Fitrah

What Fitrah does

Fitrah is a Sacramento-based nonprofit organization founded in 2018 that delivers paid vocational training, mentorship, and case management to system-involved young adults ages 16-25, including those with foster care, juvenile justice, homelessness, or school-disengagement histories. Its core offering, branded Fitrah Academy, is a 6-12 month paid training program ($15/hr starting wage with promotion tiers up to $18/hr) that uses real businesses as classrooms, complemented by youth-led advocacy work that engages public officials on issues affecting system-involved youth.

The organization's training platform is operationalized through three social enterprises: pop-up retail at the Folsom Blvd Flea Market (Fitrah Finds, weekends) and the Sacramento Antique Faire (monthly), a youth-run online reselling and gift shop built on Shopify, and an automotive shop providing hands-on repair experience. It runs no proprietary technology; all digital infrastructure is standard hosted e-commerce (Shopify) and conventional social media channels (X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) for marketing and engagement.

Fitrah's revenue model is a hybrid of earned income and philanthropy. Earned income from the social enterprises is stated to cover "nearly half" of program costs. The remaining funding comes from tax-deductible donations accepted across multiple channels — online portal (Zeffy), GoFundMe recurring giving, Donor Advised Funds, IRA distributions, stock donations, and vehicle donations — as well as corporate and foundation grants. Youth are referred through Sacramento County social service agencies, schools, courts, and the foster care system, and the organization also places graduates with local employers as a workforce intermediary.

Name

Fitrah

Legal name

Fitrah

Website

https://fitrah.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fitrah is a Sacramento-based nonprofit founded in 2018 that provides paid vocational training, mentorship, and case management to system-involved youth ages 16-25 through social enterprises including pop-up retail, an online thrift and gift shop, and an automotive shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Workforce Development / Vocational Training

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF), Communication, Collaboration & Conflict Resolution Skills (EDAMAIAF)

Keywords

• Youth workforce development
• Vocational training programs
• Social enterprise retail
• Paid youth internships
• Nonprofit youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rancho Cordova

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Social Enterprise Sales: Youth-run businesses including pop-up shops, online thrift store, and gift shop selling curated products. Revenue from retail sales of donated clothing, collectibles, and mission-driven products. Covers nearly half of program costs.
2. Automotive Shop: Vocational training pathway providing hands-on automotive repair experience. Youth gain skills while generating revenue through automotive services.
3. Donations and Philanthropy: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Accepts Donor Advised Fund contributions, IRA distributions, stock donations, and vehicle donations. Tax ID: 82-3212876

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fitrah runs a paid 6-12 month youth vocational training program (Fitrah Academy) for system-involved young adults ages 16-25 in Sacramento, using real businesses as classrooms: pop-up retail shops (Fitrah Finds), an online thrift/reselling store, an online gift shop featuring mission-driven merchandise, and an automotive shop. Youth earn $15-18/hour while developing job skills, supported by mentorship, case management, and youth-led advocacy. The social enterprises simultaneously generate earned revenue covering nearly half of program costs.

Product overview

Fitrah operates a portfolio of interconnected social enterprises that serve as vocational training platforms for youth ages 16-25. The core offering includes three main business lines: (1) Pop-Up Shops and Fitrah Finds at physical retail locations, (2) Online Reselling and an Online Gift Shop featuring mission-driven products, and (3) an Automotive Shop for hands-on vocational training. These enterprises are complemented by the Workforce Development Program—a 6-12 month paid job training program—and Youth-Led Advocacy initiatives. The social enterprises serve dual purposes: generating revenue (covering nearly half of program costs) while providing real-world job experience for participants. Fitrah also sells merchandise including youth-designed apparel and third-party products (chocolate, stationery, home goods) that support their mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fitrah Finds: Vintage treasures and collectibles shop operating at Green Barn Folsom Blvd Flea Market
• Fitrah Academy

Products and services

• Pop-Up Shops Physical pop-up retail locations (Green Barn at Folsom Blvd Flea Market and Sacramento Antique Faire) where youth gain hands-on retail experience greeting customers, managing sales, and sharing Fitrah's mission.
• Online Reselling (Online Thrift Store) Youth-led online thrift store where participants manage inventory, shipping, customer support, and digital operations to develop real business skills in e-commerce.
• Fitrah's Online Gift Shop (Shop our Cause) Youth-run online gift shop featuring products with social missions, including merchandise supporting Black-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, and organizations helping homeless youth.
• Fitrah Finds (Sub-brand Vintage Shop) Vintage treasures and collectibles including clothing, comics, games, and jewelry sold at the Green Barn Folsom Blvd Flea Market location, open Saturdays and Sundays 10 AM – 2 PM.
• Automotive Shop (Vocational Training) Vocational training area providing hands-on automotive repair experience as part of Fitrah's job training program, where youth work alongside the social enterprise to build mechanical skills.
• Workforce Development Program (Fitrah Academy) 6-12 month paid job training program for system-involved youth ages 16-24 (DCF/DMH/DYS, homeless, out of school, or on probation) combining paid work experience ($15-18/hour), mentorship, life skills development, and career pathway support.
• Youth-Led Advocacy Program Program where youth set priorities, organize campaigns, meet with public officials, compose opinion articles, and speak at public hearings on issues affecting system-involved youth.
• "What If They Never Marched?" Youth-Designed Sweatshirt Youth-designed sweatshirt featuring a powerful image of a Black woman leading the 1963 March on Washington, honoring overlooked heroines of the Civil Rights Movement, with proceeds supporting Fitrah's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Youth earn promotions from $15/hr to $18/hr through demonstrated growth
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Greater Sacramento LibrariesminorOthersLibrary partners host donation containers throughout the Greater Sacramento area to divert clothing and collectibles from landfills and provide inventory for youth-run businesses.
• Municipalities and SchoolsminorOthersPartnership with municipalities, schools, and businesses throughout the Greater Sacramento area to host donation containers and divert waste from landfills.
• Transfer Stations and Recycling CentersminorOthersLocation partners providing 12 square feet of space for donation containers to support the organization's clothing sourcing operations.
• Black-Owned BusinessesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured suppliers in the online gift shop selling products that support Black-owned businesses. Youth curate and sell these products, reflecting causes they care about.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• First Place for Youth: Oakland-based nonprofit serving foster and justice-involved transition-age youth (16-24) with workforce development, education support, and housing — directly comparable target population and geography-adjacent service model.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing immediate employment, job-readiness training, and career advancement support for people returning from incarceration. Comparable justice-involved population and employer-placement focus.
• Urban Alliance: Washington DC-based nonprofit providing paid internships, mentoring, and workforce development for opportunity youth. Comparable paid-training-plus-mentorship model targeting system-involved young adults.
• Larkin Street Youth Services: San Francisco nonprofit providing housing, education, and employment services to homeless and system-involved youth ages 12-24. Comparable population and integrated housing-plus-workforce model.
• Homeboy Industries: Los Angeles-based nonprofit offering job training, social enterprises (bakery, retail, silkscreen), and case management for formerly gang-involved and system-involved youth and adults. Closest mission and operating-model peer to Fitrah, including social-enterprise revenue funding program costs.
• Year Up: National workforce-development nonprofit providing 6-12 month paid training programs for opportunity youth (ages 18-24), with employer partnerships and corporate talent pipelines. Comparable program duration and employer-driven placement model.
• Juma Ventures: San Francisco nonprofit operating youth-run social enterprises (concessions, retail) combined with workforce development and financial coaching for opportunity youth. Closest analog to Fitrah's youth-run business as classroom model.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth-development organization with workforce-readiness and career-pathway programming for teens. Broader incumbent with overlapping youth-development and life-skills programming.
• Covenant House: National nonprofit providing housing, education, and workforce development for homeless and trafficked youth across multiple U.S. cities. Larger incumbent serving a broadly overlapping population with a wider service portfolio.

Emerging players

• iFoster: National nonprofit focused on foster youth transition to independence, including workforce and benefits support. Comparable focus on foster/transition-age youth with partial overlap on workforce-readiness services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fitrahyouth
• Facebookfacebook.com/FITRAHYOUTH
• Instagraminstagram.com/fitrahyouth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Fitrah