The Mentoring Center

What The Mentoring Center does

The Mentoring Center (TMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in January 1991 and headquartered in Oakland, California. It provides technical assistance, training, and direct service programs focused on mentoring at-risk and system-involved youth, particularly those involved in or at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system. The organization operates three principal lines of activity: (i) direct service programs including Transformative Mentoring™ Groups, the Transformative Manhood Group, the Transition Program for adjudicated youth ages 14-25, Case Management Life Coaching, and the EMERGE reentry program for young women returning from confinement; (ii) training and technical assistance delivered to other organizations nationwide, including the Transformative Intervention Institute and the Mentoring Institute for Trainers and Managers taught at UC Berkeley; and (iii) policy advocacy and research through its Policy Department and the Rockefeller Foundation-funded Juvenile Justice Initiative.

TMC's core intellectual property is its trademarked Transformative Mentoring™ methodology — a structured, systemic cognitive-behavior and corrective intervention designed to transform attitudes and mental frameworks in youth with disrupted developmental trajectories. The approach is curriculum-based, long-term, and delivered in group-mentoring formats supplemented by case management, life-skills training, anger management, and employability skills. Since 1991, TMC reports having served more than 800 agencies and trained more than 20,000 mentors nationally; its current annual footprint includes 50-85 mentoring efforts assisted, 1,700-2,500 volunteers and program staff trained, and 90-130 adjudicated youth served directly.

Revenue is generated through a mix of restricted and unrestricted sources: individual donations (tiered "Friend" memberships from $120 to $5,000), foundation grants (Akonadi, NoVo, San Francisco Foundation, California Wellness, California Endowment, Rockefeller, Lowell Berry Foundation), government contracts (City of Oakland Measure Y, Alameda County Probation, Division of Juvenile Justice), and fee-based training and technical assistance services. Customers served include adjudicated and incarcerated youth (ages 14-25), local schools and school districts, juvenile detention and probation agencies, community-based organizations, and higher education institutions. The go-to-market is community-led, relying on referral networks, direct outreach, events, volunteer recruitment, and grant applications rather than traditional commercial sales motions.

Name

The Mentoring Center

Legal name

The Mentoring Center

Website

https://mentor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Mentoring Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 in Oakland, California that delivers its trademarked Transformative Mentoring™ methodology — a cognitive-behavior intervention — alongside technical assistance and training to at-risk and juvenile-justice-involved youth, partner agencies, and government systems regionally and nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development & Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Juvenile justice programs
• Mentor training
• At-risk youth intervention
• Nonprofit technical assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: TMC accepts single and recurring donations from individuals through its 'Friend of The Mentoring Center' program with tiered annual memberships (Platinum $1,200, Gold $600, Silver $300, Bronze $120, Lifetime $5,000).
2. Foundation and Funder Grants: TMC receives support from foundations including Akonadi Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, NoVo Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, The Lowell Berry Foundation, The Barrios Trust, and others.
3. Government Contracts: TMC receives funding through government programs including Measure Y (City of Oakland), Alameda County Probation Department, and the Division of Juvenile Justice for direct service programs.
4. Training and Technical Assistance Services: TMC provides technical assistance and training services to approximately 50-85 mentoring efforts annually, and direct mentor training to 1,700-2,500 volunteers and program staff annually.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Mentoring Center provides technical assistance and training to organizations developing and operating mentoring programs for youth and young adults, and delivers direct Transformative Mentoring™ group-mentoring and case management services to at-risk, system-involved, and re-entering youth (ages 14–25) in the Bay Area. Its offerings combine a trademarked Transformative Mentoring™ curriculum with intensive facilitator training, capacity-building consulting, and policy advocacy for juvenile justice reform.

Product overview

The Mentoring Center operates as a single, unified service organization offering Transformative Mentoring™ as its core methodology — a structured cognitive-behavior intervention program focused on transforming youth attitudes and mental frameworks. The organization's product portfolio includes direct service programs serving highly at-risk youth (Transformative Mentoring™ Groups, Transformative Manhood Group, EMERGE, Case Management Life Coaching, Transition Program), training and technical assistance services for other organizations (Technical Assistance & Training, Transformative Intervention Institute, Mentoring Institute for Trainers and Managers), and policy advocacy initiatives. Programs are delivered through various formats including on-location condensed programs, intensive group mentoring, and one-on-one life coaching, with major initiatives like the Juvenile Justice Center Wrap Around Strategy and Project Choice serving Oakland youth offenders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Transformative Mentoring™: An intentional, structured, systemic, cognitive behavior and corrective intervention focused on personally transforming the attitude and mental framework of a disrupted human development cycle. Curriculum-based, long-term group mentoring program for character development, cognitive restructuring, spiritual development, life-skills training, anger management, and employability skills.
• EMERGE
• The Transition Program
• Transformative Manhood Group
• The Transformative Intervention Institute

Products and services

• Transformative Mentoring™ The trademarked core methodology: an intentional, structured, systemic, cognitive behavior and corrective intervention focused on personally transforming the attitude and mental framework of disrupted human development cycles in youth through a curriculum-based, long-term group mentoring program.
• Transformative Manhood Group A weekly group mentoring program that transforms boys into men through character development, cognitive restructuring, and life-skills training; held every Tuesday evening 5:30pm–7:00pm at TMC's Robinson Classroom in Oakland.
• EMERGE (Educating, Mentoring, Empowering and Reaffirming our Girls for Excellence) An innovative educational reentry program for young women ages 16–18 in Alameda County returning from confinement or incarceration, facilitated in partnership between TMC, the National Black Women's Justice Institute, Alameda County Office of Education, and Girls Inc. of Alameda County to create a confinement-to-college-and-career pathway.
• Case Management Life Coaching A pre-adjudication program funded by the City of Oakland through Measure Y, targeting juvenile offenders in Oakland by linking them to resources for school and community reintegration, with TMC providing case manager/mentor services and Transformative Mentoring™ Groups.
• Transformative Mentoring™ Groups (Re-Entry) A youth re-entry program funded by the City of Oakland through Measure Y, serving serious youth and young adult offenders returning to Oakland from the Division of Juvenile Justice, offering pre-release Transformative Mentoring Groups and intensive case management.
• Transition Program An intensive mentoring and intervention effort serving adjudicated and incarcerated youth between ages 14–25 annually; one of TMC's core direct-service efforts alongside Transformative Mentoring™ Groups.
• Transformative Manhood Group On-Location A condensed form of Transformative Manhood Group services conducted at local schools and community centers in response to requests to deliver the program at partner locations.
• Technical Assistance & Training Technical assistance, training, organizational health assessments, capacity-building, and program evaluation services provided to organizations developing and operating mentoring programs for youth and young adults nationally.
• Transformative Intervention Institute An intensive three-day training program for organizations serving youth offenders and highly at-risk youth, equipping participants to deliver the Transformative Mentoring™ methodology.
• Mentoring Institute for Trainers and Managers A training-of-trainers course taught at UC Berkeley for developing mentoring trainers and managers; a credentialing pathway for professionals scaling mentoring programs.
• Juvenile Justice Center / OUSD Wrap Around Strategy A City of Oakland initiative led by TMC that serves youth offenders through wraparound support services integrating mentoring, education, and re-entry support.
• Project Choice A City of Oakland initiative led by TMC serving youth offenders returning to the community from the Division of Juvenile Justice with intensive mentoring and case management.
• Policy Advocacy and Public Education Department TMC's policy department focused on influencing juvenile justice and general child welfare issues, translating effective practice from direct services into policy recommendations and public education.
• Juvenile Justice Initiative A Rockefeller Foundation-funded project that researches juvenile justice policies, recommends changes to policymakers, and publishes a Best Practices Guide for organizations serving youth offenders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served more than 800 agencies and trained more than 20,000 mentors nationally since 1991
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• National Black Women's Justice Institute (NBWJI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBWJI, led by Dr. Monique Morris, is a lead partner in the EMERGE Program, providing research and evaluation. The concept for EMERGE is based on Dr. Morris' research on the educational experiences of girls in confinement.
• Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACOE is the lead educational partner for EMERGE through the Quest Academy Program. Students enrolled in Quest through EMERGE can access accelerated credit recovery towards their high school graduation.
• Girls Inc. of Alameda CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMERGE is located at Girls Inc. of Alameda County, providing a physical location for program delivery.
• City of OaklandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Oakland funds TMC programs through Measure Y, including the Juvenile Justice Center/OUSD Wrap Around Strategy and Project Choice for youth offenders.
• Alameda County Probation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with the county probation department for serving youth offenders and supporting re-entry.
• Oakland Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner through African American Male Achievement Initiative and African American Girls and Young Women Achievement Program.
• Division of Juvenile JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState juvenile justice system partner for Project Choice re-entry program serving youth returning from Division of Juvenile Justice facilities.
• University of California at Berkeley, Psychology DepartmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTMC teaches the Mentoring Institute for Trainers and Managers course at UC Berkeley.
• PolicyLinkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit institute advancing equitable policy change. Dr. Victor Rubin, PolicyLink's former Vice President for Research, serves as TMC Board Chair.
• National Council on Crime and DelinquencymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in juvenile justice reform efforts alongside TMC, Delancy Street, Ella Baker Center, W. Haywood Burns Institute, and Pacific News Service.
• Alameda County Behavioral HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty health department partner for behavioral health services integration.
• Alameda County Superior CourtmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCourt partner for juvenile justice system collaboration and reform efforts.
• Urban Strategies CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in juvenile justice reform coalition and policy advocacy efforts.
• Ella Baker CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in juvenile justice reform efforts.
• Laney CollegesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner for workforce development and educational pathways.
• MISSSEYsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization serving sexually exploited youth in Alameda County.
• CURYJsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunities United for Restorative Youth Justice - coalition partner in juvenile justice reform.
• West Oakland Youth CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity youth center partner for service delivery and outreach.
• The Malonga Casquelourd Center for the ArtssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts center partner for cultural programming and youth engagement.
• Alliance for Boys and Men of ColorsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on improving outcomes for boys and men of color.
• Alliance for GirlssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on improving outcomes for girls.
• Safer Foundation - ChicagosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational reentry services organization - coalition partner in sharing best practices.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): National umbrella organization advancing the mentoring field through advocacy, training, and quality standards — directly overlapping TMC's technical assistance and training services and its role as a national thought leader in mentoring practice.
• Roca, Inc. Massachusetts-based nonprofit providing high-intensity, cognitive-behavioral intervention and workforce development to highest-risk young men, including those involved in the justice system. Closely comparable to TMC's Transformative Mentoring™ cognitive-behavioral approach for system-involved youth.
• YouthBuild USA: National nonprofit offering education, job training, and mentoring to opportunity youth, many of whom are justice-involved. Comparable to TMC in serving highly at-risk young adults with wraparound education, employment, and reentry supports.
• National Council on Crime and Delinquency: Research and policy nonprofit focused on juvenile and criminal justice reform — an existing TMC coalition partner. Highly comparable to TMC's Policy Advocacy and Public Education Department and its juvenile-justice reform agenda.
• National Youth Advocate Program: National nonprofit providing community-based services to youth and families, including those in foster care and juvenile justice systems. Comparable to TMC in wraparound, case-management-style service delivery for system-involved youth.

Others

• Juvenile Law Center: Philadelphia-based national advocacy organization advancing juvenile justice reform through litigation, policy, and education. Comparable to TMC's Policy Advocacy and Juvenile Justice Initiative in mission, though operating through legal advocacy rather than direct service.

Regional players

• Ella Baker Center for a Better East Bay: Oakland-based nonprofit focused on juvenile and criminal justice reform and reentry — an existing TMC coalition partner. Closely aligned on Oakland-specific juvenile-justice policy work but with a broader advocacy rather than direct-service orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Year Up: Large national workforce development organization serving low-income young adults 18-24 with training, mentoring, and corporate placement. Comparable to TMC's employability-skills and life-coaching components for young adults transitioning out of the justice system.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development organization serving 4M+ youth annually through club-based programs including mentoring, education, and character development. Overlaps with TMC's youth development mission but at vastly greater scale and broader scope.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: The largest youth mentoring nonprofit in the U.S., operating affiliate-based one-to-one mentoring programs nationwide. Highly comparable to TMC in mission (connecting youth to caring adults) but far larger in scale and brand, and not focused specifically on juvenile justice-involved youth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TMC_Oakland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 The Mentoring Center