AmericaShare
AmericaShare is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds education sponsorship and community programs for disadvantaged children in informal settlements in Kenya and South Africa, delivered through the Harambee and Red Hill Community Centres and acquired largely via its parent Micato Safaris.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What AmericaShare does
AmericaShare is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (legal entity: America Share USA, Inc., EIN 13-3599586) founded circa 1989 by Lorna Macleod of Micato Safaris, with its headquarters at 15 W. 26th Street, New York and operational centres in Mukuru kwa Njenga (Nairobi, Kenya) and Red Hill (Cape Town, South Africa). The organization provides education sponsorship, community programming, and digital literacy services to children and families living in informal settlements, with its anchor facility being the Harambee Community Centre in Mukuru. Programmatic reach extends to approximately 500,000 Mukuru residents and 652 Red Hill households, in communities characterized by 30–43% unemployment and average incomes around $4/day.
The core product portfolio centers on the School Scholarship Programme, in which individual donors sponsor a child at $2,000 per year covering boarding school fees, room and board, uniforms, food, and supplies; the Shining Star Fund provides merit-based secondary scholarships; and the One for One Commitment ties Micato Safaris bookings to primary school funding. Community-facing assets include a 20,000+ book library, a Computer Centre (60+ machines across two labs), the Tusitawi eLearning platform (the first eLearning program designed specifically for the Kenyan curriculum, built in partnership with Learning For Humanity), the Virtuoso-Upchurch Learning Centre for special needs children, a lacrosse program serving 200+ students, and a fresh water borehole. The Red Hill Library and Community Centre in South Africa replicates the hub model with a smaller footprint.
The business model is donation-driven with four primary revenue streams: child sponsorship subscriptions ($2,000/year or $166.67/month), general/recurring donations, gift donations designated for sponsored children, and the Shining Star Fund. Go-to-market relies heavily on the Micato Safaris partnership, which converts East African safari guests into sponsors via in-person visits to Harambee, supplemented by website donations, email newsletters, and phone-based giving. The 22-employee organization has no public financial disclosures, no disclosed institutional investors, and operates as the charitable arm of Micato Safaris.
AmericaShare firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AmericaShare
- Legal name
- America Share USA, Inc.
- Website
- https://americashare.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AmericaShare is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds education sponsorship and community programs for disadvantaged children in informal settlements in Kenya and South Africa, delivered through the Harambee and Red Hill Community Centres and acquired largely via its parent Micato Safaris.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AmericaShare industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Nonprofit Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Education Access & Quality (International Development) (BPAGABAE), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)
Keywords
Where AmericaShare is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
AmericaShare business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Child Sponsorship Program: Annual sponsorship fee of $2,000 per child, covering school fees, room and board, uniforms, food, school supplies, and personal items. Sponsors receive letters from children at least three times per year.
- General Donations: One-time or recurring monetary donations to the general scholarship fund, helping cover unexpected costs like housing assistance, tutoring, and special events for sponsored children.
- Shining Star Fund: Pooled donations for high-performing students transitioning to secondary school, based on academic merit rather than financial need.
- Gift Donations: Monetary donations designated for special gifts to sponsored children, processed through the New York office to ensure safe delivery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Child Sponsorship - Annual commitment covering full education costs |
| Other | Monthly | General/Recurring Donations |
| Subscription | Monthly | Sponsorship Renewal Options |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
AmericaShare product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AmericaShare is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides child education sponsorship and community outreach programs in informal settlements in Kenya and South Africa. Its core offering matches individual donors ($2,000/year) with disadvantaged children, funding boarding school placement including fees, room and board, uniforms, food, and supplies. The organization operates the Harambee Community Centre in Mukuru, Nairobi, providing libraries, computer labs, eLearning platforms, and special needs education, plus a parallel Red Hill Community Centre in South Africa.
Product overview
AmericaShare is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a portfolio of education and community outreach programs primarily in Mukuru, Nairobi, Kenya and Red Hill, South Africa. The core offerings include the School Scholarship Programme (sponsoring children in private boarding schools), the Shining Star Fund (merit-based secondary school scholarships), and the One for One Commitment. Community facilities include the Harambee Centre Library with over 20,000 books, a Computer Centre with 60+ computers, the Tusitawi eLearning platform (Kenyan curriculum digital classroom), the Virtuoso-Upchurch Learning Centre (special needs education), and the Red Hill Library and Community Centre in South Africa. Additional programs include a lacrosse sports program and fresh water borehole access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- School Scholarship Programme Child sponsorship program that places students from Mukuru in private boarding schools in and around Nairobi, covering school fees, room and board, uniforms, food, and school supplies. Sponsors commit to $2,000/year and receive letters from sponsored children at least three times per year.
- Shining Star Fund
Quantifiable outcome
- 3 letters per year from sponsored children to sponsors
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use AmericaShare
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
AmericaShare technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
AmericaShare partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Learning For HumanitycorePartnered to equip the Computer Centre with Tusitawi, the first eLearning program designed specifically for the Kenyan curriculum. Tusitawi is a digital classroom including textbooks, test preparation, video tutorials, and learning games for every grade.
- Red Hill Development ForumcoreClose partnership to operate the Red Hill Library and Community Centre serving 652 households in the Red Hill community south of Cape Town.
- Red Hill Literacy ProjectcorePartnership to operate the Red Hill Library and Community Centre, staffed with trained librarians, computer centre, and community meeting place.
- Huru InternationalminorNon-profit making and distributing reusable sanitary pads to help keep girls in school. Micato is a major donor. Production workshop located behind Harambee Centre. Micato guests can tour the workshop.
- Micato SafariscoreParent company and primary GTM channel. Safari guests visit Harambee Centre and often become sponsors. One for One Commitment sends a child to school for every safari sold. Lorna Macleod founded AmericaShare through Micato in 1989.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AmericaShare competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ChildFund International: US-headquartered international child sponsorship nonprofit with a comparable annual-sponsorship model targeting children in low-income communities in Africa and Asia, very close in core mechanism and donor journey to AmericaShare.
- Compassion International: The largest global child-sponsorship nonprofit, running the same recurring per-child donation model AmericaShare uses, with a similar letter-based sponsor-to-child correspondence experience and education-focused outcomes.
- African Library Project: Nonprofit establishing libraries and supporting literacy across African communities; shares AmericaShare's library and reading-club offerings such as the 20,000+ book Harambee collection.
- Pencils of Promise: Education-focused nonprofit building schools and supporting learning programs in developing countries; shares AmericaShare's emphasis on access to schooling in low-resource communities, though focused on infrastructure and literacy rather than boarding-school sponsorship.
Broad incumbents
- World Vision: Large-scale international child sponsorship and community development NGO; operates child sponsorship in many of the same African geographies as AmericaShare, but at vastly greater scale and with a broader programmatic portfolio.
- Room to Read: International education nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality in low-income countries; overlapping beneficiary population and donor base with AmericaShare, with deeper programmatic emphasis on girls' education and library systems.
- Save the Children: Global nonprofit providing education, child protection, and emergency relief; overlaps with AmericaShare on primary-school access and child welfare in informal settlements, with a much broader mandate and donor base.
- UNICEF USA: Global agency funding child education, welfare, and protection programs in Kenya and South Africa; comparison point for the broader international-development funding landscape in which AmericaShare operates.
Emerging players
- Huru International: Africa-based nonprofit producing reusable sanitary pads to keep girls in school; already operates from a workshop behind Harambee Centre as a Micato-affiliated partner, making it a directly colocated peer in the Mukuru education ecosystem.
- buildOn: Nonprofit that builds schools and runs adult literacy programs in low-income communities across Africa and beyond; serves an overlapping beneficiary demographic to AmericaShare with a different intervention mix (infrastructure-focused).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AmericaShare social profiles
Digital presenceAmericaShare financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AmericaShare leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
AmericaShare funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AmericaShare M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AmericaShare
What does AmericaShare do?
AmericaShare is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides child education sponsorship and community outreach programs in informal settlements in Kenya and South Africa. Its core offering matches individual donors ($2,000/year) with disadvantaged children, funding boarding school placement including fees, room and board, uniforms, food, and supplies. The organization operates the Harambee Community Centre in Mukuru, Nairobi, providing libraries, computer labs, eLearning platforms, and special needs education, plus a parallel Red Hill Community Centre in South Africa.
Is AmericaShare a public or private company?
AmericaShare is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was AmericaShare founded?
AmericaShare was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AmericaShare based?
AmericaShare is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does AmericaShare make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Child Sponsorship Program is the primary driver. The others are general Donations, shining Star Fund and gift Donations.
Who are AmericaShare's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ChildFund International, Compassion International, African Library Project and Pencils of Promise. Broad incumbents are World Vision, Room to Read, Save the Children and UNICEF USA. Emerging players are Huru International and buildOn.
Does AmericaShare have an API?
No public API is recorded for AmericaShare.
What industry is AmericaShare in?
AmericaShare's product category is Education Nonprofit Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADALAB, International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs, with a secondary code of BPAGABAE, Education Access & Quality (International Development). Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.