HOLLA Mentors

What HOLLA Mentors does

HOLLA Mentors is a Portland, Oregon-based non-profit organization founded in 2013 by Eric Knox to deliver culturally responsive mentoring to Black, Brown, and Indigenous youth ages 5-18 in East Portland. Its core product is a set of mentorship programs, including 1:1 Community-Based Mentoring (pairing youth with community volunteers for enrichment in arts, aviation, outdoors, and college preparation), Campus-Based Mentoring (placing mentors on specific school campuses for 1:1, small group, and in-class support), and HOLLA Scholars (engaging first-generation undergraduate college students of color as mentors who themselves receive mentorship). The organization has extended its mission by launching HOLLA School, a public charter school sponsored by Reynolds School District that serves K-4th grade students through a tuition-free, culturally responsive academic model.

HOLLA's business model is that of a community non-profit: it does not sell to customers but instead is funded through donations and grants processed via the qgiv platform, supplemented by a small merchandise store (holla.nonprofitmerch.com). Its go-to-market is community-led: volunteer mentors are recruited through website applications and newsletter subscriptions, and programs are delivered directly through school, post-secondary, nonprofit, and family partnerships in East Portland. A 14-person staff (including roles such as Grants Manager, Storyteller, Strategy + Operations Director, Director of Partnerships & Donor Relations, and Engagement & Pathways Coordinator) supports program delivery, fundraising, and storytelling. The organization operates without disclosed technology products, integrations, AI/ML capabilities, or mobile applications, and its sole third-party credibility signal is the GuideStar (Candid) Transparency Seal.

Name

HOLLA Mentors

Legal name

HOLLA

Website

https://hollamentors.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HOLLA Mentors is a Portland-based non-profit delivering culturally responsive mentoring to Black, Brown, and Indigenous youth (ages 5-18) in East Portland through community, campus, and scholar programs, and operating HOLLA School, a K-4 public charter school.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentorship Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Peer Support, Buddy Programs & Cooperative Learning Facilitation (EDAKABAI)

Keywords

• Youth mentorship programs
• Community based mentoring
• Culturally responsive education
• Nonprofit youth services
• Charter school education

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Non-profit organization funded through donations and grants. Accepts donations through qgiv platform.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

HOLLA Mentors is a nonprofit organization that delivers culturally responsive mentorship programs to Black, Brown, and Indigenous youth (ages 5-18) in East Portland. Offerings include one-on-one community-based mentoring, campus-based school mentoring, and the HOLLA Scholars program pairing first-generation college students of color as mentors. The organization also operates HOLLA School, a tuition-free K-4 public charter school sponsored by Reynolds School District.

Product overview

HOLLA Mentors is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of culturally responsive mentorship programs. The core offering is its Mentorship program, which includes multiple delivery models: 1:1 Community Based Mentoring, Campus Based Mentoring, and the HOLLA Scholars program (leveraging college students as mentors). The organization has also expanded into HOLLA School, a public charter school for K-4th grade students, creating an academic pathway that complements its mentoring services. Together, these offerings form a continuum of support from elementary school through post-secondary access for Black, Brown, and Indigenous youth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HOLLA School: A public charter school sponsored by Reynolds School District, serving K-4th grade students with a culturally responsive educational model that honors the lived experiences of Black, Brown and Indigenous youth.

Products and services

• 1:1 Community Based Mentoring One-on-one mentoring matching youth with community volunteers, providing opportunities for representation and enrichment through arts, aviation, outdoor activities, and college preparation.
• Campus Based Mentoring Mentors assigned to specific school campuses in East Portland, working with students in 1:1, small group, and in-class settings to provide mentorship and representation.
• HOLLA Scholars Program engaging first-generation undergraduate college students of color as mentors; college students receive their own mentorship support while serving as mentors to younger students.
• HOLLA School Tuition-free public charter school sponsored by Reynolds School District, serving K-4th grade students with a culturally responsive educational model that honors the lived experiences of Black, Brown, and Indigenous youth.

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

One partnership is on record.

• Reynolds School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReynolds School District sponsors HOLLA School, a public charter school that is a tuition-free school of choice for K-4th grade students. This partnership enables HOLLA's educational mission to serve Black, Brown and Indigenous youth in an academic model that honors their lived experience.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit placing site coordinators inside K-12 schools to deliver integrated student supports and mentoring. Comparable to HOLLA's campus-based mentoring model that embeds mentors directly within partner schools.
• College Possible: National college access nonprofit that deploys near-peer coaches (often first-generation college students) to support low-income high school students. Overlaps with HOLLA Scholars in using near-peer mentors and a college-completion framing.
• Self Enhancement Inc. (SEI): Portland-based nonprofit providing culturally specific youth development, education, and community services for African American youth. Most directly comparable to HOLLA due to overlapping geography, cultural responsiveness, and holistic youth-support model.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Columbia Northwest: Regional Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate serving the Portland metro area with school-based and community-based mentoring. Direct competitive overlap with HOLLA's 1:1 and campus-based mentoring in the same East Portland geography.
• Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA): Portland-based culturally specific nonprofit serving Native American and Indigenous youth and families with education, mentorship, and cultural programming. Comparable to HOLLA in serving Indigenous youth with culturally responsive, community-anchored programming.
• Boys & Girls Club of Portland Metro: Regional youth development organization serving Portland-area youth with mentoring, enrichment, and academic programs. Comparable to HOLLA in geography, target age range, and mix of enrichment and mentoring services.
• I Have a Dream Foundation: National nonprofit pairing students with mentors and post-secondary support from elementary through college. Comparable mentorship-and-college-preparation arc overlapping with HOLLA's community-based and HOLLA Scholars programming.

Emerging players

• Hispanic Access Foundation: National nonprofit creating pathways for Latino youth and families through mentoring, leadership, and STEM access. Comparable to HOLLA's work with Brown youth and culturally responsive framing, though with a narrower programmatic focus and broader geographic scope.

Broad incumbents

• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): National umbrella organization advancing the youth mentoring field through advocacy, research, and resources. HOLLA operates in the same mentoring category and is a candidate affiliate or referral partner within this network.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National 1:1 youth mentoring organization with a far larger footprint. Operates the same mentor matching model HOLLA uses, but at national scale and without HOLLA's specific cultural responsiveness for Black, Brown, and Indigenous youth in East Portland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HollaIfYouHearMe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 HOLLA Mentors