City Life Center of Northwest Indiana

What City Life Center of Northwest Indiana does

City Life Center of Northwest Indiana (CLCNWI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in December 2013 by Bethel Church in Gary, Indiana, operating a 41,000-square-foot community center at 225 West 5th Avenue. The organization serves K-12 students and families in Northwest Indiana through two core offerings: an Afterschool Program (Monday-Thursday, 3pm-6pm) and a Summer Camp (June-July, 8am-3pm). Programming is structured around STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) enrichment, social-emotional learning, and self-elected topic-specific clubs (e-Gaming, Culinary Arts, Fine Arts, Martial Arts, Project-Based STEM, CLC Sports League, Music, Gaming, Jewelry Making, Cosmetology, Dance, Gardening, Girl Scouts), supplemented by Teen Mental Health Groups. The 2025 Impact Report cites 420 K-12 students enrolled, 300 local families supported, 42,270 hot meals and snacks served, 36,356 transportation miles driven, and 37 local staff and contractors employed.

The business model is donation- and voucher-funded. All programming is delivered free to families; revenue is assembled from individual donations (including the recurring "Ambassador of Hope" monthly giving program), tiered corporate sponsorships ($10,000 Platinum, $5,000 Gold, $2,500 Silver), individual student sponsorships ($5,000 one-time or $100-$1,000 monthly over 12 months), and federal CCDF (Child Care and Development Fund) child care vouchers administered through the Indiana Early Ed Connect portal. Go-to-market is community-led: word-of-mouth referrals, school district partnerships enabling daily student pickup/drop-off, family direct enrollment via Google Forms, and donor cultivation through the Spring Dinner, the annual Donor Mixer targeting Northwest Indiana business leaders, and Giving Tuesday (with a $25,000 goal). The technology stack is non-proprietary and lightweight: Google Forms for registration, Procare App for parent messaging, Givelify and AutoBooks for donation processing, and Vimeo for video content. No mobile app, no proprietary software, and no AI/ML capabilities are in evidence.

Name

City Life Center of Northwest Indiana

Legal name

City Life Center of Northwest Indiana

Website

https://citylifenwi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

City Life Center of Northwest Indiana is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Gary, Indiana providing free STEAM-focused afterschool, summer camp, mental health, and family support services to K-12 students and families in Northwest Indiana, funded through donations, sponsorships, and CCDF vouchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Youth enrichment programs
• Afterschool services
• STEM education
• Community nonprofit
• Summer camp programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Gary

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Relies on donations from the community to fund operations. Monthly 'Ambassador of Hope' giving program mentioned.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Program sponsorship tiers at $10,000 (Platinum), $5,000 (Gold), and $2,500 (Silver). Includes logo placement, event tickets, and donor wall recognition.
3. Student Sponsorship Program: Individual student sponsorship providing free programming at various price points: $5000 one-time, or recurring monthly payments of $100-$1000 over 12 months. Includes daily meals and transportation.
4. Government Vouchers: CCDF (Child Care and Development Fund) child care assistance voucher program - federal program helping low-income families obtain quality child care.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

City Life Center of Northwest Indiana is a 501(c)(3) community nonprofit that delivers free afterschool and summer camp programming for K-12 students and their families in Gary, Indiana. Its core offerings combine STEAM enrichment, academic remediation, social-emotional learning, basketball and flag football leagues, teen mental health groups, daily transportation, and nutritious meals, all housed in a 41,000-square-foot facility.

Product overview

City Life Center of Northwest Indiana is a community nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) offering youth development programs centered on two core offerings: Afterschool Program and Summer Camp. These programs provide STEAM enrichment activities, academic support, sports leagues (Basketball & Flag Football), and various clubs. The Afterschool Program operates Monday-Thursday with self-elected topic-specific clubs including E-Gaming, STEM, Culinary Arts, Fine Arts, Martial Arts, and more. Summer Camp runs June-August with full-day programming featuring academic enrichment, homework help, and diverse activity clubs. Additional support services include daily transportation, meals (42,270+ meals served in 2025), and family support including CCDF voucher assistance enrollment. The organization also offers a Student Sponsorship Program providing free programming for Northwest Indiana students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Afterschool Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Students have seen double digit academic growth through afterschool and summer camp programs

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bethel Church (Gary, Indiana)foundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2013Bethel Church purchased the former Boys & Girls Club building in December 2013 and established City Life Center as a separate 501(c)(3) community organization to serve the community through afterschool programming, summer programs, educational and social services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• National Urban League (Indiana chapters): National civil rights and human services organization with local affiliates offering youth programming, academic enrichment, and family services in urban communities. Comparable in serving Gary/Northwest Indiana demographics and combining education, social services, and community-development funding streams.
• After-School All-Stars: National nonprofit providing free afterschool and summer programming to K–12 youth in underserved communities. Closely comparable in mission (free programs, whole-child focus, STEM/sports/SEL mix) and donor-supported model, though operating at a national rather than single-site scale.
• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit that places coordinators inside schools to connect K–12 students with academic enrichment, SEL, and basic-needs supports. Comparable in targeting underserved students and integrating with school transportation/referral flows, though delivered through school-site coordinators rather than a physical community center.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Indiana: Local chapter of the national youth-mentoring nonprofit serving the same Northwest Indiana geography. Competes for the same pool of youth-development philanthropic dollars, school referrals, and family engagement, with overlapping SEL and mentorship outcomes.
• Police Athletic League: Youth development organization offering afterschool programming, sports leagues, and mentorship for at-risk urban youth. Comparable in serving low-income K–12 youth in a single urban geography with a multi-activity enrichment model similar to CLC NWI's clubs and sports leagues.

Broad incumbents

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers (Indiana): Federally funded statewide program administered through the Indiana Department of Education that provides afterschool and summer enrichment to K–12 students in high-need schools. Directly comparable in target population, STEAM/SEL content mix, and free-to-families delivery model.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National umbrella organization that previously operated the Gary facility now housing CLC NWI. Serves the same youth development mission (afterschool, sports, STEM, meals) at massive scale and represents both a structural competitor and a potential national-affiliation partner for CLC NWI.
• United Way of Northwest Indiana: Regional funder and convener of human services in Northwest Indiana. Not a direct program competitor but a peer in the local youth-services funding ecosystem, supporting overlapping outcomes (food security, youth development, family stability) and a potential strategic partner or alternative vehicle for scaled youth programming.

Direct peers

• YMCA of Northwest Indiana: Regional YMCA affiliate offering afterschool care, summer camps, youth sports leagues, and family programming across Northwest Indiana. Competes for the same CCDF-eligible families, school partnerships, and corporate donors in the same geography.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana: Direct local successor/analog of the organization whose former Gary facility CLC NWI now occupies. Provides the same mix of afterschool, summer, sports, and youth development programming for K–12 youth in the same Northwest Indiana geography, competing for overlapping families, donors, and school partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CLCNWI

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 City Life Center of Northwest Indiana