What Our Own does

Our Own is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 83-2417177) founded in 2018 by Dustin Young and Lee Johnson and headquartered in Los Angeles County, California. The organization designs, builds, and activates trauma-informed wellness spaces inside schools — meditation areas, yoga studios, recovery centers, STEAM labs, and Pilates centers — paired with sustained, on-campus programming covering mental health, movement, restorative practices, workforce development, financial literacy, maternal health, and scholarships. Operating across 8 schools in multiple LA County districts (with expansion into Irvine Unified), Our Own supports 1,500+ TK-12 students daily and has delivered more than 93,000 minutes of programming, reporting a 14% reduction in anxiety indicators, a 13% reduction in emotional distress, and improvement in 65.6% of measured wellness indicators within the first year. The underlying 'technology' is a longitudinal assessment framework built on validated instruments (SDQ, PEDS Quality of Life, GHQ) coupled with KPI tracking across emotional wellbeing, prosocial behavior, attendance, and postsecondary persistence — supplemented by content IP including a documentary (The School Project, premiered at Sony Pictures Studios) and two Emmy Award-winning NFL collaborations.

The business model is donation- and partnership-driven rather than fee-based. All programs are delivered at no cost to students, schools, or families. Revenue streams comprise individual and institutional donations (channeled through a GiveLively-powered donate page), corporate sponsorships and in-kind contributions from a large brand portfolio (Amazon, NFL, Nike, Calm, Intuit, Sony, Boston Children's Hospital, Pacsun, LA84 Foundation, California Community Foundation, NBA Foundation, among others), and an annual scholarship program disbursing over $50,000 to graduating LA County high school seniors (awards up to $5,000 each). Go-to-market is event- and relationship-driven: high-profile activations such as Vibrate Higher at SoFi Stadium, SXSW panels, and Emmy-recognized content pieces generate awareness and funnel donors, while embedded campus staff and multi-year district partnerships drive sustained school-side adoption. Sequenced student pathways (scholarships → fellowships → paid internships via the STUDIO creative workforce initiative) deepen engagement and create a measurable alumni funnel. The organization maintains 1–10 employees and files annual Form 990 disclosures (2019–2023) without publishing a specific revenue figure.

Name

Our Own

Legal name

Our Own Non Profit Inc.

Website

https://ourown.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Our Own is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs trauma-informed wellness spaces and delivers wraparound youth development programming in LA County schools, serving 1,500+ TK-12 students daily across mental health, movement, workforce, and scholarship initiatives, funded by donations and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Wellness Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Programs & Supports (EDAJAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trauma-Informed Care & Crisis Response (School-Based) (EDAKAMAF), Attendance, Engagement & Truancy Intervention Services (EDAJAIAI), Family & Community Support Services (Case Management, Referrals) (EDAJAIAK), Health Promotion, Prevention & Wellness Education (EDALAFAF)

Keywords

• School-based wellness programs
• Trauma-informed design
• Youth mental health services
• Scholarship programs
• Nonprofit wellness services

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Our Own is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 83-2417177) that relies primarily on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Donors can choose to allocate funds to specific programs or the overall mission.
2. Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships: Brand partnerships where companies like Amazon, Calm, Nike, Intuit, and others sponsor Our Own's programs and events. These partnerships provide both financial support and in-kind contributions (e.g., Actively Black donated $10,000 in yoga mats).
3. Scholarship Programs: Annual scholarship program awarding over $50,000 to graduating high school seniors in Los Angeles County, with individual awards up to $5,000. Recipients gain access to the Our Own ecosystem including fellowships and internships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Designs and builds trauma-informed Wellness Spaces inside TK-12 schools and delivers an integrated, no-cost wraparound wellness program stack for students and their families. Core programmatic pillars include mental health, restorative attendance and truancy support, sport/recovery movement (RUN UP), workforce and economic development, financial literacy and economic readiness, and maternal health and family wellbeing, supplemented by an Our Own Scholarship Program and Research & Outcomes Assessment.

Product overview

Our Own is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering an integrated suite of wellness and youth development programs. The core offerings include Wellness Spaces (Design & Build) — trauma-informed environments designed and built inside schools — paired with comprehensive programming across mental health, movement, workforce development, financial literacy, and family wellbeing. Key programs include RUN UP™ (running and physical activity initiative), Restorative Student and Truancy Programming, Sport & Play and Recovery, Workforce & Economic Development, Financial Literacy, and Maternal Health support. The organization also operates a Scholarship Program and conducts Research & Outcomes Assessment using validated instruments. The School Project documentary showcases the wellness space concept. All offerings are integrated through a wraparound care model supporting students consistently across multiple domains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RUN UP™: A youth-led initiative using running and physical activity to promote access, wellness, and opportunity for Black and Latinx youth in Los Angeles.
• The School Project

Products and services

• Wellness Spaces (Design & Build) Trauma-informed design and construction of dedicated wellness environments within partner TK-12 schools, intended to host Our Own's wraparound programming on campus.
• Mental Health Programming School-based mental-health programming delivered to TK-12 students inside Wellness Spaces, integrated with broader wellness and attendance support.
• RUN UP Sport, play, and recovery movement programming for TK-12 students, anchored by the Run the Day flagship event and tied to physical wellness outcomes.
• Restorative Student and Truancy Programming Restorative programming that addresses chronic absenteeism and truancy for TK-12 students in partner schools.
• Workforce & Economic Development Programming Career-readiness and workforce development programming for TK-12 students in partner schools.
• Financial Literacy and Economic Readiness Programming Financial-literacy and economic-readiness education for TK-12 students, delivered alongside workforce programming.
• Maternal Health and Family Wellbeing Programming Maternal-health and family-wellbeing programming offered to mothers and caregivers connected to partner-school communities.
• Our Own Scholarship Program Direct scholarship awards supporting students served by Our Own's wellness and education programs.
• Research & Outcomes Assessment Research function that applies a Longitudinal Assessment Framework and KPI tracking to measure program impact and support accountability reporting to school-district and funder partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14% reduction in anxiety indicators within the first year of programming
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership supporting Our Own's community wellness initiatives and programming. Amazon is listed among purpose-driven brand partners.
• AEGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEntertainment and sports venue partner supporting Our Own's community events and wellness programming initiatives.
• Boston Children's Hospital - Digital Wellness LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOur Own served as an early nonprofit advisor to the Inspired Internet Pledge launched by Boston Children's Hospital's Digital Wellness Lab, advancing digital safety and youth mental wellbeing globally.
• CalmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOur Own participated in Calm's annual retreat where founder Dustin Young and scholar Zaynah Robb spoke on teen mental health with Calm's CEO, founders, and leadership team.
• NikeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partner supporting Our Own's youth wellness and sports programming initiatives.
• NFLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborations including NFL Kickoff 2022 (Love feature winning 2 Emmys), NFL 360 Ode To South Central (2 Emmy wins), and RUN UP youth running program. Reached 12.5M+ viewers and 99M+ viewers respectively.
• IntuitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership featured at SXSW panel discussing how NGOs create impact through cross-sector collaboration. Co-founded SXSW panel with Our Own Co-Founder Lee Johnson.
• Sony MusicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partner supporting Our Own's community programming and wellness initiatives.
• LA ClippersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports team partner supporting community wellness and youth programming initiatives.
• LA RamsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports team partner supporting community wellness and youth programming initiatives.
• LAFCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSoccer club partner supporting community wellness and youth programming initiatives.
• Hollywood ParkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEntertainment and retail destination partner supporting Our Own's community programming.
• PinterestminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatform partner supporting Our Own's digital presence and community engagement initiatives.
• Supervsn StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLos Angeles streetwear brand partnered with Our Own to develop STUDIO creative workforce initiative offering paid internships and mentorship for emerging creatives.
• PacsuncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetail partner with Supervsn Studios collaboration where Our Own helped launch STUDIO program offering 3-month paid internships with brands like AEG, Round Two, and DJ Mustard's 10 Summers.
• ESPNminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for Without You Jackie Robinson tribute feature narrated by Nas, celebrating equity and legacy.
• Actively BlackminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated yoga mats valued at $10,000 for 500+ attendees at Vibrate Higher event at SoFi Stadium.
• GreystarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReal estate partner supporting Our Own's community and wellness initiatives.
• PlayEquityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlay equity organization partner supporting youth access to sports and wellness programming.
• YouthToThePeopleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partner supporting Our Own's youth wellness and community programming initiatives.
• ComplexminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia and culture brand partner supporting Our Own's community engagement initiatives.
• SweetgreenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood and wellness brand partner supporting nutritional health and food access programming.
• Jrue HolidayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNBA player supporting Our Own's youth wellness and community programming initiatives.
• IUSDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIrvine Unified School District partner implementing wellness spaces and programming across district schools.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Inner Explorer: Nonprofit providing daily mindfulness and SEL programming in K-12 classrooms via audio-guided practice. Closely overlaps with Our Own's trauma-informed, daily, school-based wellness programming model.
• Committee for Children: National nonprofit that develops and distributes evidence-based SEL curricula (Second Step) for K-12 schools. Directly comparable as a school-based SEL program provider targeting similar districts and outcomes.
• Character Lab: Nonprofit that partners with educators and researchers to translate character research into K-12 practice. Comparable focus on evidence-based student wellbeing and SEL in school settings.
• Born This Way Foundation: Nonprofit co-founded by Lady Gaga focused on youth mental health, kindness, and wellbeing through school and community programs. Comparable youth mental health mission and brand-driven nonprofit model.
• The Trevor Project: Leading youth mental health nonprofit providing crisis intervention and education for LGBTQ+ young people. Comparable youth mental health mission, school-based education programs, and nonprofit operating model.
• Move This World: SEL curriculum and video-based program used in K-12 schools to build social-emotional skills. Comparable as a school-based SEL content provider competing for the same district mental-health budgets.
• The Jed Foundation: Nonprofit focused on youth mental health and suicide prevention, partnering with schools and colleges to build mental-health programming. Comparable mission and K-12 / youth target audience as Our Own.

Broad incumbents

• EverFi: Edtech provider delivering SEL, mental health, and financial literacy curricula to K-12 and higher-ed. Comparable wraparound wellness-to-workforce curriculum sold to districts; broader commercial scope than Our Own.
• Calm: Global consumer mindfulness and mental health app, already a strategic partner of Our Own. Overlaps in mindfulness and SEL content for schools but operates at much larger scale across consumer and enterprise.
• Headspace (for Schools / Headspace Health): Major consumer mindfulness platform that has actively pursued K-12 partnerships (Headspace for Schools). Comparable school-based mindfulness offering, though much broader consumer wellness footprint than Our Own.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Our Own