GREENE SCHOLARS
Greene Scholars is a Santa Clara-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that runs year-round STEM enrichment, science fairs, summer institutes, and college prep for Bay Area youth of African ancestry from elementary through high school graduation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersSanta Clara, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What GREENE SCHOLARS does
Greene Scholars (legally the Dr. Frank S. Greene Scholars Program) is a 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered in Santa Clara, California, that provides year-round STEM enrichment to youth of African ancestry in the San Francisco Bay Area, spanning elementary through high school graduation. Founded in 2001 by Debra Watkins under the California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE) and spun off into an independent non-profit in 2018, the organization runs seven integrated program components: Monthly Scholar Sessions (rotating hands-on STEM curriculum by age group), an annual Science Fair described as the largest African American science fair in California, a Career Day, an Engineering Competition, week-long Summer Science Institutes hosted at corporate and university partner facilities, a Parent Enrichment Program, and College Application Support including SAT prep and scholarships. The program reports 100% high school graduation and college matriculation, 71% STEM-major pursuit in college, and over 85% scholar retention from entry through grade 12, with 1,500+ cumulative scholars and $170K+ in scholarships awarded to graduating seniors.
The organization operates with a lean staff of approximately 9 employees supported by a board of about 15 members including former KPMG, Google, Stanford, Capital One, and Amazon executives. Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropic streams — individual donations (typically $1,000 to $20,000), corporate sponsorships from major Silicon Valley firms (Amazon, Cisco, Applied Materials, NASA, Stanford SLAC, Marvell), and foundation grants (Daniels STEM Foundation). Program participation is free for scholar families, which are required to contribute 40 volunteer hours per year; parent volunteers contribute over 4,000 hours annually. The program is delivered via direct enrollment through an annual March–June application cycle, with recruitment driven by word-of-mouth within the Bay Area Black community, school district referrals, and corporate partner networks.
The competitive position rests on a 21-year operating history, the eponymous Frank S. Greene, Jr. brand association, deeply embedded community and family engagement, and multi-year institutional partnerships that differentiate Greene Scholars from general STEM outreach programs. Constraints include a single-metro geographic footprint, a small staff relative to programming intensity, dependence on continued corporate and individual philanthropic support, and absence of disclosed financial metrics to evaluate operating leverage.
GREENE SCHOLARS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- GREENE SCHOLARS
- Legal name
- Greene Scholars
- Website
- https://greenescholars.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Greene Scholars is a Santa Clara-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that runs year-round STEM enrichment, science fairs, summer institutes, and college prep for Bay Area youth of African ancestry from elementary through high school graduation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
GREENE SCHOLARS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth STEM Education / K-12 Educational Enrichment
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), Academic Enrichment Camps (General Studies) (EDAMALAB), STEM Research & Inquiry Programs (Research Mentorship, Science Fair Prep) (EDAMABAC)
Keywords
Where GREENE SCHOLARS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Clara
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
GREENE SCHOLARS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute funds at various levels ($1,000 to $20,000) to support STEM enrichment activities, family sponsorships, and scholarship funds for graduating seniors.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide funding, host Summer Science Institutes, offer internship opportunities, and contribute technology gifts-in-kind. Major partners include Amazon, Applied Materials, Cisco, NASA, Stanford SLAC, and others.
- Foundation Grants: Foundation supporters like Daniels STEM Foundation provide grant funding to support program operations and expansion.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
GREENE SCHOLARS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Greene Scholars is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational enrichment program that provides free year-round STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) programming to youth of African ancestry in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program serves rising 3rd through 12th graders through seven integrated components: monthly hands-on scholar sessions, an annual science fair, career day, engineering competitions, summer science institutes hosted at corporate and university partner sites, parent enrichment, and college application support including SAT prep and scholarships.
Product overview
The Greene Scholars Program is a single unified nonprofit educational enrichment program providing year-round STEM-focused services for youth of African ancestry in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program consists of seven integrated components: Monthly Scholar Sessions (hands-on STEM curriculum), Science Fair (annual project competition), Career Day (professional mentorship), Engineering Competition (team-based design challenges), Summer Science Institutes (week-long partner-hosted camps), Parent Enrichment Program (family engagement), and College Application Support (SAT prep, college guidance, scholarships). These offerings work together to build STEM competence and confidence from elementary through high school graduation, with over 85% scholar retention and 100% college matriculation rates.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Monthly Scholar Sessions Year-round monthly hands-on STEM enrichment sessions for scholars, featuring curriculum in circuits, chemistry, mechanical engineering, biomedical applications, forensics, and coding that varies by age group. Designed for youth of African ancestry in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Science Fair Annual science fair competition where scholars showcase hypothesis-driven research or innovation projects, recognized as the largest African American science fair in California.
- Career Day Annual event where scholars interact with Silicon Valley professionals to experience real-world STEM and non-STEM career applications through mock interviews and career insights.
- Engineering Competition Team-based engineering day challenge where scholars design, prototype, and create working models using provided materials to compete in engineering challenges.
- Summer Science Institutes Week-long summer STEM camps for elementary, middle, and high school students hosted at partner institutions such as Amazon, Applied Materials, Cisco, NASA, Stanford SLAC, and The Harker School, featuring hands-on projects.
- Parent Enrichment Program Parent sessions that leverage family expertise and experiences to strengthen the program, including best practices sharing and educational resources to support scholars' success.
- College Application Support Comprehensive college preparation services including SAT test prep, college admission guidance, scholarship search support, and ongoing mentorship from 3rd grade through 12th grade graduation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% of Greene Scholars graduate from high school and go on to college
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use GREENE SCHOLARS
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
GREENE SCHOLARS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
GREENE SCHOLARS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and foundational.
- AmazoncoreAmazon has provided four-year sponsorship of the Greene Scholars Summer Science Institute. Amazon employees and representatives have served as mentors, judges, and supporters of GSP programs. Amazon/Lab126 has supported STEM initiatives at local Bay Area schools.
- Applied MaterialscoreApplied Materials supports the Summer Science Institutes, providing hands-on STEM experiences for GSP scholars at hosting institutions.
- CiscocoreCisco supports the Summer Science Institutes as a corporate partner, facilitating week-long STEM enrichment camps for scholars.
- NASAcoreNASA supports Summer Science Institutes, providing unique STEM exploration opportunities for GSP scholars.
- Stanford SLACcoreStanford SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory hosts Summer Science Institute camps for high school scholars, including 'Smashing Particles' camp.
- The Harker SchoolmajorThe Harker School hosts the 'Food & Sustainability' camp for elementary-aged scholars during Summer Science Institutes.
- Bellarmine College PreparatorymajorBellarmine hosts the 'Battlebot Engineering Camp' for middle school scholars during Summer Science Institutes.
- MarvellcoreMarvell is listed as a corporate supporter providing funding and technical support for GSP programs.
- California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE)foundationalGSP was originally founded as a program under CAAAE before transitioning to its own self-sustaining non-profit organization. The founder Debra Watkins established CAAAE in 2001.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
GREENE SCHOLARS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Year Up: Large-scale workforce-development nonprofit serving young adults from underrepresented backgrounds with tech and professional-skills training. Comparable mission of funneling underrepresented populations into corporate tech careers via employer partnerships.
- iD Tech: Large commercial STEM and tech-skills camp provider offering summer programs on university campuses. Comparable hands-on STEM summer institute format with corporate and university venue partnerships, though commercial rather than free-to-scholars.
Emerging players
- Genesys Works: Nonprofit providing skills training, college support, and corporate internships to high school students from underserved communities. Comparable college-and-career STEM pipeline model for underrepresented youth in partnership with corporate employers.
- Jack and Jill of America: National African American family organization with programmatic and educational enrichment for children. Comparable community-led, family-engagement-driven model serving youth of African ancestry with enrichment programming.
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Jr. Pre-college initiative of NSBE delivering STEM exposure, competitions, and mentoring to Black K-12 students. Mission-aligned peer serving the same demographic with comparable STEM-competence and STEM-confidence outcomes focus.
Direct peers
- Code2040: Nonprofit creating equitable access to tech careers for Black and Latino students through fellowships, training, and community. Comparable mission of channeling underrepresented youth into STEM careers via structured programming and corporate-tech partnerships.
- Black Girls CODE: National nonprofit providing STEM and computer-science education to Black girls through classes, workshops, and summer camps. Directly comparable as a community-rooted, culturally specific STEM-enrichment program serving youth of African ancestry with hands-on curriculum and corporate partner support.
- Citizen Schools: Nonprofit providing expanded-learning STEM and career-exposure programming to middle-school students, largely through partner-hosted 'apprenticeships' with corporate volunteers. Directly comparable enrichment-plus-career-exposure model for underrepresented youth.
- BUILD: Youth entrepreneurship and STEM enrichment program serving high school students from underserved communities. Directly comparable hands-on, project-based, year-round extracurricular enrichment model with corporate partner-hosted experiential components.
- SMASH Academy (by KIPP): STEMM-focused college-prep residential summer program for underrepresented high school students, with year-round academic enrichment. Directly comparable model — free enrollment, corporate/university partnerships, and strong STEM-major outcomes as a success metric.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
GREENE SCHOLARS social profiles
Digital presenceGREENE SCHOLARS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
GREENE SCHOLARS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
GREENE SCHOLARS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
GREENE SCHOLARS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about GREENE SCHOLARS
What does GREENE SCHOLARS do?
Greene Scholars is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational enrichment program that provides free year-round STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) programming to youth of African ancestry in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program serves rising 3rd through 12th graders through seven integrated components: monthly hands-on scholar sessions, an annual science fair, career day, engineering competitions, summer science institutes hosted at corporate and university partner sites, parent enrichment, and college application support including SAT prep and scholarships.
Is GREENE SCHOLARS a public or private company?
GREENE SCHOLARS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was GREENE SCHOLARS founded?
GREENE SCHOLARS was founded in 2001. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is GREENE SCHOLARS based?
GREENE SCHOLARS is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States, in the North America region.
How does GREENE SCHOLARS make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships and foundation Grants.
Who are GREENE SCHOLARS's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Year Up and iD Tech. Emerging players are Genesys Works, Jack and Jill of America and National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Jr.. Direct peers are Code2040, Black Girls CODE, Citizen Schools, BUILD and SMASH Academy (by KIPP).
Does GREENE SCHOLARS have an API?
No public API is recorded for GREENE SCHOLARS.
What industry is GREENE SCHOLARS in?
GREENE SCHOLARS's product category is Youth STEM Education / K-12 Educational Enrichment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAA, Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs), with a secondary code of BPAGADAG, STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.