United Playaz
United Playaz is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1994 that delivers violence prevention and youth development services to at-risk youth in the SoMa district through in-school programming, after-school programs, case management, and workforce development, serving 75+ youth daily at its clubhouses and 300+ children annually through the SoMa Youth Collaborative.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What United Playaz does
United Playaz is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1994 by Rudy Corpuz Jr. that delivers violence prevention and youth development services to vulnerable and at-risk youth in the SoMa district. The organization runs five core programs — in-school violence prevention at 7 San Francisco high schools, after-school K-8 programming, 24-hour community and crisis response, individual case management, and workforce development — delivered through two clubhouses (1038 Howard Street and the new 1044 Howard Street facility opened June 12, 2025) and the SoMa Youth Collaborative partnership of 20+ organizations serving 300+ children annually. All services are provided at no cost to participants, and the organization supports 75+ youth daily at the clubhouse plus 375 cumulative case-management clients and 100+ youth who have completed GED, enrolled in college, or completed vocational training.
The revenue model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack: individual and corporate donations processed through Network for Good, private foundation grants (including The James Irvine Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, and Dreyers Grand Ice Cream Foundation), and government contracts from San Francisco agencies including the Department of Children, Youth and their Families, the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, the Department of Public Health, and the District Attorney's Office. The 15-person team is distinguished by lived experience — many staff are former justice-involved individuals or UP alumni — operationalizing the mission "it takes the hood to save the hood." Distribution is community-led and event-driven, leveraging word-of-mouth referrals, school partnerships, and annual gun buyback events.
The organization is currently expanding beyond its SoMa base into the Tenderloin via a city-funded violence prevention pilot launching January 2026 in partnership with the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, and recently completed a $26 million community clubhouse at 1044 Howard Street with funding from the Golden State Warriors (rooftop basketball court) and Golden State Valkyries (rooftop mural). Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.
United Playaz firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- United Playaz
- Legal name
- United Playaz
- Website
- https://unitedplayaz.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- United Playaz is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1994 that delivers violence prevention and youth development services to at-risk youth in the SoMa district through in-school programming, after-school programs, case management, and workforce development, serving 75+ youth daily at its clubhouses and 300+ children annually through the SoMa Youth Collaborative.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
United Playaz industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Development & Violence Prevention Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Behavioral & Social-Emotional Support (ABA, PBIS, Counseling) (EDAJAKAE), Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)
Keywords
Where United Playaz is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
United Playaz business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: Individual and corporate donors contribute to United Playaz through the website donation portal (Network for Good) and in-person at events.
- Private Foundation Grants: Support from private foundations including The James Irvine Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, Dreyers Grand Ice Cream Foundation, and others.
- Government Contracts and Grants: Funding from San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families, San Francisco Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, San Francisco Department of Public Health, and San Francisco District Attorney's Office.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
United Playaz product offering
Product offeringCore offering
United Playaz is a San Francisco-based violence prevention and youth development nonprofit that provides a comprehensive range of free services to prepare vulnerable youth for higher education, employment, and healthy living within a safe, nurturing, and collaborative environment. Core offerings include in-school violence prevention at 7 high schools, after-school programs for elementary and middle school youth, 24-hour community and crisis response services, year-round case management, and workforce development including GED and college enrollment support.
Product overview
United Playaz is a violence prevention and youth development organization operating as a single unified nonprofit entity offering multiple interconnected programs. The core programs include In School Violence Prevention, After School Programs, Community & Crisis Response Services, Case Management, and Workforce Development. These programs are coordinated through the SoMa Youth Collaborative partnership (serving 300+ children/families annually) and the SoMa Youth Collaborative Summer Program (serving ~300 children with 20 partners). Additional initiatives include the new Tenderloin Youth Violence Prevention Pilot launching January 2026 and annual Gun Buy-back events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- In-School Violence Prevention Violence prevention and support services delivered at 7 San Francisco high schools, developing leadership skills and providing youth with opportunities to participate in violence prevention events.
- After-School Programs Safe haven programs for elementary and middle school youth offering homework help, life skills workshops, recreational activities, and field trips throughout the school year and summer.
- Community & Crisis Response Services 24-hour crisis response teams and street-level outreach to prevent and reduce violent activities, with staff always on call to help youth.
- Case Management Year-round individual case management services for youth aimed at reducing cycles of destructive behavior, connecting youth to health and ancillary services through partner networks. Has served 375 case-management clients.
- Workforce Development Skill development and workforce training, GED and HSE academic assistance, college enrollment services, and vocational training referrals. Has assisted more than 100 youth with completing GED, enrolling in college, or completing vocational training.
- SoMa Youth Collaborative Partnership led by United Playaz with 20+ SoMa-based organizations serving 300+ children and families annually with academic enrichment, life skills, workforce development, civic engagement, arts, and sports programs.
- Tenderloin Youth Violence Prevention Pilot Violence prevention program developed in partnership with the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, launching January 2026 to provide mentorship and programming for up to 20 young people ages 12-24 through four part-time community workers with deep neighborhood ties.
- Gun Buy-back Events Annual gun buyback events collecting thousands of firearms over the years, held at the clubhouse with a 'no questions asked' policy to maximize community participation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 375 case management clients served
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use United Playaz
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
United Playaz technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
United Playaz partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major, supporting and core.
- Tenderloin Community Benefit DistrictflagshipSan Francisco is launching a new violence prevention program in the Tenderloin, developed by United Playaz and Tenderloin Community Benefit District. Four part-time community workers with deep ties to the neighborhood will offer mentorship and programming for up to 20 young people ages 12 to 24, starting January 2026.
- Golden State WarriorsmajorFunded the rooftop basketball court at the new United Playaz facility at 1044 Howard Street, contributing to the $26 million community clubhouse project.
- Golden State ValkyriessupportingFunded the rooftop mural at the new United Playaz facility, supporting the organization's community beautification and youth empowerment mission.
- City CrossroadscorePartner in SoMa Youth Collaborative alongside United Playaz as lead organization. Together they have collectively served SoMa for more than 50 years, coordinating efforts to provide comprehensive youth and family services.
- West BaycoreUnited Playaz and West Bay formed a partnership to leverage resources, increase impact, and improve services for SoMa youth in response to budget cuts and community challenges including income inequality, open drug use, violence, homelessness, and mental health crises.
- 20+ SoMa Youth Collaborative Partner OrganizationscoreSoMa Youth Collaborative membership includes more than 20 SoMa-based children, youth, and family service organizations, coordinated by United Playaz as lead. Partners include Bessie Carmichael elementary school and the SoMa business community.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
United Playaz competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Bayview Hunters Point Center for Arts and Technology: San Francisco nonprofit providing workforce development, GED preparation, and youth services in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. Comparable workforce development and education pathway programming for vulnerable youth.
- Tenderloin Housing Clinic: San Francisco nonprofit operating in the Tenderloin providing housing, youth services, and community development. Relevant as a potential collaborator on United Playaz's new Tenderloin Youth Violence Prevention Pilot launching January 2026.
Direct peers
- Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco: Provides after-school programs, violence prevention, and youth development services to at-risk youth across San Francisco. Operates multiple clubhouse locations and shares United Playaz's model of safe-space programming and case management for vulnerable youth.
- Huckleberry Youth Programs: San Francisco nonprofit providing crisis intervention, case management, juvenile justice diversion, and youth development services. Comparable mission targeting at-risk and justice-involved youth in San Francisco.
- Larkin Street Youth Services: San Francisco nonprofit serving homeless and at-risk youth with housing, case management, education, and workforce development. Operates in overlapping SoMa/Tenderloin geography and shares United Playaz's focus on justice-involved and vulnerable youth.
- San Francisco SAFE: Citywide violence prevention and youth safety organization in San Francisco that runs in-school programs, community-based interventions, and crisis response. Direct overlap with United Playaz's in-school violence prevention presence at 7 high schools.
- Mission Neighborhood Centers: San Francisco-based multi-service nonprofit providing youth development, family services, and violence prevention programming in the Mission District. Comparable in mission, multilingual community-rooted staffing, and case management approach.
- Aim High: Bay Area nonprofit providing academic enrichment, violence prevention, and youth development programming to middle and high school students in San Francisco. Comparable in-school and summer program structure.
Broad incumbents
- Communities In Schools: National nonprofit embedding school-based coordinators to deliver case management, violence prevention, and graduation support. Direct overlap with United Playaz's high school presence and case management model.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development umbrella organization operating thousands of clubhouses with violence prevention, workforce, and academic programming. Represents the scaled incumbent model United Playaz operates at a neighborhood level.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
United Playaz social profiles
Digital presenceUnited Playaz financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
United Playaz leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
United Playaz funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
United Playaz 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 United Playaz
What does United Playaz do?
United Playaz is a San Francisco-based violence prevention and youth development nonprofit that provides a comprehensive range of free services to prepare vulnerable youth for higher education, employment, and healthy living within a safe, nurturing, and collaborative environment. Core offerings include in-school violence prevention at 7 high schools, after-school programs for elementary and middle school youth, 24-hour community and crisis response services, year-round case management, and workforce development including GED and college enrollment support.
Is United Playaz a public or private company?
United Playaz is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was United Playaz founded?
United Playaz was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is United Playaz based?
United Playaz is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does United Playaz make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are private Foundation Grants and government Contracts and Grants.
Who are United Playaz's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Bayview Hunters Point Center for Arts and Technology and Tenderloin Housing Clinic. Direct peers are Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, Huckleberry Youth Programs, Larkin Street Youth Services, San Francisco SAFE, Mission Neighborhood Centers and Aim High. Broad incumbents are Communities In Schools and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Does United Playaz have an API?
No public API is recorded for United Playaz.
What industry is United Playaz in?
United Playaz's product category is Youth Development & Violence Prevention Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAM, Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDAJAKAE, Behavioral & Social-Emotional Support (ABA, PBIS, Counseling). Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.