Dr. Richard Barnett Foundation

What Dr. Richard Barnett Foundation does

The Dr. Richard Barnett Foundation (DRBF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2020 and headquartered in New York City, with a staff of approximately 5. It provides higher-education scholarships, internship placement, educational programming, mental health support, mentorship, and career exploration experiences to underserved New York City youth entering 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. The foundation's core offering is the DRBF Scholars Program, which combines scholarship funding (with a stated goal of covering up to full tuition, room, and board) with SAT/ACT preparation delivered through Study Smart Tutors, a STEAM residential experience at Princeton University via SOAL U, and Career Exploration Days hosted at Madison Square Garden, NBA Headquarters, Nike NYC, and Yankee Stadium.

The organization is named after Dr. Richard Barnett, a New York Knicks champion and Hall of Fame inductee whose alumni network (including Clyde Frazier, John Starks, Larry Johnson, and Senator Bill Bradley) underpins the foundation's access to professional sports organizations. The foundation has no underlying technology platform; its value chain is built on relationships, events, and human mentorship. Its business model is donations and event-driven philanthropy, with annual fundraising carried out through a Celebrity Golf Classic (raising ~$100K per event at launch), a Luncheon Fundraiser (raising ~$200K+ at launch), and an inaugural Casino Night Fundraiser launching in late 2025. Anchor financial sponsors have included Signature Bank (early donations exceeding $400,000), Peapack Private Bank, Customers Bank, and the Charles Koch Foundation, alongside sports partners such as the New York Knicks, NBA, MSG Sports, Nike, NYCFC, and others. Geographic reach is restricted to New York City, and the program's annual cohort size is constrained — Career Exploration Days have engaged 40-50 scholars per event.

Name

Dr. Richard Barnett Foundation

Legal name

Dr. Richard Barnett Foundation

Website

https://drbfny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Dr. Richard Barnett Foundation is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides scholarships, mentorship, mental health support, and career exploration experiences to underserved NYC youth in grades 9-11, leveraging partnerships with the Knicks, NBA, Nike, and MSG.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Youth Education and Scholarship Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Youth education scholarships
• Higher education access
• College mentorship programs
• Nonprofit youth development
• Career exploration sports

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization raises funds through donations, annual celebrity golf classic events, luncheons, and casino night fundraisers. Corporate sponsorships from partners including Knicks, Charles Koch Foundation, Peapack Private Bank, and others contribute to funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Dr. Richard Barnett Foundation provides higher-education scholarships, internship placements, college advising, SAT/ACT prep, mental health support, mentorship, and career exploration experiences to underserved NYC youth entering grades 9–11. The flagship DRBF Scholars Program combines academic support with access to professional sports organizations and Fortune 500 companies, with the goal of providing financial support up to full tuition, room, and board. The foundation funds these programs through donations, corporate sponsorships, and annual fundraising events.

Product overview

The Dr. Richard Barnett Foundation is a non-profit organization offering a unified youth empowerment platform centered around its DRBF Scholars Program, which integrates scholarships, internships, education programs, and career exploration initiatives. The core DRBF Scholars Program provides comprehensive support including college advising, SAT/ACT preparation through Study Smart Tutors, mental health resources, and mentorship. Supplementary offerings include scholarship funding (up to full tuition), internship placements with professional sports organizations and Fortune 500 companies, and experiential learning through Career Exploration Days at venues like Nike HQ, NBA HQ, and Madison Square Garden. The foundation also raises funds through annual events including the Celebrity Golf Classic, Luncheon Fundraisers, and Casino Night events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DRBF Scholars Program A scholarship and mentorship program for underserved NYC students in grades 9–11 providing college advising, SAT/ACT prep, mental health support, and career exploration through partnerships with professional sports organizations and Fortune 500 companies.
• Scholarships College scholarship fund providing financial assistance to help scholars attend the university of their dreams, with the goal of offering amounts up to full tuition, room/board, and expenses.
• Internships Internship opportunities for DRBF alumni scholars during their college years with professional sports leagues, franchises, and Fortune 500 companies across sectors including media, finance, technology, hospitality, entertainment, real estate, and fashion.
• Education Programs Educational programming combining college prep classes, unique workshops led by sports legends, mental health support, financial literacy, and mentorship, delivered through technology-enabled experiential learning.
• Career Exploration Days Events exposing scholars to behind-the-scenes careers in sports, entertainment, fashion, and other industries through visits to organizations like Nike HQ, NBA HQ, MSG, and NYCFC.
• Celebrity Golf Classic Annual celebrity golf tournament fundraiser featuring foursomes paired with sports celebrities, raising funds for the DRBF Scholars Program.
• Annual Luncheon Fundraiser Exclusive annual fundraising luncheon featuring New York sports legends, with panel discussions and Q&A sessions with scholars and donors.
• Casino Night Fundraiser Casino night fundraiser event featuring New York Knicks legends, casino games, dinner, live entertainment, and prizes to support the scholarship fund.
• Dream Big, Lead Boldly Program Leadership and inspiration program led by Amy Lee Flower, providing youth with motivation and guidance during career exploration events.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MSG SportscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor sports and entertainment partnership providing venue access for career exploration events. DRBF holds programs at Madison Square Garden, engaging scholars with Knicks executives and alumni.
• New York KnickscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFlagship partner sponsoring Golf Classics, providing Knicks alumni for events, hosting career days, and supporting scholarship programming. Active involvement in scholar mentorship and program events.
• New York RangersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNHL partner providing additional sports industry exposure opportunities for scholars.
• NikecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCareer Exploration Day host at Nike NYC headquarters, exposing scholars to sports and fashion industry careers with Nike executive mentorship.
• NBAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeague-wide partnership hosting career exploration days at NBA HQ, connecting scholars with executives and exposing them to sports industry career paths.
• NYCFC (New York City Football Club)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSoccer partner hosting career exploration events at Yankee Stadium, exposing scholars to sports and community relations career opportunities.
• Study Smart TutorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner providing college access programming, SAT/ACT prep tools and instruction. Partner to NYC Department of Education and Harlem Children's Zone, serving over 80,000 students.
• SOAL U (Brian Taylor's Summer of a Lifetime)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEAM education program hosted at Princeton University, providing scholars with collaborative projects, volunteer opportunities, and learning from esteemed professors.
• VaynerXminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia and entertainment partner contributing to foundation outreach and visibility.
• FanaticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports retail partner providing industry exposure and potential career opportunities in sports commerce.
• RobinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 30-Day Mindfulness and College Prep Challenge collaboration with NYCFC and A-List Education.
• Florida PanthersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNHL partner providing additional sports industry exposure opportunities.
• Boston CelticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNBA partner providing sports industry exposure opportunities.
• GoogleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology partner supporting foundation operations and visibility.
• NBRPA (National Basketball Retired Players Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAssociation of basketball legends supporting foundation through alumni connections and mentorship.
• Eagel PromotionsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEvent planning partner that powers Celebrity Golf Classic and Casino Night fundraisers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UNCF (United Negro College Fund): National education nonprofit providing scholarships and capacity building to students and member historically Black colleges and universities. Comparable on the scholarship-distribution core but vastly larger scale and serves a different demographic base.
• Scholarship America: Large national nonprofit administering and managing scholarship programs for corporations, foundations, and individuals. Comparable on administering scholarship funds to students in need, but operates at much larger scale through B2B program management.
• KIPP Foundation: National nonprofit operating a network of college-preparatory public charter schools serving underserved students from kindergarten through high school. Comparable on mission and target population but operates at substantially larger scale with a multi-state charter school delivery model.

Direct peers

• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: National scholarship-granting foundation that supports high-achieving underserved students from 8th grade through graduate school with scholarships, advising, and access networks. Closely comparable scholarship-plus-advising-and-mentorship model.
• Posse Foundation: National nonprofit identifying and supporting underserved youth with leadership potential by partnering with colleges for full-tuition scholarships, leadership training, and career support. Closely mirrors DRBF's model of identifying motivated underserved NYC students and providing scholarships plus career development.
• College Track: Nonprofit providing comprehensive college access, persistence, and graduation support to underserved students beginning in 9th grade. Closely mirrors DRBF's grade-9-onward cohort model of academic advising, scholarship funding, and wraparound support through college completion.
• Bottom Line: College access and success nonprofit serving first-generation-to-college students from low-income backgrounds through advising, tutoring, and post-secondary support. Closely comparable on serving high-potential underserved youth with college access programming, mentoring, and career readiness.
• Harlem Children's Zone: NYC-based nonprofit delivering cradle-to-career education, social services, and college access support to underserved youth in Harlem. Directly comparable as it operates in the same geography and target population and is even named as a partner via DRBF's Study Smart Tutors relationship.

Emerging players

• City Year New York: Education nonprofit placing young adult mentors in NYC schools to support attendance, behavior, and course performance for at-risk students. Comparable on serving NYC underserved youth with mentorship-based interventions and career/college-readiness programming.

Others

• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Major global nonprofit supporting children's health, education, and well-being. Comparably a large-scale youth-focused grantmaking and programming foundation with a strong celebrity/corporate fundraising model, though operating in a different mission area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dr-richard-barnett-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Dr. Richard Barnett Foundation