Bella Abzug Leadership Institute

Name

Bella Abzug Leadership Institute

Legal name

Bella Abzug Leadership Institute

Website

https://abzuginstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Leadership Training and Debate Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Debate & Model UN Camps (EDAMALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School Public Speaking & Debate Clubs (EDAMAOAB), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Youth leadership training
• Debate education programs
• Nonprofit youth mentorship
• After-school leadership programs
• Summer leadership institute

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, BALI relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. The website features a 'DONATE' call-to-action and mentions emergency funding appeals to sustain programs.
2. Grant Funding: BALI seeks funding from charitable foundations including the Kathleen King Charitable Fund which supports the Millie King Entrepreneurship Program. The organization references need for 'new funding sources' to maintain operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BALI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that delivers free leadership skills development and policy/public forum debate training programs to youth ages 13-21, with a focus on female-identifying, LGBTQI, and gender-expansive individuals from underrepresented communities in NYC and the tri-state area. Offerings include a six-week summer intensive, year-long in-school and virtual after-school workshops, entrepreneurship training, citywide debate tournaments, and a professional mentorship program for alumni.

Product overview

The Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides free leadership development and debate training programs for youth ages 13-21, primarily targeting female-identifying, LGBTQI, and gender-expansive youth from underrepresented groups in NYC and the tri-state area. The organization operates six distinct program offerings: the Journey to Leadership Summer Program (signature 6-week intensive summer cohort program), Virtual After School Program (year-long virtual workshop series), In-school and After-school Programs (academic year partnerships with NYC public schools), Millie King Entrepreneurship Program (intensive entrepreneurship training), One Day Debate Tournaments (citywide competitions in partnership with NYCUDL), and the Mentorship Program (year-long professional mentorship for alumni). All programs are provided at no cost to trainees and incorporate debate training, leadership skills development, and social-emotional learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Journey to Leadership Program: BALI's signature 6-week summer leadership skills and debate training program with 60 trainees per cohort.
• Millie King Entrepreneurship Program

Products and services

• Journey to Leadership Program (Summer Programs) BALI's signature 6-week summer intensive providing leadership skills and debate training across 3 separate cohorts, serving 60 trainees per session, Monday through Friday from 9:30am-3:30pm, with workshops, seminars, speakers, networking, and debate labs. Intended for youth ages 13-21.
• Virtual After School Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Students report dramatic increases in public speaking, listening abilities, debate skills, and willingness to take on leadership roles after participating in programs.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NYC Urban Debate League (NYCUDL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Longstanding partnership since BALI's inception in 2005. NYCUDL is one of the nation's first, largest, and most successful debate training programs for youth. Director Erik Fogel serves as curricula developer, youth mentor, and community leader. Collaboration provides BALI trainees access to rigorous academic training and college preparation.
• Pelham Preparatory AcademycoreOthersPartner school receiving BALI's in-school leadership and debate training programs. Programs are delivered free of charge at the school in collaboration with the principal and teachers.
• The Young Women's Leadership SchoolcoreOthersPartner school receiving BALI's in-school leadership and debate training programs, aligned with the school's focus on young women's education and empowerment.
• The Urban Assembly School of Government and LawcoreOthersPartner school receiving BALI's in-school leadership and debate training programs, complementary to the school's government and law focus.
• Hunter CollegecoreOthersBALI is housed at Hunter College and conducts summer programs at the main campus. Hunter College is the alma mater of Bella Abzug and provides office space (Office HE1233, 695 Park Ave.).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Close Up Foundation: National nonprofit providing civics, leadership, and debate programming for middle and high school students, including underserved youth. Closely comparable in mission (youth leadership + civic engagement), program structure (multi-format workshops, summer intensives, tournaments), and target segment.
• Generation Citizen: Nonprofit that brings civics and action-based learning to middle and high school students, with strong NYC public-school presence. Comparable target demographic (underserved youth), comparable in-school delivery model, and overlapping civic-leadership outcomes.
• She's the First: Nonprofit focused on girls' education, leadership, and empowerment globally. Comparable in gender-specific youth leadership mission and mentorship-based program design, though with a more international footprint.
• YMCA Youth & Government: Long-running YMCA civic-engagement program that places high schoolers in mock-government and debate activities. Highly comparable in model (state-level conferences, debate, leadership) and target demographic, with broader geographic reach.
• LeadAmerica: Organization running college-credit leadership and civic-engagement programs for high school students. Comparable in summer-intensive leadership programming and youth-target segment, though typically tuition-based and serving higher-income families.
• National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC): Provider of summer leadership programs for high-achieving high school students. Comparable in summer-intensive, leadership-skills program format and youth-segment focus, but tuition-based and selective rather than free and access-focused.
• Junior State of America (JSA): Student-run organization training high schoolers in debate, public speaking, and civic leadership. Comparable in age range, debate-format curriculum, and leadership development mission; differs in scale and political-partisanship positioning.
• NYC Urban Debate League: Long-standing core BALI partner and a direct peer in the youth debate and civic-engagement space, serving similar NYC public-school populations with structured debate training and tournaments. They collaborate on tournaments and curriculum rather than compete directly, but their programmatic mission and target demographic overlap closely.

Broad incumbents

• iCivics: Founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics is the dominant national civic-education provider for K–12 students. Comparable in civic-engagement mission but much larger and more digital, making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct competitor in the leadership-and-debate niche.
• Girl Up: UN Foundation global initiative for girls' leadership and empowerment. Comparable in gender-focused youth leadership mission but operates at much larger scale and through a UN-affiliated, advocacy-oriented model rather than direct debate training.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/abzuginstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Bella Abzug Leadership Institute