Kiwanis K-Kids

What Kiwanis K-Kids does

Kiwanis K-Kids is a service leadership program for primary and elementary school students typically aged 6-11, administered by Kiwanis Youth Programs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 36-6072042) headquartered at 3636 Woodview Trace, Indianapolis, Indiana. The program operates through sponsoring local Kiwanis clubs that establish K-Kids clubs in schools and community organizations, supplying student-led service projects, leadership development activities, and structured meeting content. K-Kids operates as the entry point in Kiwanis International's longitudinal service leadership pathway, which progresses through Builders Club (middle school), Key Club (high school), Circle K International (college), and Aktion Club (adults with disabilities). The program has scaled to 1,100+ clubs across 23 countries serving 22,000+ student members.

The core product surface comprises the K-Kids club program, supplemented by two recognition sub-brands — Terrific Kids (character-building) and Bring Up Grades / BUG (academic achievement) — and a content library including downloadable meeting kits, advisor guides, service guides, member calendars, and bully prevention resources. Technology infrastructure consists of the kiwaniskids.org website, the Kiwanis Engage platform for club registration, renewal, and reporting, and the Kiwanis Store (store.kiwanis.org) for merchandise. The program is COPPA-compliant given its child-focused audience.

Revenue is generated through annual club renewal fees (subscription model) that entitle each club to a program kit supporting up to 60 members, with supplemental kits available at $50 each to cover an additional 30 members per kit. Additional revenue comes from merchandise and recognition item sales through the Kiwanis Store. The go-to-market motion is community-led: local Kiwanis clubs recruit schools and faculty advisors, leveraging Kiwanis International's existing global volunteer network as the primary distribution channel. UNICEF is a longtime partner for global campaigns, and additional content partnerships with Erika's Lighthouse, Kids Mental Health Foundation, and Project Happiness extend the curriculum into mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Name

Kiwanis K-Kids

Legal name

Kiwanis Youth Programs

Website

https://kiwaniskids.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

K-Kids is a service leadership program for elementary school students (ages 6-11), operated by Kiwanis Youth Programs, with 1,100+ clubs across 23 countries and 22,000+ members, funded by annual club renewal fees and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Service Leadership Programs

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Service & Service-Learning Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Government & Leadership Programs (EDAJAJAH), After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM)

Keywords

• Youth service leadership
• Elementary school programs
• Community service clubs
• Character education programs
• Leadership development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Club Program Fees: Kiwanis clubs pay annual renewal fees to maintain their sponsored K-Kids clubs. The fees cover program kits that are shipped to clubs containing materials needed to run the program. Clubs with more than 60 members need to order supplemental kits.
2. Merchandise Sales: Program-related merchandise including recognition items, kits, and guidebooks are sold through the Kiwanis Store. Terrific Kids and Bring Up Grades programs also have separate kits and recognition items available for purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

K-Kids is a student-led service leadership program for primary and elementary school students aged 6-11, organized into clubs hosted by schools and sponsored by local Kiwanis clubs. Club members develop leadership, social-emotional, and teamwork skills through community service projects, supported by ready-made meeting kits, advisor guides, service guides, and member calendars distributed via annual program kits and digital resources. The program includes two sub-programs, Terrific Kids (character-building recognition) and Bring Up Grades (academic recognition), which are sold as separate kits and recognition items.

Product overview

Kiwanis K-Kids operates as a suite of youth service leadership programs designed for primary/elementary school students. The core offering is the K-Kids club program, complemented by two recognition programs (Terrific Kids for character building and Bring Up Grades for academic achievement) and various resource tools including meeting kits, service guides, and member calendars. These programs work together to help students develop leadership skills, engage in community service, and build social-emotional competencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Terrific Kids: A character-building program that recognizes students for modifying their behavior, encouraging kids to become the best version of themselves through goal-setting and peer mentoring.
• Bring Up Grades (BUG)

Products and services

• K-Kids Club Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 22,000+ student members developing service leadership skills
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kiwanis InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-Kids is a Kiwanis Service Leadership Program administered by Kiwanis International. Kiwanis International provides governance, program resources, staff support at regional and international levels, and the Kiwanis Engage platform for club management.
• Key ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey Club is the next level in the Kiwanis Service Leadership Program pathway, serving high school students. K-Kids members are encouraged to continue their service leadership journey through Key Club.
• Builders ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilders Club serves middle school/junior high students as an intermediate step between K-Kids and Key Club in the Kiwanis Service Leadership Program pathway.
• Circle K InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCircle K International is the college-level service leadership program in the Kiwanis family, continuing the leadership development pathway beyond high school.
• Aktion ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAktion Club serves adults with disabilities as part of the Kiwanis family of service leadership programs.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF has been a longtime partner of the Kiwanis family. Together they conducted two successful global campaigns for children: one to fight iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) and one to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Circle K International: College-level Kiwanis Service Leadership Program. Same sponsor-and-club delivery model and Kiwanis Engage infrastructure, demonstrating how the K-Kids framework scales across age cohorts within one ecosystem.
• Kiwanis Builders Club: Middle school (ages 12-14) tier of the Kiwanis Service Leadership Program pipeline. Directly comparable as a school-hosted, sponsor-supported service club with similar kit-based delivery model, differing only by age band and content.
• Junior Achievement USA: Largest US K-12 service-and-leadership nonprofit. Runs school-hosted, volunteer-led programs for grades K-12 covering work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship—directly competing for the same school-day or after-school student engagement slots and sponsor footprint.
• Kiwanis Key Club: High school tier of the Kiwanis Service Leadership Program pipeline. Operates the same sponsor-supported, school-hosted club model with similar kit/renewal revenue mechanics, just at a higher age band; the most directly comparable product in the Kiwanis family.

Others

• Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Student Leadership Programs: Operates school-based student leadership programs (e.g., Student Leadership Boards) that mirror K-Kids' school-hosted, volunteer-advised service-club model. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but a peer in the school-based youth service ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Boy Scouts of America (Scouts BSA): Long-established US youth organization delivering leadership, citizenship, and service programming through school and community units. Competes for the same school- and community-based youth service/leadership engagement window as K-Kids, though with a broader outdoor and merit-badge portfolio.
• 4-H (National 4-H Council): Long-running US youth development organization delivering leadership, citizenship, and service programs to K-12 students via school and community club models. Overlaps with K-Kids on school-based leadership and service learning delivery, but with a much broader agriculture and STEM portfolio.
• Girl Scouts of the USA: National youth organization delivering leadership, service, and character-building programming to K-12 girls through school and troop-based models. Comparable to K-Kids on leadership and service outcomes, but operating under a much larger, broader youth-development umbrella.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Largest US youth development organization with thousands of school-aged members. Operates a broader portfolio of youth programs (character, leadership, academic success) that overlaps with K-Kids' SEL and leadership offerings, though delivered via dedicated club facilities rather than school-hosted clubs.

Emerging players

• National Student Leadership Council / National Honor Society: School-hosted student leadership and service organizations that run inside K-12 schools with faculty advisor sponsorship. Compete with K-Kids for the same school-day leadership-and-service club slot, though they focus more on recognition-based service hours than project-based community engagement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KiwanisKids
• Xx.com/kiwaniskids
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/k-kids

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Kiwanis K-Kids