Carolina Youth Coalition

What Carolina Youth Coalition does

Carolina Youth Coalition (CYC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in February 2018 through an Albemarle Foundation donation and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a second campus opened in 2024 in partnership with CPI Security. The organization operates a free, multi-year college-access and persistence program — branded as the Torch Fellows Program — built on three programmatic pillars: College (admissions, financial aid, persistence support), Consciousness (self-awareness and social justice dialogue), and Community (mentorship and peer support). CYC serves approximately 160 high-achieving, under-resourced high school students (rising 9th-11th graders with a 3.3+ GPA who are first-generation and/or from households with income under $60,000) and follows them through college graduation, supported by post-enrollment persistence coaching and emergency financial assistance.

The core product surface also includes the FutureFellows summer program, Career Club (with partners like OrthoCarolina), the Personal Statement podcast, signature annual events such as the Torch Awards and College Signing Day 5K, and an exclusive Jordan Brand Wings partnership that channels full-ride WINGS Scholarships, the Jumpman Invitational, and the Jordan Wings Design Program to Fellows. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is physical-campus based with online application and volunteer intake via carolinayouth.org and a z2systems donor portal, supported by an email/SMS communications stack disclosed in the organization's privacy policy.

CYC is funded almost entirely through philanthropic channels: foundation and corporate grants (Bank of America $250,000 in 2025, Women's Impact Fund $95,000 in 2021, a $1 million major gift in 2020, and an Albemarle Foundation founding gift in 2018), individual donations including a $20/month 'Dean's List' recurring giving program, corporate sponsorships of marquee events, and grassroots 5K fundraising. Programs are free to eligible students; in exchange, CYC reports a 97% college persistence/graduation rate, $45M+ in scholarship offers earned and $10M+ redeemed since 2018, with more than 50% of 4-year enrollees attending debt-free. The organization's leadership team includes co-founders Aaron Randolph (M.Ed, Harvard) and Kathryn Schanen Kissam as Chairwoman, plus operating directors drawn largely from Baton Rouge Youth Coalition (the originating model), UNC Charlotte, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system; the board includes executives from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Albemarle, Duke Energy, Falfurrias Capital Partners, and McKinsey.

Name

Carolina Youth Coalition

Legal name

Carolina Youth Coalition

Website

https://carolinayouth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Carolina Youth Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Charlotte, NC that provides free, multi-year college access and persistence support to approximately 160 high-achieving, under-resourced high school students (first-generation and/or low-income, 3.3+ GPA), guiding them from 9th grade through college graduation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education and College Access Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (61)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Youth-to-Adult Bridge & College Readiness (Noncredit) (EDAAAEAK)

Keywords

• College access programs
• Youth mentoring services
• College persistence support
• Nonprofit education services
• Scholarship assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: CYC accepts one-time and recurring donations from individuals. Monthly giving program called 'Dean's List' at $20/month or more helps expand programs to more students.
2. Corporate Grants and Sponsorships: Major funders including Bank of America ($250,000), Women’s Impact Fund ($95,000), and corporate sponsors for events like Torch Awards (Brighthouse Financial, Duke Energy, PNC, Truliant) provide significant revenue.
3. Jordan Wings Partnership: As a community partner of Jordan Brand Wings, CYC Fellows receive exclusive access to educational opportunities, incentives, and scholarships through this partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Carolina Youth Coalition provides free, comprehensive college access and persistence programming to high-achieving, under-resourced high school students in Charlotte, North Carolina, beginning in 9th grade and continuing through college graduation. The core Torch Fellows Program delivers weekly after-school academic enrichment, ACT preparation, college application and financial aid guidance, mentoring, college tours, and persistence support. All services are provided at no cost to eligible students (first-generation, low-income, or financial need, with a 3.3+ GPA).

Product overview

Carolina Youth Coalition operates a comprehensive suite of interconnected programs supporting high-achieving, under-resourced students from high school through college graduation. The core offering is the Torch Fellows Program, an after-school college-preparatory model built on three programmatic pillars: College (admissions, financial aid, persistence support), Consciousness (self-awareness, social justice dialogue), and Community (mentorship, peer support). This core is augmented by specialized programs including the Jordan Wings Partnership (providing scholarship opportunities and exclusive experiences), the Personal Statement Podcast (fellow-led media platform), Career Club (career exploration), and the College Persistence Program (post-enrollment support). The organization runs signature events including The Torch Awards (annual celebration) and College Signing Day 5K (fundraising event), while the FutureFellows summer program prepares incoming ninth graders. Two physical campuses (East and Southwest) serve students across the Charlotte area, supported by a Young Professionals Board for community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Torch Fellows Program CYC's flagship college-preparatory after-school program for high-achieving, under-resourced high school students, providing academic support, standardized test prep, college counseling, 1:1 mentoring, college tours, and financial-aid guidance from 9th grade through high school graduation. Delivered free to eligible students (rising 9th–11th graders, 3.3+ GPA, first-generation and/or household income under $60,000) at CYC's East and Southwest Charlotte campuses.
• College Persistence Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of CYC College Fellows remain enrolled in college or have graduated
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, flagship and minor.

• 23XI RacingmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Partnership with 23XI Racing and Jordan Wings at the 2025 Bank of America Roval 400 event, providing unique experiences for CYC Fellows with Jordan Brand and tournament sponsors.
• Novant Health, Lowe's, Truist (Jumpman Invitational Sponsors)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2022Corporate sponsors of the inaugural Jumpman Invitational collegiate basketball tournament in Charlotte, providing experiences for CYC Fellows as community partner.
• Jordan Brand WingsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2019CYC is one of only two organizations in Charlotte with this unique partnership with Jordan Brand's community impact platform. Inspired by Michael Jordan's legacy of greatness and commitment to education, the partnership provides CYC Fellows exclusive access to educational opportunities, scholarships, and incentives. Activities include the Jumpman Invitational collegiate tournament, WINGS Scholars full-ride scholarships, Jordan Wings Design Program, and Hyper Local Tee Program.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNCF provides personalized college persistence support to CYC WINGS Scholars, ensuring they have resources to complete their degrees.
• OrthoCarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrthoCarolina hosts CYC high school Fellows through the Career Club program, sharing insights about healthcare careers and helping students explore future professional paths.
• Rise2ImpactminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCYC Fellows collaborated with scholars from Rise2Impact on the Hyper Local Tee Program during All-Star Weekend, learning apparel design and marketing.
• Social StatusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal retailer and sneaker boutique that hosted custom shoe design workshops with NBA All-Stars Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge for CYC Fellows.
• ArtPop Street GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with ArtPop Street Gallery artists on the Hyper Local Tee Program during NBA All-Star Weekend.
• Brighthouse FinancialcoreGTM or Marketing Partner2025 Presenting Sponsor of the Torch Awards annual celebration event.
• Duke EnergycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTorch Awards sponsor supporting the annual red-carpet event celebrating CYC Senior Fellows.
• PNCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTorch Awards sponsor supporting the annual red-carpet event celebrating CYC Senior Fellows.
• Truliant Federal Credit UnioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTorch Awards sponsor supporting the annual red-carpet event celebrating CYC Senior Fellows.
• Stonewall Sports, Deloitte, Northwestern Mutual, MADabolic, Maddie and Jackson Rider, James Custom HomesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors of the 2023 CYC Signing Day 5K event.
• Baton Rouge Youth Coalition (BRYC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCYC's mission and model is inspired by BRYC in Baton Rouge, LA, which was founded in 2009 and has become the most comprehensive college readiness program in that region. CYC co-founders have direct operational experience with BRYC.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• National College Attainment Network (NCAN): Membership and advocacy organization for college access programs; provides shared policy, research, and best-practice infrastructure relevant to any college readiness nonprofit like CYC.

Direct peers

• Bottom Line: Nonprofit providing college access and persistence coaching to high school and college students from under-resourced backgrounds, with strong persistence-rate outcome reporting. Closely comparable end-to-end model and outcome measurement approach to CYC.
• Baton Rouge Youth Coalition: The direct sister organization whose model CYC replicates and whose former staff founded and run CYC. Both serve high-achieving, low-income high school students through multi-year college access and persistence support, with shared programmatic pillars and staff lineage.

Broad incumbents

• College Possible: National nonprofit providing college access and persistence coaching to low-income students, with similar outcomes focus and AmeriCorps-driven near-peer coaching model that parallels CYC's mentorship pillar, though at much larger scale across multiple states.
• Questbridge: National college access nonprofit focused on high-achieving, low-income students matching with top colleges and full-ride scholarships. Comparable target demographic and scholarship-redemption focus, though QuestBridge operates at national scale and does not run multi-year persistence programming.
• OneGoal: National college persistence program operating in multiple metros with a multi-year model from junior year of high school through college graduation. Comparable persistence-rate focus and Fellow-style programming, though operating in school-day periods rather than after-school.
• College Advising Corps: Places recent college graduates as full-time advisers in underserved high schools to support college access. Compares on the college access mission and target population, though without CYC's strong persistence-through-college component.
• Posse Foundation: National college access and persistence organization using a cohort-based mentorship model for high-achieving, underrepresented students. Comparable cohort dynamics, scholarship outcomes, and long-horizon persistence support across multiple cities.
• iMentor: National nonprofit pairing low-income high school students with college-educated mentors for multi-year college access and persistence support. Directly comparable long-horizon mentoring model and target population, with site-based program delivery similar to CYC.

Emerging players

• ScholarMatch: Nonprofit supporting first-generation college students with advising and scholarships; overlaps with CYC's first-generation, low-income target population but at smaller scale and with a different funding/advising mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CarolinaYouthCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/Carolina-Youth-Coalition-1972693636104135
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carolina-youth-coalition
• Instagraminstagram.com/carolinayouthco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 Carolina Youth Coalition