Distinguished Young Women

What Distinguished Young Women does

Distinguished Young Women is a non-profit scholarship and leadership development program operating as Distinguished Young Women Foundation, incorporated under the laws of Alabama and headquartered at 751 Government Street, Mobile, Alabama. Founded in 1956, it is the oldest and largest scholarship program for high school girls in the United States, currently preparing for its 70th Annual National Finals in 2026. The program serves female high school students (typically juniors or seniors) across all 50 states and Washington DC through a tiered structure: local programs feed into state programs, which advance representatives to the annual National Finals in Mobile, Alabama. Participation is free to enter.

The program's product surface consists of the core Scholarship Program (combining cash tuition scholarships with over $2.1 million awarded annually and access to more than 100 college-granted scholarship partnerships), the Be Your Best Self (BYBS) Life Skills Workshop component for professional development, and a merchandise/recorded-event e-commerce line. Technically, the organization runs a modest stack: its main website (distinguishedyw.org) is built on Wix, with e-commerce operations distributed across a Shopify storefront (distinguished-young-women.myshopify.com) and a Jostens mascot shop. A small national staff of approximately 7 full-time employees manages operations; program execution at the local and state level is handled by a distributed volunteer committee network.

Revenue mechanics rely on two primary streams: donations (accepted via Venmo, PayPal, credit card, and gifts of stock through the national office) and merchandise sales (branded items and National Finals recordings). Donations support the national program and scholarship pool. The organization is privately held with no parent company or institutional investors, governed by a Board of Directors, and is actively operating. Privacy compliance posture is documented across CCPA, GDPR (referenced), and COPPA frameworks.

Name

Distinguished Young Women

Legal name

Distinguished Young Women Foundation

Website

https://distinguishedyw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Distinguished Young Women is a non-profit scholarship program founded in 1956 that serves high school girls across all 50 U.S. states through a tiered local-to-national competition structure, awarding over $2.1 million in annual cash scholarships and partnering with 100+ colleges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Scholarship and Leadership Development Program

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Merit-Based Scholarships (Academic Excellence) (EDAIAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Talent Development, Competitions & Academic Pathways (Olympiads, Research, Early College) (EDAKALAI), Enrichment Programs for Gifted Learners (STEM, Humanities, Arts) (EDAKALAE)

Keywords

• Scholarship program
• Leadership development
• Youth education
• College scholarships
• Life skills training

Headquarters

HQ city

Mobile

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts monetary donations online via Venmo, PayPal, and credit card, as well as gifts of stock. Donations support the national program and scholarship opportunities.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including National Finals recordings, memorabilia through Shopify and Jostens platforms.
3. College-Granted Scholarships: Partners with over 100 colleges and universities that offer scholarships to program participants. While not direct revenue, these partnerships create value through scholarship provision.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Distinguished Young Women operates a national, multi-tiered scholarship and leadership development program for high school girls, combining Local Programs, State Programs, and an annual National Finals competition in Mobile, Alabama. Participants (free to enter) can earn Cash Tuition Scholarships (over $2.1 million awarded last year) and access College-Granted Scholarships from 100+ partner institutions, alongside Be Your Best Self (BYBS) Life Skills workshops for personal and professional development.

Product overview

Distinguished Young Women is a scholarship and leadership development program structured as a multi-tiered platform consisting of Local Programs, State Programs, and National Finals. The core offering combines cash tuition scholarships (over $2.1 million distributed annually) with access to over 100 college-granted scholarship partnerships. The program includes the Be Your Best Self (BYBS) Life Skills Workshop component for professional development. Participants progress through local programs (free to enter), then state competitions, culminating in the annual National Finals in Mobile, Alabama. The organization also operates a merchandise store through Shopify and Jostens, and the AJM Scholarship Foundation manages awarded scholarship disbursement for seven years post-graduation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Distinguished Young Women Scholarship Program A national scholarship program for high school girls that combines the opportunity to earn college scholarships with professional development and Life Skills training to prepare young women for success after high school. The program operates in all 50 states and Washington DC, with young women participating in their junior or senior year of high school.
• Cash Tuition Scholarships Scholarships that can be used at any accredited institution of higher learning for tuition, room and board, books, or other educational expenses. Participants received more than $2.1 million in cash scholarships through programs across the nation last year.
• College-Granted Scholarships Over 100 colleges and universities partner with Distinguished Young Women to offer scholarships specifically to program participants, including renewable scholarships based on academic performance and participation level, with amounts ranging from $1,000 to full tuition across partner institutions such as Arizona State University, Chapman University, and the University of Alabama.
• National Finals The culminating annual national event where state representatives compete; the 70th Annual National Finals is held in Mobile, Alabama, where the America's Distinguished Young Woman is selected.
• Be Your Best Self (BYBS) Life Skills Workshops Professional development and life skills training component of the program that helps young women prepare for success after high school. National BYBS Week celebrates this initiative.
• AJM Scholarship Foundation The foundation that holds and disburses awarded cash scholarships. Funds are automatically held for seven years after the recipient's high school graduation and can be claimed after enrollment in an accredited college or university.
• Distinguished Young Women Merchandise Store Online merchandise store selling Distinguished Young Women branded items, including National Finals video recordings, through Shopify and Jostens mascot shop integrations.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.4 billion+ in scholarship opportunities available annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• JostensminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMascot shop partner providing branded merchandise through themascotshop.jostens.com

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Horatio Alger Association Scholarships: National scholarship program recognizing high school students who have overcome adversity. Comparable in offering substantial college scholarships to high school participants through a competitive, multi-stage selection process funded by corporate and foundation donors.
• Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarship: A large, nationally recognized merit-based scholarship competition for high school students funded through a fraternal organization. Comparable in distributing substantial college scholarships through a competitive multi-tier process to high school students nationally.
• Coca-Cola Scholars Program: A large, nationally recognized achievement-based scholarship program for high school students administered through a foundation. Directly comparable to DYW in its free-entry model, national reach, multi-tier selection process, and corporate-funded scholarship offering.
• Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY): National leadership development and scholarship program for high school students with state-level seminars and a flagship annual event. Comparable in tiered local-state-national structure, scholarship focus, and life-skills leadership curriculum for high school participants.
• Regeneron Science Talent Search: A premier national science competition for high school seniors awarding significant scholarships. Comparable to DYW as a free-entry, talent/academic-competition program for high school students awarding substantial college scholarships nationally.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship Program: A prestigious, highly competitive scholarship program for high-achieving high school students with financial need. Comparable in administering large scholarship awards to high school participants via a multi-stage application and selection process.
• Questbridge: Connects high-achieving high school students from low-income backgrounds to college scholarships and partner institutions. Comparable to DYW in operating as a national scholarship pipeline between high school participants and 100+ partner colleges, though serving a different demographic focus.
• National Merit Scholarship Program: The largest U.S. academic merit-based scholarship competition for high school students, with corporate-sponsored awards at participating colleges. Comparable in being a free-entry, national, merit-based scholarship competition that funnels students into college-granted awards.

Emerging players

• DECA Inc. National student organization offering competitive events, leadership development, and scholarships to high school students. Comparable as a free-entry, national program providing scholarship access and life-skills development through state-to-national competition tiers.

Broad incumbents

• Girls Inc. A national nonprofit operating local affiliates delivering year-round programming for girls and young women, including college preparation. Comparable as a national, volunteer-driven, mission-aligned youth development organization focused on empowering high-school-age girls.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/distinguishedyw
• Facebookfacebook.com/distinguishedyw
• Instagraminstagram.com/distinguishedyw
• TikToktiktok.com/@distinguishedyw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/distinguished-young-women

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Distinguished Young Women