost youth development programs and family support services in Southside Chicago's priority communities. The organization delivers five core initiatives — Love Leads (youth leadership), Love Heals (mental health and wellness classes), Love Moves (free dance training), Love Gives (emergency relief), and Love Educates (extracurricular programming) — addressing mental health, physical health, education, and exposure for youth ages 5-18. The organization also sells branded merchandise and accepts donations via multiple digital payment platforms to fund operations.
Is Lead with Love a public or private company?
Lead with Love is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Lead with Love founded?
Lead with Love was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lead with Love based?
Lead with Love is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lead with Love make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales and event-Based Fundraising.
Who are Lead with Love's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are UCAN (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network), After School Matters, Chicago Youth Centers, The Children's Place Association, BUILD Chicago and Chicago Freedom School. Broad incumbents are YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago and Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago. Bright Star Community Outreach is listed as a regional player. K.A.R.M.A. (Korean American Resource & Cultural Arts) and similar Asian-American community nonprofits is listed as an others.
Does Lead with Love have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lead with Love.
What industry is Lead with Love in?
Lead with Love's product category is Youth and Community Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAK, Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGADAJ, Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.