Youth Development Institute

What Youth Development Institute does

Youth Development Institute (YDI) is a New York City-based nonprofit, founded in 1991 as a project of the Fund for the City of New York, that provides capacity-building services to youth-serving organizations. Its work centers on a proprietary Framework for Positive Youth Development organized around three interrelated spheres: Connectedness, Preparation, and Opportunities. YDI delivers customized technical assistance — including group training sessions, supervisory coaching, program planning, and facilitated learning communities — to community-based organizations, multi-service nonprofits, cultural institutions, intermediaries, and city government agencies. Headquartered in Midtown Manhattan with a secondary office in Lower Manhattan, the organization operates with a core staff of 8 and reaches nearly 400 youth programs annually, impacting approximately 20,000 young people across New York City.

YDI's product surface is service-based rather than software-based. Offerings fall into two categories: funded initiatives (Career Internship Network with 30+ cultural institution members; My Brother's and Sister's Keeper Youth Council across 10 regional youth councils; Promote the Positive Technical Assistance for DYCD-funded out-of-school-time programs; Learning to Work Initiative serving ~19,000 students; and the Mentored Internship Program for foster youth) and fee-for-service engagements (training programs, coaching and organizational consultation, networks and communities of practice, and bespoke work such as STRIVE Future Leaders and Algorhythm partnership support). There is no proprietary software product, API, or mobile application; the only technology dependency is a third-party online evaluation platform (Algorhythm) used by client organizations.

YDI's business model is a nonprofit professional-services model. It does not charge list prices; instead, revenue is generated through three streams: (1) government contracts, primarily with NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD); (2) foundation grants from a roster including The Pinkerton Foundation, Altman Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Annie E. Casey Foundation, William T. Grant Foundation, Booth Ferris Foundation, Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, Ira W. DeCamp Foundation, and MDRC/Social Innovation Fund; and (3) fee-for-service engagements with individual organizations. Services are delivered direct to enterprise buyers (organizations and agencies) through direct outreach, partnerships, and online intake forms. Geographic scope is concentrated in New York City, with limited national reach via select engagements such as the 10-site STRIVE Future Leaders program.

Name

Youth Development Institute

Legal name

Youth Development Institute

Website

https://ydinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Youth Development Institute (YDI) is a New York City-based nonprofit founded in 1991 that provides capacity-building services — training, coaching, and facilitated learning communities — to youth-serving community organizations, cultural institutions, and government agencies, reaching nearly 400 programs and ~20,000 young people annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Capacity Building Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth development services
• Capacity building programs
• Nonprofit organizational consulting
• Positive youth development training
• Community youth program support

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts: YDI receives funding through government contracts, including partnerships with NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), to deliver capacity building services and initiatives.
2. Foundation Grants: Funded initiatives supported by foundation grants such as the Pinkerton Foundation, Altman Foundation, and others.
3. Fee-for-Service Engagements: Customized capacity building engagements tailored to individual organizations or agencies addressing a wide range of programmatic and organizational needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Youth Development Institute (YDI) provides capacity-building assistance to youth-serving organizations across the nonprofit sector, delivering customized technical assistance including group training sessions, supervisory coaching, program planning, facilitated learning communities, and consultation services. Offerings are delivered through funded initiatives (Career Internship Network, MBSK Youth Council, Promote the Positive Technical Assistance, Learning to Work, Mentored Internship Program) and fee-for-service engagements, all anchored by YDI's proprietary Framework for Positive Youth Development centered on Connectedness, Preparation, and Opportunities.

Product overview

YDI is a non-profit organization providing capacity-building services to youth-serving organizations rather than a technology product company. Its offerings consist of funded initiatives (Career Internship Network, My Brother's and Sister's Keeper Youth Council, Promote the Positive Technical Assistance, Learning to Work Initiative, Mentored Internship Program) and fee-for-service engagements (customized training, coaching, organizational consultation, and facilitated networks). The core methodology is the Framework for Positive Youth Development, centered on Connectedness, Preparation, and Opportunities. Services are delivered through group training sessions, supervisory coaching, program planning, and facilitated learning communities rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Career Internship Network (CIN): A community of practice and learning network for practitioners at NYC cultural institutions that operate high school internship programs, hosted by YDI since 2003.
• My Brother's and Sister's Keeper Youth Council (MBSK)

Products and services

• Career Internship Network (CIN) A community of practice and learning network for practitioners at New York City cultural institutions that operate high school internship programs, providing professional development, peer learning, site visits, technical assistance, and resources to over 30 active member institutions including museums, libraries, botanical gardens, and performing arts centers.
• My Brother's and Sister's Keeper Youth Council (MBSKYC)

Quantifiable outcome

• Works with nearly 400 programs annually impacting approximately 20,000 young people across New York City
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Administration for Children's ServicescoreOthersNYC government agency partnered with YDI for initiatives including the Mentored Internship Program supporting foster care agencies.
• AlgorhythmsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing online evaluation platform to assist organizations in growing their data and assessment skills to measure social and emotional learning outcomes.
• Child Center of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in leading the My Brother's and Sister's Keeper Youth Council (MBSKYC) initiative.
• Flourish AgendasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit social enterprise partnered with YDI to co-host the Radical Healing Summit and develop learning communities for youth development leaders.
• New York City Department of Youth and Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner since 2016 for 'Promote the Positive' Technical Assistance supporting DYCD-funded out-of-school time programs. Also sponsors MBSK youth council.
• Reel WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth filmmaking organization partnered with YDI through Youth INC. ecosystem.
• Workforce Professionals Training InstitutesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Mentored Internship Program assisting foster care agencies in providing supportive internship placements.
• Youth INC.secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntermediary organization partnered with YDI through the Metrics Program helping nonprofits achieve sustainable growth and translate evaluation findings into actionable practices.
• Fund for the City of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYDI was founded in 1991 as a project of the Fund for the City of New York and remains a project of this organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• iMentor: National nonprofit that pairs youth with mentors using a curriculum-driven, relationship-based model grounded in positive youth development. Comparable PYD methodology and youth outcomes focus.
• The After-School Corporation (TASC): NYC organization that supports and expands quality after-school and out-of-school time programming for youth, the same NYC sub-sector YDI serves through Promote the Positive TA and capacity building.
• Ramapo for Children: NYC-based nonprofit that trains youth-serving adults and organizations to better support young people, especially those facing adversity. Comparable NYC-based capacity-building work for youth-serving staff and programs.
• Youth INC. NYC nonprofit intermediary that builds capacity among youth-serving nonprofits, including through a Metrics Program where YDI is a partner. Directly comparable mission, geography, and customer base.
• Workforce Professionals Training Institute (WPTI): NYC workforce intermediary providing training and capacity building to workforce development providers, including via Mentored Internship Program with YDI. Same operating model of training and TA for nonprofit practitioners.
• Coro New York Leadership Center: NYC leadership development nonprofit that trains and supports emerging leaders across sectors, including youth-serving contexts. Similar NYC-based capacity-building and cohort-based training model.

Broad incumbents

• National 4-H Council: National positive youth development organization using experiential learning frameworks. Overlaps with YDI on PYD methodology and youth practitioner development.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth-development organization supporting out-of-school time programs for youth, intersecting with YDI on PYD frameworks and capacity building for front-line youth workers.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Large national youth-mentoring nonprofit with a Positive Youth Development-aligned framework. Overlaps with YDI on PYD methodology and youth mentoring, but operates at much greater scale and scope.

Emerging players

• Aspen Institute (Education & Society Program): National think tank running youth-development and equity initiatives with research-to-practice frameworks. Comparable function of synthesizing research into practice guidance for the youth-serving field.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YDInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/YDInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-development-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Youth Development Institute