Andrew J. Young Foundation

What Andrew J. Young Foundation does

The Andrew J. Young Foundation is an Atlanta, Georgia-based nonprofit founded in 2003 by civil rights icon Andrew J. Young, the former U.S. Congressman, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Mayor of Atlanta. The Foundation operates a multi-program portfolio addressing international peace, education, food security, and infrastructure development, with stated activity in more than 30 countries.

The Foundation's program surface includes the Forever Young Aquaponics facility (a sustainable agriculture/food-security asset reportedly 70% complete with a Fall 2025 opening), the Lemna Protein initiative (duckweed-based protein extraction R&D), the HBCU Scholarship program, the Andrew J. Young Peace Institute (a conflict-resolution convening platform with a newly approved land lease), the Mobile Harbor maritime development concept, the Mississippi River Development initiative, and a documentary series. Operationally, the Foundation is a lean organization with 1–10 disclosed employees, currently led by Founder-Chairman Andrew J. Young and President Gaurav Kumar.

The Foundation is funded exclusively through donations and charitable contributions. Its disclosed supporter base is unusually corporate-heavy for a foundation of this size — including Delta Air Lines, The Coca-Cola Company, Walmart, Google, UPS, Chick-fil-A, and four major U.S. professional sports leagues — providing both reputational validation and a concentration risk concentrated in a small set of legacy relationships. There is no public revenue or financial disclosure in the source material, and no AI/ML or software product is part of the offering.

Name

Andrew J. Young Foundation

Legal name

Andrew J. Young Foundation

Website

https://andrewyoung.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Andrew J. Young Foundation is an Atlanta-based nonprofit founded in 2003 by civil rights leader and former UN Ambassador Andrew J. Young, operating peace, education, food-security, and infrastructure programs across more than 30 countries and funded through corporate and individual charitable contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian and Sustainable Development Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid programs
• Sustainable agriculture programs
• Peacebuilding and diplomacy
• Food security initiatives
• HBCU scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates as a nonprofit organization funded by donations from corporate partners, individual supporters, and foundations. The website features a 'Donate Now' button indicating direct donation capabilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Andrew J. Young Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates humanitarian programs spanning sustainable agriculture (Forever Young Aquaponics, Lemna protein), health aid delivery (selenium, oxygen concentrators), HBCU scholarships, peacebuilding conferences, and economic development initiatives. The foundation funds these programs through donations from corporate sponsors and individuals, and delivers them via strategic partnerships with governments, universities (Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia State, IUGB), and international organizations (PROMETRA) across more than 30 countries.

Product overview

The Andrew J. Young Foundation operates as a multi-initiative nonprofit organization focused on humanitarian, educational, and sustainable development programs rather than a unified technology platform. Its core product portfolio includes Forever Young Aquaponics (high-tech agricultural training facilities), Lemna Superfood (plant-based protein technology), Mobile Harbor (maritime logistics innovation), and the Andrew Young International Institute for Peace & Reconciliation. Supporting initiatives include the HBCU Scholarship Program, Andrew Young Presents documentary series, Mississippi River Valley economic development, youth aquaponics education, and health programs (selenium distribution and oxygen concentrators provision). The organization functions as an incubator of sustainable ideas rather than a traditional product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forever Young Aquaponics: Sustainable aquaponics farming program producing fresh greens, vegetables, and fish using closed-loop technology.
• Andrew Young International Institute for Peace and Reconciliation
• Andrew Young Presents
• Andrew J. Young HBCU Scholarship Program
• The Lemna Project
• Mobile Harbor

Products and services

• Forever Young Aquaponics High-tech, closed-loop aquaponics greenhouse system that produces fresh organic greens, vegetables, and fish through symbiotic biome technology without soil, achieving 90% water savings and 10x yield per acre versus soil-based agriculture; includes a training institute to educate and employ the next generation of aquaponics farmers.
• Lemna Superfood Protein Plant-based protein source derived from duckweed (Lemna), containing 50% protein and 18 essential amino acids and 19% dietary fiber; developed as a closed-loop system that doubles biomass volume every 48 hours and recycles heat, carbon, and nitrogen for sustainable food production.
• Mobile Harbor Floating port infrastructure concept built 10-20 miles offshore that transforms global shipping by bypassing inland water port congestion, streamlining docking, processing, and distribution offshore, reducing ship unloading time to zero, and protecting port cities from threats by relocating critical shipping infrastructure offshore.
• Andrew Young HBCU Scholarship Program Gap funding scholarship program for first-year Historically Black College and University students who face financial shortfalls for living expenses such as housing, meals, transportation, and supplies; designed to reduce the 30% first-year dropout rate caused by these shortfalls.
• Andrew Young Presents Documentary Series Library of 37 one-hour Emmy-winning documentaries covering the American Civil Rights Movement, developments in Africa, India, and contemporary U.S. issues, presented through the lens and personal narrative of Ambassador Andrew Young.
• Andrew Young International Institute for Peace and Reconciliation Global hub for education, dialogue, and action bringing together students, civil leaders, military and political leaders, and communities to advance peaceful solutions to global and local challenges; located on 2.77 acres at Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Atlanta's Vine City neighborhood.
• Mississippi River Valley Economic Development Initiative Transforms the Mississippi River corridor into a unified economic development zone with a Dutch-American engineering partnership, establishing Business Enterprise Zones on both sides of the river from Minnesota to Louisiana to drive job creation and infrastructure investment.
• Youth Aquaponics Education Program Youth-focused aquaponics education program operated at the Andrew and Walter Young YMCA in Atlanta, engaging students in hands-on STEM learning, food production, and sustainability.
• Selenium Distribution Program Global health initiative providing selenium supplements to boost immunity in vulnerable populations, including emergency delivery during the 2014 Ebola crisis in Liberia, where recipients achieved a 68% survival rate compared to 44% without selenium, and continued deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Oxygen Concentrators Program Humanitarian health initiative that procured and delivered oxygen concentrators to medical facilities in India during the catastrophic 2021 second wave of COVID-19 to support overwhelmed hospitals and patients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% water savings compared to traditional agriculture
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

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, major and minor.

• Morehouse School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on HIV and Ebola research with PROMETRA International. Foundation produced video-documentary on Senegal and research conducted by PROMETRA and Morehouse School of Medicine, completed in 2017. Also working on natural ingredients for FDA approvals in US labs.
• KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)coreTechnology or IntegrationKAIST originally developed and demonstrated the Mobile Harbor concept. The foundation is working to incubate the Mobile Harbor concept off the east coast of the United States, positioning the team to lead next generation maritime business, defense logistics, and sustainable infrastructure.
• McGraw HillmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcGraw Hill made the Andrew J. Young HBCU Scholarship Program possible through generous support. The program provides critical gap funding during students' first year at HBCUs to reduce dropout rates.
• Andrew and Walter Young YMCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with the YMCA, the foundation has been operating an aquaponics farm for ten years. It is a youth-focused aquaponics education program to engage students in hands-on STEM learning, food production, and sustainability.
• Invest AtlantamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Invest Atlanta, Delta Air Lines, and the City of Atlanta community in the land lease approval for the Andrew Young International Institute for Peace and Reconciliation.
• PROMETRA InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation is a supporter of PROMETRA International in Senegal. Work is in progress on natural ingredients to be tested in US labs and gain FDA approvals. Also collaborated on HIV and Ebola research video-documentary.
• City of AtlantamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Atlanta unanimously approved ground lease for approximately 2.77 acres of city-owned land at Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Vine City for the future home of the Andrew Young International Institute for Peace and Reconciliation.
• International University of Grand-Bassam (IUGB)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndrew Young has visited and supported the non-profit International University of Grand Bassam (IUGB) towards US Academic Accreditation. In 2020, the University of Georgia, the Andrew Young Foundation, and IUGB launched a partnership to build higher-education capacity in West Africa.
• Wittenberg Center for Global EthicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmbassador Young helped found and co-chair The Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics in East Germany to search for economic reformation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Major U.S. private foundation with global programs in inequality, education, and economic development. Comparable as a legacy-driven grantmaking organization with international reach and focus on social justice.
• Rockefeller Foundation: Historic U.S. foundation focused on food security, health, and economic opportunity. Directly comparable in food systems innovation (similar to AJYF's Forever Young Aquaponics) and global health initiatives.
• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Largest private foundation globally with global health, food security, and education programs. Most comparable as a private grantmaking foundation tackling hunger (similar to AJYF's food security mission) at global scale, though vastly larger.
• Kellogg Foundation (W.K. Kellogg Foundation): Major U.S. foundation focused on children, families, and equitable communities. Comparable in educational equity (similar to AJYF's HBCU scholarship) and community-based food systems work.

Direct peers

• Clinton Foundation: Legacy-driven foundation named after a former U.S. political figure, with global health, economic development, and international programs. Most directly comparable in business model — leveraging the founder's diplomatic network for global humanitarian impact.
• Bush Foundation:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ambandrewyoung
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@youngthinking7184?si=h0DgCyvG2cAEXblm
• Facebookfacebook.com/AndrewJYoungFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/andrew-j-young-foundation/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/ambassadorandrewyoung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Andrew J. Young Foundation