The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development

What The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development does

The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development (CUYFD) is a Detroit-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 by Marsialle Arbuckle Sr., a former foster youth who later spent 27 years at Ford Motor Company. The organization employs 6 people and operates from a single headquarters at 15827 Indiana Street in Detroit, serving foster youth (primarily ages 18-23 transitioning out of care), Black LGBTQIA+ individuals, and Black families below the poverty line throughout Wayne County and Northwest Detroit. Its core service portfolio includes the Summer Youth Employment Program, Step-Beyond Program, Strengthening Families Program, School Partnership Program, Guiding Good Choices, Mental Health First Aid Training, QPR gatekeeper training, Lifelines suicide prevention workshops, and Teen Parenting Classes using Power Source Parenting — all delivered free of charge using licensed evidence-based curricula.

CUYFD's underlying technology stack consists entirely of third-party licensed prevention curricula rather than proprietary software; the organization has no SaaS products, mobile applications, or developer APIs. Service delivery occurs through community-based direct services at partner locations (notably Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, schools, and community centers), virtual Zoom coalition meetings held monthly, and a self-produced television series called The Urban Review launched in November 2017. The organization also coordinates two coalitions: the Drug Free Communities coalition arm (Coalition for Urban Youth and Family Development) and the multi-county Faith Communities Coalition on Foster Care.

The business model is grant-and-donation-funded with no fee-for-service revenue. Primary funding comes from federal grants (ONDCP Drug Free Communities Grant of $125,000/year over 5 years awarded in 2018, SAMHSA SPF-PFS Grant awarded October 2023), state and local public funds (Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority for suicide prevention, teen parenting, and Mental Health First Aid), corporate and foundation donations, and event-based fundraising such as the Prostate Cancer Survivors Golf Outing and Evening of Jazz and Soul. The go-to-market motion is community-led: building coalitions with faith communities, schools, and government agencies to reach at-risk youth rather than direct sales or marketing-led acquisition.

Name

The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development

Legal name

The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development

Website

https://cuyfddetroit.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development is a Detroit-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free substance abuse prevention, life skills, workforce development, and mental health programs to foster youth transitioning out of care and other at-risk populations in Wayne County, Michigan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Family Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Youth development services
• Foster care support
• Substance abuse prevention
• Workforce development programs
• Community coalition building

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: CUYFD receives grants from government agencies including SAMHSA (SPF-PFS Grant), Office of National Drug Control Policy (Drug Free Communities Grant), and Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority for suicide prevention, substance abuse prevention, and youth programming.
2. Public Funds: Primarily supported by public funds as a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
3. Donations: Accepts donations from corporations, foundations, and private individuals. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
4. Event Fundraising: Annual fundraising events including Prostate Cancer Survivors Golf Outing and Evening of Jazz and Soul events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development provides free, evidence-based youth development and substance abuse prevention programs to foster youth, Black LGBTQIA+ youth, and Black families in Wayne County, Michigan. Core offerings include workforce development, life skills training, suicide prevention workshops, family strengthening, and mental health first aid training, all delivered through community coalitions and partner institutions.

Product overview

The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development (CUYFD) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates as a community-based social services provider rather than a technology product company. CUYFD offers a portfolio of youth development and substance abuse prevention programs focused on foster youth and at-risk populations in the Detroit area. The core programs include the Summer Youth Employment Program for workforce development, the Step-Beyond Program for foster youth transitioning to independence, Strengthening Families Program for family support, and various mental health and suicide prevention training initiatives. Additionally, CUYFD operates The Urban Review television series and manages grant-funded prevention programs including SPF-PFS initiatives. All programs are service-oriented rather than technology products, with no SaaS, application, or developer platform components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coalition for Urban Youth and Family Development: The Drug Free Community coalition arm of CUYFD, working on community mobilization to prevent youth substance abuse on Detroit's Westside. Funded by the ONDCP DFC Program.
• Faith Communities Coalition on Foster Care

Products and services

• Summer Youth Employment Program A workforce development program that provides foster youth with job opportunities, life skills training, drug abuse prevention techniques, and cultural enrichment activities including college tours and community service projects.
• Strengthening Families Program An evidence-based family support program that provides education about addiction prevention and strengthens family relations while increasing parenting and children's coping skills.
• School Partnership Program Educational partnership initiatives that work with schools to provide prevention services and support for students.
• Guiding Good Choices Program A substance abuse prevention program that provides families with skills to reduce risk factors for youth substance use.
• Step-Beyond Program A program designed to help fostered youth transition out of the foster care system with tools for approaching their futures with confidence, self-discipline, and positive attitudes, focusing on education, health, and career preparation.
• Mental Health First Aid Training Free training program that teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges.
• Botvin Lifeskills Training An evidence-based life skills program deployed across communities to prevent substance misuse and promote positive youth development.
• Suicide Prevention Workshops (Lifelines) A 6-week suicide prevention workshop series using the Lifelines curriculum to increase awareness about warning signs of suicide, the importance of mental health, and ways to address suicidal ideation among friends.
• QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Training Free suicide prevention gatekeeper training that teaches participants to recognize warning signs, offer hope, and save lives through question, persuade, and refer techniques.
• Teen Parenting Classes Young adult parenting classes using the Power Source Parenting curriculum, an evidence-based program designed to help youth become better parents by teaching techniques to handle parenting stresses.
• The Urban Review A television series produced by CUYFD that features community news, interviews, and stories related to youth development, substance abuse prevention, and community wellness.
• SPF-PFS Grant Program Strategic Prevention Framework - Partnerships for Success program that implements data-driven strategies to address substance misuse among at-risk youth, Black LGBTQIA+ individuals, and Black families, including evidence-based programs, community assessments, and prevention messaging initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced youth substance abuse rates through implementation of strategic initiatives and environmental strategies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Prevention NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Prevention Network for comprehensive community assessment and implementation of intervention strategies under the SPF-PFS Grant framework.
• Detroit Wayne Integrated Health NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in community health assessment and mental health initiatives, including suicide prevention grants and substance abuse prevention programming.
• Hartford Memorial Baptist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary host venue for many CUYFD events including town halls, summits, and community programs. Partner Rev. Charles Christian Adams serves on CUYFD Board of Directors.
• Faith Communities Coalition on Foster CaremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide coalition spanning multiple Michigan regions (Heart of Detroit, Macomb County, Western Wayne/Oakland, Washtenaw County, Northern Michigan) supporting children and families involved in foster care through meetings, training, and resource coordination.
• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner in community substance abuse prevention efforts, co-hosting events like the Community Street Festival and collaborating on youth programming.
• The Youth ConnectionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing Life Skills and Strengthening Families curriculums in schools and community settings for youth ages 11-17.
• Botvin LifeskillscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvidence-based substance abuse prevention program deployed across the community as part of the SPF-PFS Grant initiative.
• Coalition for Healthy Youth and FamiliesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for community health events including the annual Community Street Festival and prevention programming.
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in foster care initiatives, judicial engagement teams, and community support programs for youth in care.
• ImpactSquaredminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUYFD participated in and won $100,000 in business services at the ImpactSquared Storyslam event in November 2019.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Judson Center: Michigan-based nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, behavioral health, and family services across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Genesee counties. Highly comparable to CUYFD in mission (foster youth and family support) and geography (overlapping Wayne County service area), though larger in scale.
• Starr Commonwealth: Michigan-headquartered nonprofit delivering residential treatment, behavioral health, and youth/family services including foster-care-adjacent programming. Comparable to CUYFD in evidence-based program delivery and youth/family focus, with significantly broader geographic reach.
• Black Family Development: Detroit-based nonprofit providing community-based mental health, substance abuse prevention, and family services to Black families and youth. Directly comparable to CUYFD's target populations (Black LGBTQIA+ youth, Black families below poverty line in Northwest Detroit) and substance misuse prevention focus.
• The Youth Connection: Detroit-area nonprofit that partners with CUYFD to deliver Life Skills and Strengthening Families curricula to youth ages 11-17. Directly comparable in mission, evidence-based curricula, and Detroit service area.
• Orchards Children's Services: Detroit-area nonprofit serving children and families involved in the child welfare and foster care system, including behavioral health and transition-age youth services. Directly comparable to CUYFD's foster-youth transition mission and Wayne County footprint.
• Southwest Counseling Solutions: Detroit-based nonprofit offering behavioral health, substance abuse treatment, youth services, and community development programs. Comparable to CUYFD in Detroit geographic focus and substance abuse prevention/mental health programming.

Emerging players

• Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative (MYOI): Michigan statewide initiative supporting youth transitioning out of foster care with education, employment, and independent living resources. Highly comparable mission to CUYFD's Step-Beyond Program and primary customer segment (youth aging out of foster care, 18-23).

Broad incumbents

• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD): Long-term CUYFD programming partner and a national incumbent in substance abuse prevention. Operates at a much broader scale than CUYFD but shares the substance misuse prevention mission and youth education focus.
• Child & Family Services of Michigan: Michigan-wide nonprofit offering adoption, foster care, behavioral health, and family preservation services. A broader incumbent in the same child welfare/family services space as CUYFD, with substantially more capacity and statewide contracts.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan: Regional affiliate of Boys & Girls Clubs of America serving youth in metro Detroit including workforce readiness, character development, and substance avoidance programming. A broader incumbent serving a similar youth-development mission in the same metro area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cuyfdcoaltion
• Facebookfacebook.com/cuyfd
• Instagraminstagram.com/cuyfdcoalition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-center-for-urban-youth-and-family-development

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development