Key City Foundation

What Key City Foundation does

Key City Athletics Foundation, Inc. (dba Key City Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 and headquartered in Frederick, Maryland. It operates the Key City Krakens, a youth lacrosse program serving boys and girls from elementary through high school, with a tiered pathway (Test Sail, Port, Elite) and supplementary offerings including Lax Labs year-round training, Recruiting Assistance, and a Leadership & Service program built around a #LiveToGive community-service model. The organization reaches athletes across Maryland and West Virginia, with a documented impact base of 150+ athletes supported, 33% of whom receive Opportunity Grants that cover full or partial program costs, and 2,000+ volunteer hours contributed to the community.

The operating platform is The Academy App, powered by Shield Wolf Academy, which handles family accounts, program registration, scheduling, team communication, calendar synchronization, and year-round training resources including position-specific drills, film breakdowns, and recruiting guidance. Key City also runs the PLL WMD Summer Sixes League in partnership with the Premier Lacrosse League, Women's Lacrosse League, FCA WMD Lax, and Saint John's Catholic Prep (Buckeystown, MD), and sells official merchandise through the Kraken Store on Powell Lacrosse.

The business model is a hybrid of earned and contributed revenue. Earned revenue comes from tryout fees ($30/session or $50 for both), tiered club program fees that vary by team level, Summer Sixes free-agent registrations ($165/player) and team registrations ($2,000/team for up to 18 players), and merchandise sales. Contributed revenue comes from individual donations at $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, and $1,000+ tiers, local-business sponsorships, and community fundraisers such as the Octoberfest 5K and the Kraken Classic Tournament. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: seasonal in-person tryouts at Ballenger Creek Park are the primary acquisition event, with The Academy App as the primary digital touchpoint.

Name

Key City Foundation

Legal name

Key City Athletics Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://keycityfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Key City Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Frederick, Maryland that runs the Key City Krakens youth lacrosse program for elementary through high school athletes in Maryland and West Virginia, supported by The Academy App platform, Opportunity Grants, and a faith-based #LiveToGive service model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Lacrosse Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF), Cause, Community & CSR-Linked Sports Partnerships (Foundations, Youth Programs) (MPAKALAJ)

Keywords

• Youth lacrosse programs
• Club sports training
• Athletic scholarship grants
• Youth athlete development
• Community sports nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Frederick

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Club Program Fees: Fees from youth lacrosse club programs including tryouts ($30/session or $50/both) and team fees (vary by tier: Test Sail, Port, Elite). One-time seasonal fees covering practices, tournaments, and coaching.
2. Summer Sixes League: 6v6 summer lacrosse league revenue from team registrations ($2,000/team for up to 18 players) and free agent individual registration ($165/player). Includes 8 games over 8 weeks.
3. Donations & Grants: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting Opportunity Grants that fund athlete scholarships. Donation tiers: $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000+ for team sponsorship.
4. Sponsorships: Partnership sponsorships from local businesses and organizations in exchange for brand visibility and community investment.
5. Merchandise Sales: Kraken Store merchandise sales through Powell Lacrosse including official team apparel and gear, with proceeds supporting athletes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Key City Foundation (Key City Athletics Foundation, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the Key City Krakens youth lacrosse program for boys and girls from elementary through high school. It delivers competitive club teams, year-round skill training (Lax Labs), summer league play (PLL WMD Summer Sixes), and college recruiting support, with all operations managed through The Academy App digital platform. The Foundation subsidizes participation through Opportunity Grants funded by donations, sponsorships, and community fundraising events.

Product overview

Key City Athletics Foundation operates as a unified youth sports ecosystem centered on its flagship Key City Krakens lacrosse program, which serves boys and girls from elementary through high school. The organization provides a multi-tiered competitive structure (Test Sail, Port, Elite) alongside supplementary programs including The Academy App for registration and athlete management, the PLL WMD Summer Sixes League for summer competition, Lax Labs Training for year-round skill development, Leadership & Service programming, Opportunity Grants for financial assistance, and Recruiting Assistance for high school athletes. The Academy App serves as the operational platform powering all registrations, scheduling, communication, and training resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Key City Krakens: The Foundation's flagship youth lacrosse program offering competitive and developmental teams for boys and girls from elementary through high school.
• The Academy App
• PLL WMD Summer Sixes League

Products and services

• Key City Krakens Youth Lacrosse Club Flagship competitive youth lacrosse program for boys and girls from elementary through high school, organized in tiered teams (Test Sail, Port, Elite) with elite coaching, tournament travel, and a developmental pathway toward college exposure.
• Boys Club Lacrosse

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ athletes supported annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with PLL for the WMD Summer Sixes League. PLL WMD Summer Sixes brings premier 6v6 lacrosse to Frederick, MD. All proceeds benefit Key City Athletics Foundation Opportunity Grants and programming.
• Women's Lacrosse LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in WMD Girls' Inaugural Summer Sixes League. League runs 8 weeks (6 regular + 2 playoff games) on Fridays starting June 5.
• Saint John's Catholic PrepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Summer Sixes League at 3989 Buckeystown Pike, Buckeystown, MD. Provides 6 fields with turf priority for High School divisions.
• FCA WMD LaxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in WMD Summer Sixes League supporting youth lacrosse development in Western Maryland region.
• Shield Wolf Academy (The Academy)coreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform powering The Academy App for athlete management, registrations, scheduling, communication, and training resources. Key City Krakens programs run through shieldwolfacademy.com.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Premier Lacrosse League (PLL): Professional men's lacrosse league and a direct strategic/operational partner to Key City Foundation via the WMD Summer Sixes League. Comparable in connecting player development to professional pathways but operates at the league level.

Direct peers

• NXT Lacrosse: Mid-Atlantic youth lacrosse club with boys' and girls' programs and recruiting support. Geographic and product overlap with Key City Foundation's Frederick/Maryland footprint.
• West Coast Star Lacrosse: West Coast youth lacrosse club with development and elite tiers for boys and girls. Comparable pathway program, regional tournament focus, and college exposure mission.
• True Lacrosse: Premier national youth lacrosse club operating tiered travel teams, summer leagues, and recruiting exposure. Directly comparable multi-region youth lacrosse operator with similar tryout, team-fee, and showcase economics.
• Team 91 Lacrosse: Long-running youth lacrosse organization with club teams, summer leagues, training clinics, and recruiting showcases. Operates a very similar business model focused on elite travel teams and tournament play.
• MadLax Lacrosse: Multi-region elite youth lacrosse club with boys' and girls' travel teams, training programs, and college recruiting focus. Closely mirrors Key City Krakens' tier structure, tournament participation, and player-development pathway.
• FCA Lacrosse: Faith-based youth sports arm of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, running lacrosse and other sports programs. Shares the faith-driven mission, character development, and community-service positioning that differentiates Key City.

Broad incumbents

• US Lacrosse: National governing body for lacrosse in the U.S., setting rules, certifying coaches, and supporting youth participation. Comparable in mission (growing the sport) but operates at industry-wide scale rather than as a single club operator.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National nonprofit operating youth development programs including athletics. Compares as a broader-incumbent youth-sports nonprofit with similar inclusion, accessibility, and character-development missions.
• Police Athletic League (PAL): Long-standing U.S. nonprofit providing youth sports and enrichment programs to underserved communities. Comparable nonprofit youth-sports foundation model with a similar mission of accessibility and community impact.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_KCF_
• Facebookfacebook.com/KeyCityFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/key-city-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Key City Foundation