GRASP

What GRASP does

GRASP (Gang Rescue and Support Project) is a peer-run, community-based intervention nonprofit founded in 1991 in Denver, Colorado, and operated as a program of the Denver Youth Program. The organization serves at-risk youth ages 14-24 who are involved in or at risk of joining gangs, as well as families of gang victims, through a coordinated suite of services including weekly healing circles/support groups, hospital-based violence intervention (the AIM program in partnership with Denver Health), culturally-rooted rites of passage curricula (El Joven Noble and Xinachtli), tattoo removal, family advocacy, and crisis response. Staff are primarily ex-gang members, providing lived-experience credibility that anchors the organization's LaCultura Cura ("culture cures") healing-informed philosophy.

GRASP operates without proprietary technology products, software platforms, or APIs; the service model is human-delivered and relationship-driven. The product surface includes the core intervention programs listed above plus a social enterprise arm (GRASP Enterprises) operating a silkscreen and embroidery shop for job-readiness training, plus a fee-for-service presentation business targeting schools and community organizations. Programs are delivered in person at multiple Denver sites (35th Ave headquarters, Colfax Ave, El Centro Del Barrio on West 38th Ave) and via hospital bedside outreach through Denver Health.

GRASP is funded through a combination of charitable donations, grants channeled through parent organization Denver Youth Program, and fee-for-service presentation revenue ($150 to $800 per engagement). Youth-facing services are provided at no cost to participants, and presentation fees are partially directed to funeral and memorial expenses for families who have lost children to gang violence. The organization employs five named staff plus five open positions, has been continuously operating for over three decades, and currently markets primarily through word-of-mouth, referral networks, paid presentations, and a basic website plus Facebook presence.

Name

GRASP

Legal name

Denver Youth Program

Website

https://graspyouth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GRASP is a Denver-based nonprofit founded in 1991 that delivers peer-run, culturally-rooted gang intervention and violence prevention services to at-risk youth ages 14-24 and their families through healing circles, hospital-based mentoring, rites of passage programs, and job training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Gang Intervention Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

Keywords

• Gang intervention services
• Youth mentoring programs
• Violence prevention
• Culturally rooted healing
• Community-based nonprofits

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Fee-for-Service Presentations: GRASP charges fees for educational presentations to schools, organizations, and adult training sessions. Presentation fees range from $150 for youth interventions up to $800 for full-day adult training. All presentation funds assist families who have lost children due to gang violence with funeral expenses, headstones, and medical costs.
2. Donations and Grants: As a program of Denver Youth Program (a 52+ year old nonprofit), GRASP is funded through charitable donations and grant funding. The website includes a donation call-to-action for supporting GRASP programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GRASP (Gang Rescue and Support Project) is a peer-run gang intervention program providing crisis response, weekly healing circles, hospital-based violence intervention (AIM), culturally rooted rites of passage (El Joven Noble, Xinachtli), tattoo removal, and a job-readiness social enterprise (GRASP Enterprises) to at-risk youth ages 14-24 in Denver. The program is staffed primarily by ex-gang members who provide authentic mentorship grounded in the LaCultura Cura philosophy, and also delivers fee-based gang-awareness presentations and training to schools, organizations, and adult professionals.

Product overview

GRASP (Gang Rescue and Support Project) is a peer-run intervention program offering a coordinated suite of youth services under a single organizational umbrella. The portfolio includes core intervention programs (Healing Circles/Safe Groups, Hospital-based AIM Mentoring), culturally-rooted rites of passage programs (El Joven Noble, Xinachtli), and wraparound services (Tattoo Removal, Barrio Unity Mural Project). A complementary social enterprise arm (GRASP Enterprises) provides job training through a silkscreen and embroidery shop. Presentation-based training services round out the offering for schools, community organizations, and professional audiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GRASP Enterprises: Social enterprise providing job readiness training through a silkscreen and embroidery shop, providing youth with employment opportunities and real-world skills training.
• AIM (At-Risk Intervention Mentoring)
• El Joven Noble
• Xinachtli

Products and services

• Support Groups / Healing Circles Weekly peer-support groups where current and former gang members, GRASP staff, and at-risk youth meet to discuss issues facing youth in gang lifestyles, providing a safe environment for open discussion and initial assessment. Free to participants; walk-ins welcome with no referral necessary.
• AIM At-Risk Intervention Mentoring Denver Health's hospital-based violence intervention program in which GRASP provides one-on-one mentoring to youth ages 10-24 who present to the emergency department after traumatic injuries, plus long-term plans to change at-risk behaviors.
• El Joven Noble – The Noble Youth Rites of Passage
• Xinachtli – Female Rites of Passage Program
• GRASP Enterprises
• Tattoo Removal Program
• Barrio Unity Mural Project
• Youth Intervention Presentations
• Adult Training Programs (Gangs 101, 102, 103)

Named customers4 records

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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Denver HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIM (At-Risk Intervention Mentoring) is Denver Health's hospital-based violence intervention program. GRASP collaborates with Denver Health to provide one-on-one mentoring to youth 10-24 who present to the emergency department after traumatic injury. This partnership extends GRASP's reach into healthcare settings.
• Tattoo Undo & Veins ToosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative tattoo removal program. Tattoo Undo & Veins Too provides the tattoo removal services while GRASP provides participant screening and ongoing support. The program helps youth remove gang-related tattoos as part of their exit from gang life.
• The Office of Economic DevelopmentsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in developing the Job Readiness Training curriculum for GRASP Enterprises. The Office of Economic Development contributed to curriculum development for the social enterprise's silkscreen and embroidery shop.
• Servicios de La RazasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on development of Job Readiness Training curriculum for GRASP Enterprises. Partner in providing employment opportunities for at-risk youth.
• Denver Youth ProgramcoreOthersGRASP is a program of Denver Youth Program, a nonprofit organization that has helped kids for over 52 years through one-on-one mentoring. Denver Youth Program serves as the parent organization providing organizational infrastructure and funding support.
• National Compadres NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRASP is identified as an anchor organization for the National Compadres Network, suggesting alignment with fatherhood and male involvement initiatives and access to broader network resources.
• Metro Denver PartnerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohnnie Williams serves as Executive Director for both GRASP and Metro Denver Partners, indicating a shared leadership and potential organizational collaboration.
• El Centro Del BarriosupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommunity venue provider for GRASP's weekly Open Support Circle meetings. El Centro Del Barrio provides the physical space at 1351 W. 38th Ave for Thursday evening sessions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• READI Chicago: Chicago-based hospital-linked violence intervention program targeting individuals at high risk of gun violence with cognitive behavioral therapy and supportive services. Comparable mechanism to GRASP's Denver Health AIM partnership and serves overlapping trauma-involved populations.

Regional players

• Services for At-Risk Youth (SAFY) / SAFY of Colorado: Colorado-adjacent child- and family-services nonprofit offering behavioral health, foster, and community-based services for at-risk youth. Regional overlap with GRASP's Denver footprint and overlapping population (Juvenile Justice-involved youth, family dysfunction).
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver: Denver-metro youth development organization serving at-risk youth ages 6-18 with after-school programming, mentoring, and college/career readiness. Operates in the same geographic footprint and overlapping youth population but with broader youth-development (vs. gang-specific) framing.

Direct peers

• Roca, Inc. Massachusetts-based nonprofit delivering high-intensity street outreach and intervention for highest-risk young men, including gang-involved populations, with workforce and behavioral-health programming. Closely comparable in targeting young adult men involved in violence and providing sustained, relationship-based intervention.
• Homeboy Industries: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing gang intervention, tattoo removal, job training, and social enterprise to former gang members. Operates the most recognized peer-run ex-gang-member model in the U.S. and is the closest direct comparison to GRASP's full-stack intervention and social enterprise approach.
• National Compadres Network: National network supporting Latino male involvement, healing-centered, and culturally-rooted youth programs. GRASP is already an anchor organization with NCN; comparable through shared LaCultura Cura and El Joven Noble curricula and focus on culturally-rooted male mentorship.
• Cure Violence (Cure Violence Global): National violence-interruption model deploying trained violence interrupters and outreach workers in communities affected by gun violence. Comparable to GRASP's hospital-based AIM and street-credibility-based intervention approach, though operating at larger multi-city scale.

Others

• Fatherhood & Family Healing Institute / National Latino Fatherhood Conference: Organization promoting culturally-rooted fatherhood and family healing aligned with LaCultura Cura philosophy. Closely adjacent to GRASP's culturally-rooted male-youth programming and Rites of Passage frameworks.

Broad incumbents

• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit providing case-management and wraparound support for at-risk K-12 students inside schools. Operates at much larger scale than GRASP but addresses overlapping populations (at-risk youth, family dysfunction, Juvenile Justice involvement) via similar referral-driven community model.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Largest U.S. youth mentoring nonprofit, matching at-risk youth with adult mentors. Operates at national scale and shares GRASP's relationship-based intervention philosophy, though serves a broader at-risk population rather than gang-specific cohorts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GRASPYOUTH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gang-rescue-and-support-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 GRASP