Salama Urban Ministries

What Salama Urban Ministries does

Salama Urban Ministries is a faith-based nonprofit youth development organization founded in 1985 in Nashville, Tennessee, originally as S.T.E.P. (Strategies to Elevate People) and rebranded under its current name in 1991. The organization serves K-8 students during the school year and K-12 students during the summer in the Edgehill neighborhood and greater Nashville area, delivering integrated programming in academics (Common Core-aligned reading/language arts and math), performing arts training (music theory, voice, dance, drama, and visual arts), and Christ-centered spiritual development, supplemented by daily meals, organic gardening, and yoga. Programming is delivered at Salama's main site at 500 Hillside Court and on-site at partner MNPS schools (Alex Green Elementary, Carter Lawrence Elementary, JT Moore Middle, Rose Park Middle, and Waverly-Belmont Elementary), with a 6-week, 9.5-hour-per-day Summer Performing Arts Day Camp as the intensive seasonal offering; alumni outcomes include a 100% high school graduation rate and 90%+ college attendance among graduates.

The organization operates on a 100% charitable-contribution model with no application fee, charging participants on a sliding-scale monthly basis determined at enrollment. Revenue comes from a diversified set of financial partners including United Way, the Maddox Fund, the Dettwiller Foundation, Tennessee Arts Commission, MDHA, HCA Healthcare, the Nashville Predators Foundation, ABHMS, and Memorial Foundation, alongside university partners Belmont and Vanderbilt, with donations processed through GiveLively and eTapestry. There is no proprietary technology platform; the organization operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and is governed by a 10-member Board of Directors drawn from IBM, HCA, Infor Services, ProVenture, Dollar General, Bridgestone, and Avison Young. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on church partnerships, MNPS relationships, and word-of-mouth referrals rather than traditional marketing channels.

Name

Salama Urban Ministries

Legal name

Salama Urban Ministries Inc.

Website

https://salamaserves.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Salama Urban Ministries is a Nashville-based nonprofit founded in 1985 that provides year-round youth development programming in academics, performing arts, and Christ-centered spiritual development to K-8 students (school year) and K-12 students (summer) in the Edgehill community, funded entirely through charitable contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Community Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Enrichment Camps (General Studies) (EDAMALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance) (EDAMALAI)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• After-school enrichment
• Performing arts education
• Community nonprofit services
• Spiritual development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Salama depends 100% on charitable contributions for direct costs including quality teaching staff, curriculum, transportation, productions/performances, and food. Donations are accepted through GiveLively platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Salama Urban Ministries runs a year-round Christ-centered youth development program for underserved K-8 students during the school year and K-12 students during summer, delivering Common Core-aligned academics, performing arts training (music, voice, dance, drama, visual arts), and spiritual development. Programming is delivered on-site at partner Metro Nashville Public Schools (Alex Green, Carter Lawrence) and at Salama's main Hillside Court facility, with transportation, daily meals, and a 6-week Summer of Champions day camp culminating in public performing arts productions.

Product overview

Salama Urban Ministries operates as a single unified youth development program rather than a platform with separate modules. The core Salama Youth Development Program provides integrated services spanning academics (Common Core-aligned curriculum in reading and math), performing arts training (music, voice, dance, drama, visual arts), and Christ-centered spiritual development. The program operates year-round with the Summer of Champions as the intensive summer component, and Summer Performing Arts Day Camp as a performing arts-focused offering. Nutrition and fitness activities including organic gardening and yoga complement the holistic development model. All services are delivered through the unified program structure with no separate product tiers or add-ons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Salama Institute: Youth development model launched in 2003 providing up to 650 hours per year of programming

Products and services

• Salama Youth Development Program Year-round youth development program serving K-8 students during the school year and K-12 students in summer, combining academics, performing arts, and Christ-centered spiritual development with homework help, tutoring, daily meals, and structured classes from 4:30pm.
• Academic Curriculum

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% high school graduation rate of former students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Belmont UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal university partner; Salama's summer performing arts performances held at Belmont's Troutt Theatre; alumni participation in performances.
• Vanderbilt UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing potential talent pipeline and community engagement.
• Center for Nonprofit ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner that helped analyze community needs and Salama's capacity in 2003, leading to development of The Salama Institute model.
• Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of HearingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccessibility partner providing ASL interpretation for opening night performance of Summer Performing Arts Series.
• Frist Art MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner hosting the 40th anniversary awards gala on October 23rd.
• KrogerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrocery retailer partner through Kroger Community Rewards program; percentage of purchases donated to Salama.
• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerE-commerce partner through Amazon Wishlist; supporters can purchase school supplies for Salama students.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nashville Children's Theatre: Nashville-based performing arts education nonprofit offering theater training and productions for young people. Comparable to Salama's Summer Performing Arts Day Camp and drama/musical theater training components.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee: Nashville-area youth mentoring nonprofit serving at-risk children with one-on-one mentoring and academic support programming. Comparable to Salama in targeting underserved Nashville youth with developmental and educational outcomes.
• Communities In Schools of Tennessee: Statewide affiliate of Communities In Schools providing in-school and after-school student support services including tutoring, mentoring, and enrichment. Comparable to Salama in serving MNPS students with integrated academic and developmental support.
• KIPP Nashville: Nashville charter school network focused on college-prep education for underserved students. Comparable to Salama in target population (underserved Nashville youth) and outcome orientation (college attendance), though operating as schools rather than after-school enrichment.
• After-School All-Stars Nashville: Affiliate of After-School All-Stars providing free after-school programming to underserved youth in Nashville. Comparable to Salama in serving the same demographic with bundled academic, arts, and enrichment programming during out-of-school hours.
• Oasis Center: Nashville-based nonprofit serving youth with after-school programming, arts education, and holistic development. Directly comparable to Salama in mission, target demographic, and programming model within the same metro area.

Others

• Center for Nonprofit Management: Nashville-based nonprofit capacity-building organization that helped Salama develop its strategic plan and Salama Institute model in 2003. Comparable as a Nashville nonprofit ecosystem peer and capacity-building resource, not a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Tennessee Performing Arts Center: Nashville's primary performing arts center offering arts education programming for young people across music, theater, and dance. Comparable to Salama's performing arts curriculum and summer musical productions, though operating at significantly larger institutional scale.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee: A regional affiliate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America operating youth development programs across Middle Tennessee with after-school, academic enrichment, and arts offerings. Highly comparable to Salama in serving underserved Nashville youth with similar bundled programming, but at much larger scale.
• YMCA of Middle Tennessee: Regional YMCA operating after-school care, academic enrichment, youth sports, and arts programming across Middle Tennessee. Comparable to Salama in delivering bundled youth development services to Nashville families, though at significantly larger scale and with broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/salamaserves
• Facebookfacebook.com/Salamaserves
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/salama-urban-ministry

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 Salama Urban Ministries