Girls Inc. of Orange County

What Girls Inc. of Orange County does

Girls Inc. of Orange County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1954 and headquartered in Santa Ana, California. It delivers out-of-school educational and youth-development programs to girls, primarily school-age, serving more than 4,000 participants annually through 46+ community locations across Orange County. The organization's mission centers on equipping girls with skills and confidence across STEM, literacy, college readiness, career exploration, and personal development, with family engagement woven into its delivery model.

The program portfolio includes the long-running Eureka! STEM initiative (21+ years), College Bound, an Externship Program, the Literacy Lab (1-to-1 tutoring launched in 2021), Building Blocks, Operation FLIGHT, SMART Girls, and a Mother-Daughter Program. Programs are operated in schools, community centers, and partner sites, with university collaborators including UC Irvine and Orange Coast College supporting the externship and college-access pipelines. In 2022, a Girls Inc. of Orange County team won the National Esports League Championship, signaling extension into competitive STEM-adjacent formats.

The organization's revenue model is donation- and grant-funded, supplemented by an annual gala ($400,000+ raised in 2025) and special events. Recurring corporate support comes from Boeing, Macy's, Google, Allergan, Edwards Lifesciences, and the Pacific Life Foundation, among others. Lucy Santana has served as CEO for 25+ years, providing leadership continuity. In 2025, the organization received both the Modern Luxury Philanthropy Award and the LA Times Business Visionaries Award, and announced Cindy Staggs of Pacific Life Foundation as incoming board chair.

Name

Girls Inc. of Orange County

Legal name

Girls Incorporated of Orange County

Website

https://girlsinc-oc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Girls Inc. of Orange County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1954 that delivers STEM, literacy, college-readiness, and life-skills programs to more than 4,000 girls annually across 46+ community locations in Orange County, California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (611)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

Keywords

• Youth education programs
• Girls mentorship services
• STEM education youth
• College readiness programs
• Nonprofit youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Ana

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donations from supporters, monthly giving program (Sustain HER), and one-time gifts processed through online donation platform.
2. Corporate Grants and Partnerships: Corporate sponsors provide financial support through grants (Boeing $100,000 for STEM, Macy's $10,000 for College Bound/Externship) and in-kind contributions.
3. Annual Gala Revenue: Annual fundraising gala 'Celebrating the Girls Inc. Experience' raised over $400,000 in 2025.
4. Event-Based Fundraising: Revenue generated from annual events including Women in Business Awards, Strong Smart Bold Challenge, and other community fundraising events.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Girls Inc. of Orange County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers girl-focused educational programs, mentorship, and youth development services across Orange County. Programs span STEM education, college and career readiness, literacy, financial literacy, leadership, healthy relationships, body image, and advocacy, delivered through school partnerships, community centers, seasonal camps, and externships hosted at corporate partners. All programs are provided free of charge to participants and supported through donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Girls Inc. of Orange County is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating as a single unified programmatic entity rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of girl-focused programs centered on three core pillars: Strong (health and wellness), Smart (education and STEM), and Bold (leadership and advocacy). Core programs include School-Based and Non-School Based Partnerships delivering Social Emotional Learning; signature offerings such as the Eureka! summer STEM camp (21+ years), Externship Program (workforce readiness with 70+ hours training), and College Bound (college preparation); specialized programs including Literacy Lab (K-4th grade reading), Action for Safety (self-defense), Doc Squad (filmmaking), and Building Blocks (K-3 mental health); and advocacy initiatives like the Girls Action Network, National Scholars Program, and #GIRLSTOO. Programs serve girls ages 6-18 across 46+ community locations in Orange County, reaching over 4,000 girls annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School-Based Partnerships In-school programs that infuse Social Emotional Learning content into STEM, literacy, and life-skills areas, delivered through partnerships with Orange County schools including Adams Elementary, College Park Elementary, and Anaheim High School.
• Non-School Based Partnerships Out-of-school programs open to girls across Orange County that provide tools to shape their futures through mentorship and skill-building activities at up to 46 community center locations.
• Seasonal Camps and Workshops Hands-on seasonal camps and workshops igniting girls' passion through experiences in STEM, entrepreneurship, and essential life skills, held on college campuses including Orange Coast College and UC Irvine.
• Externship Program Summer program providing 40-85 high school girls with 70+ hours of workforce readiness training followed by externship placements at Orange County corporations, including mock interviews, career panels, leadership training, and communication skills development.
• Eureka! Four-week summer STEM camp held on college campuses teaching science, technology, engineering, math, financial literacy, advocacy, health and wellness, and leadership. Activities include robotics, coding, engineering design, and advocacy projects.
• Smart-Ups Entrepreneurship summer program teaching girls business skills, lessons about creating and running a business, and how to develop a product prototype and marketing strategy.
• College Bound College preparation program helping girls with essay writing, personal statements, course selection, entrance exam preparation, scholarship and financial aid navigation, and life skills for perseverance.
• Literacy Lab Early literacy program for 120 girls in kindergarten through fourth grade, featuring 10-week sessions, family literacy nights, and field trips, designed to ensure girls read at grade level by fourth grade.
• Action for Safety Elementary school self-defense program teaching 3rd-6th graders awareness, self-defense techniques, and how to use their voices in threatening situations.
• Doc Squad Two-week filmmaking camp where girls learn to write, edit, direct, and produce documentary films about issues affecting them, with topics including substance abuse, religious tolerance, and women in STEM.
• Girls Meet the Workforce Workshops STEM career workshops held at corporate partners including Google, DPR Construction, Arbonne, and Column Five, exposing girls to various career paths and hands-on activities.
• Building Blocks Program K-3rd grade program focusing on emotional literacy, resilience training, and stress management to build healthy coping skills and prevent adverse childhood experiences (ACES).
• Mind + Body Program Program focusing on mental health, body image, and overall wellness for adolescent girls, providing tools for coping with anxiety, OCD, and other mental health challenges.
• National Scholars Program Competitive scholarship program receiving 125+ applications annually, awarding the Suzanne Patmore Gibbs Scholarship ($25,000) and 8th Grade Scholarships ($500) to deserving girls.
• Girls Action Network (GAN) National advocacy program selecting 10 girls annually to learn about policy barriers, receive advocacy training, and meet with legislators in Washington D.C., with focus areas including immigration, sexual harassment, Dream Act, juvenile justice, and mental health.
• #GIRLSTOO Teen Town Hall Program addressing sexual harassment and assault awareness, empowering girls to understand their rights and speak out against injustice.
• Project Accelerate Program designed to accelerate college and career readiness for participating girls through intensive skill-building and preparation activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of Girls Inc. girls more positive about their futures as a result of programming
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Macy'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Long-time corporate partner providing $10,000 grants for College Bound and Externship programs. Macy's Day event hosts 85+ externs at South Coast Plaza for workplace mentoring, professional clothing ($100 per girl), workshops on interview skills and professional dress, and career preparation. Macy's employees serve as mentors throughout the program.
• Orange Coast CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time host of Eureka! summer camp on campus for over 20 years. Partnership enables residential STEM programming on college campus for middle school girls.
• UC IrvinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of annual Girls Conference Orange County in partnership with UC Irvine CARE office. Day-long conference with workshops, speakers, and activities for girls and parents.
• DIY GirlsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram empowering girls to be confident makers and creators of technology. Collaborated with 12 Latina girls from San Fernando High School on solar-powered tent/backpack invention.
• Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy LivingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Hoag Hospital providing holistic services including legal, mental health, housing support. Girls Inc. staff provide programming for ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) treatment and prevention.
• AllerganminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost company for Externship Program placements. Pharmaceutical company providing HR department externship opportunities for high school girls.
• Edwards LifesciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical technology company hosting Externship Program participants for workplace experience and mentorship.
• GoogleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost for Girls Meet the Workforce STEM workshop. Provides facility access and employee mentors for workshop focused on careers in technology and problem-solving.
• DPR ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost for construction industry career workshop featuring 20+ women employees sharing career paths in design and technology roles in construction.
• Arbonne InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeauty products company hosting entrepreneurship workshop where girls create their own company, product, and business card.
• Column FiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia marketing company hosting creative workshop where girls create visual representations of Girls Inc. motto 'Strong, Smart, Bold.'
• PIMCOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial services firm providing financial literacy education programs for Girls Inc. participants.
• Agency Ingram Micro (AIM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership that has elevated the look, feel and presence of the Girls Inc. brand through marketing and communications support.
• Orange County School of the ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides teacher and student instructors for Doc Squad filmmaking camp with exceptional film production talent.
• Disney Made with CodeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoding program partner for Eureka! camp, with Duke University students and high school girls peer-teaching middle school participants.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• YWCA USA: National nonprofit focused on women and girls' empowerment, with local YWCA affiliates (including YWCA Orange County). Competes in the same gender-equity and workforce-readiness funding space and serves overlapping corporate partners.
• Girl Scouts of the USA: Largest U.S. girl-serving youth-development nonprofit. Competes for the same girl-and-family audience, donor dollars, and corporate sponsorships, though its programming and badge-based curriculum differs from Girls Inc.'s research-based model.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Large, established youth-mentoring nonprofit operating nationwide through local affiliates. Competes for the same volunteer mentors, school and community partners, and donor dollars supporting youth-mentorship outcomes.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Nationally branded youth-development nonprofit operating club-based programs across the U.S., including Orange County. Targets similar age groups and competes for school, community, and corporate partnerships and donor funding.

Direct peers

• Girls Inc. (National): National umbrella organization of which Girls Inc. of Orange County is an affiliate. Operates the same girl-focused youth-development model across affiliates nationwide, sharing curriculum, brand, and advocacy platform.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Orange County: Direct regional peer delivering youth-development programming across Orange County to a similar K-12 audience. Competes for school-district partnerships, donor dollars, and volunteer engagement in the same geography.

Emerging players

• Girls on the Run: National nonprofit combining physical activity with life-skills programming for girls. Smaller and more curricular-focused than Girls Inc., but targets a similar girl-serving mission and competes for school-based SEL slots and sponsor funding.
• National Girls Collaborative Project: Network-focused nonprofit that connects and amplifies STEM and girl-serving programs across the U.S., including Girls Inc. affiliates. Comparable mission emphasis on girls in STEM and a potential collaborator or programmatic peer.
• Step Up Women's Network: Nonprofit focused on mentoring and workforce development for girls and young women, with strong corporate-partner programming. Closely comparable to Girls Inc.'s Externship and Girls Meet the Workforce programs in target audience and corporate-funding model.
• TECHNOLOchicas: Initiative focused on increasing Latina representation in STEM, supported by similar corporate and educational partners. Overlaps with Girls Inc. of Orange County's STEM programming for underserved girl populations in Southern California.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=N5fl7pP_dHI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/girls-inc--of-orange-county

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Girls Inc. of Orange County