Mikva Challenge
Mikva Challenge is a 501(c)(3) civic education nonprofit founded in 1997 that develops standards-aligned curricula and programs — Issues to Action, Project Soapbox, Elections in Action, and Student Voice Committees — to empower middle and high school youth, particularly in under-resourced communities, to become engaged civic leaders.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Mikva Challenge does
Mikva Challenge Grant Foundation, operating as Mikva Challenge, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic education organization incorporated in 1997 by Judge Abner Mikva, Zoe Mikva, and a circle of friends to mark the Mikvas' public service legacy and channel Chicago-area youth into democratic practice. Operating from 200 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, with a second regional headquarters in Washington, DC, the organization develops and delivers standards-aligned curricula and programs — including Issues to Action (a six-step youth activism framework), Project Soapbox (public speaking), Elections in Action, Student Voice Committee, Creating Democratic Classrooms, and Power of Persuasion — through a digital curriculum platform (teach.mikvachallenge.org) and direct in-school delivery. Programs also include paid Summer Fellows in elected officials' offices, Citywide Youth Councils (Safety & Justice, CPS Student Advisory, Teen Health), a Student Election Judge program that places 2,000+ students at polling places each cycle, and a summer conference and National Youth Summit convening 150 young leaders.
Business model revenue is diversified across donations/charitable contributions (individual, monthly tiers of $25–$100, employer matching, stock and planned gifts), foundation grants (McCormick Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Annenberg Foundation $500,000 three-year award, Surdna Foundation), state government funding (Illinois DHS Youth Investment Program at $17/hour for Summer Fellows), and digital curriculum licensing through school site licenses enabling unlimited teacher access at a school. A Partner Site network distributes the model nationally across 11+ named geographies and 37+ cities/counties. The organization reports annual reach of 100,000–135,000 youth, 2,600–3,500 teachers, cumulative participation above 1 million, and has been awarded a 4-star Charity Navigator rating, the 2005 Service Learning Agency of the Year, the 2005 Illinois Humanities Council Public Humanities Award, and the 2016 BCBSIL Healthy Communities Award. CEO Vernee Green has led the organization since 2021.
Mikva Challenge firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mikva Challenge
- Legal name
- Mikva Challenge Grant Foundation
- Website
- https://mikvachallenge.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mikva Challenge is a 501(c)(3) civic education nonprofit founded in 1997 that develops standards-aligned curricula and programs — Issues to Action, Project Soapbox, Elections in Action, and Student Voice Committees — to empower middle and high school youth, particularly in under-resourced communities, to become engaged civic leaders.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mikva Challenge industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Civic Education
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Project-Based/Inquiry-Based Learning (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAN), Leadership, Debate & Model UN Camps (EDAMALAK), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN), Community Service & Service-Learning Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAI)
Keywords
Where Mikva Challenge is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Mikva Challenge business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization, Mikva Challenge primarily relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. The organization accepts one-time and monthly donations, employer matching gifts, planned giving, stock donations, and in-kind gifts. Donors can designate gifts to specific sites or programs.
- Curriculum Sales: Mikva Challenge sells digital school site licenses that allow unlimited teachers at a school to access curricula for the year. This provides a revenue stream for curriculum products including Issues to Action, Project Soapbox, Elections in Action, and other programs.
- Government/Foundation Grants: The organization receives grants from foundations such as McCormick Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Annenberg Foundation ($500,000 three-year grant), and Surdna Foundation. Additionally partners with Illinois Department of Human Services Youth Investment Program for Summer Fellows program funding ($17/hour for Fellows).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly donation tiers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | One-time donation amounts |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | Digital school site license |
| Other | Annual | Educator Fellowship stipend |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Mikva Challenge product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mikva Challenge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 that develops and delivers action civics curricula, youth leadership programs, and educator professional development workshops. The organization engages middle and high school students in civic participation through in-school programs, summer fellowships, citywide youth councils, and an annual competition. It also provides teachers with curriculum, training, and a fellowship program.
Product overview
Mikva Challenge operates as a civic education organization offering a portfolio of curricula and programs designed for educators and youth workers to develop youth voice and guide youth to take informed action. The core product suite includes Issues to Action (a six-step youth activism curriculum), Project Soapbox (public speaking competition), Elections in Action (electoral learning curriculum), and Creating Democratic Classrooms (classroom culture curriculum), all delivered through a digital curriculum platform. Programs span classroom curricula, youth councils, summer fellowships, and election judge training, with professional development workshops available for educators. The organization provides digital school site licenses for curriculum access and operates chapters in Illinois and Washington DC while supporting partner sites nationwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Project Soapbox: Mikva Challenge's public speaking program that calls young people to speak out on issues that affect them and their communities, culminating in the annual Soapbox Nation national showcase.
- Issues to Action
- Elections in Action
- Student Voice Committees
- Citywide Youth Councils
- Mikva Summer Fellows
- Mikva Challenge Summer Institute
Products and services
- Issues to Action An action civics curriculum in which students identify community issues, research them, develop action plans, and implement change. Designed for middle and high school social studies classrooms.
- Project Soapbox A public speaking and civic voice program in which students deliver persuasive speeches on issues they care about, with school-level and citywide competitions. Used by middle and high school students and educators.
- Elections in Action
Companies that use Mikva Challenge
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Mikva Challenge technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Mikva Challenge partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Chicago Board of ElectionscoreLong-standing partnership to implement Student Election Judges program. Mikva staff recruits and trains over 2,000 high school juniors and seniors to serve at polling sites each election cycle.
- CoGenerateminorJoint presentation at ISTELive and ASCD Annual Conference on 'Shared Power, Shared Learning' covering intergenerational allyship research and youth voice frameworks.
- DC Public SchoolscoreDeep partnership integrating Mikva's signature curriculum into core curriculum for US Government, DC History courses, and 6th grade English Language Arts. Every 6th-12th grade student gets Project Soapbox speech experience.
- Learn24minorDC partner supporting out-of-school time learning and youth development initiatives.
- Chicago Public Schools Department of Social SciencecorePartnership for Educator Fellowship program designed to help educators strengthen inquiry-based instruction, student voice, civic learning, and informed action using CPS Inquiry to Action Framework and Mikva's Issues to Action Framework.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Mikva Challenge competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Street Law: Street Law provides civics and law-related education curricula and teacher professional development to K-12 schools. Comparable in delivering standards-aligned civics content plus educator training to school districts.
- Close Up Foundation: Close Up Foundation runs youth civic engagement programs including Washington DC immersive experiences, teacher professional development, and classroom curricula. Comparable to Mikva in serving both youth directly and equipping educators with civics resources.
- Generation Citizen: Generation Citizen runs action civics programs placing college student volunteers in middle and high schools to lead civics projects, with a near-identical mission to Mikva's Issues to Action. Both organizations train teachers and integrate action civics into classrooms nationwide.
- iCivics: iCivics (founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor) provides free civics curricula, games, and lesson plans to K-12 classrooms nationwide, directly competing with Mikva's digital curriculum platform. Both organizations serve social studies teachers with standards-aligned civics content.
- Center for Civic Education: Center for Civic Education produces the We the People and Project Citizen curricula widely used in K-12 classrooms. Directly comparable to Mikva as a civics curriculum developer targeting the same educator buyer.
Broad incumbents
- National Constitution Center: National Constitution Center is a larger established civic education institution offering curricula, professional development, and onsite programming. Comparable as a standards-aligned civics content provider with broader museum and national-scale operations.
Emerging players
- Youth For Understanding: YFU runs youth exchange and civic leadership programs globally. While focused on exchange rather than classroom curriculum, it overlaps with Mikva's Summer Fellows and broader youth civic leadership development mission.
- DoSomething.org: DoSomething.org mobilizes young people around social causes through digital campaigns and civic action projects. Overlaps with Mikva's youth civic engagement mission but focuses more on individual campaigns than sustained classroom curriculum.
- Junior State of America (JSA): JSA is a student-run civic engagement organization for high schoolers focused on debate, speech, and political discussion. Project Soapbox overlaps directly with JSA's speech and debate programming model.
Others
- Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) Education: PDK is an education professional association producing research on public education, civics, and educator practice. Adjacent peer serving the educator professional development space Mikva targets, though it functions as a membership organization rather than direct program provider.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mikva Challenge social profiles
Digital presenceMikva Challenge financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mikva Challenge leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Mikva Challenge funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mikva Challenge 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 Mikva Challenge
What does Mikva Challenge do?
Mikva Challenge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 that develops and delivers action civics curricula, youth leadership programs, and educator professional development workshops. The organization engages middle and high school students in civic participation through in-school programs, summer fellowships, citywide youth councils, and an annual competition. It also provides teachers with curriculum, training, and a fellowship program.
Is Mikva Challenge a public or private company?
Mikva Challenge is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mikva Challenge founded?
Mikva Challenge was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mikva Challenge based?
Mikva Challenge is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mikva Challenge make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are curriculum Sales and government/Foundation Grants.
Who are Mikva Challenge's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Street Law, Close Up Foundation, Generation Citizen, iCivics and Center for Civic Education. National Constitution Center is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Youth For Understanding, DoSomething.org and Junior State of America (JSA). Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) Education is listed as an others.
Does Mikva Challenge have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mikva Challenge.
What industry is Mikva Challenge in?
Mikva Challenge's product category is Youth Civic Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAC, Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government), with a secondary code of EDAJAFAN, Project-Based/Inquiry-Based Learning (School-Delivered). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.