Junior Achievement of the Heartland

What Junior Achievement of the Heartland does

Junior Achievement of the Heartland is a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1956 and headquartered in Moline, Illinois, that delivers financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship programming to K-12 students across a 24-county service region spanning Iowa and Illinois. The organization reaches 57,365 students annually through 2,522 classes in 231 schools, supported by 2,719 trained business volunteers and a network of 90+ corporate and foundation sponsors including John Deere, ADM, Deloitte, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Alliant Energy, MidAmerican Energy, and CBI Bank & Trust. Its core product portfolio comprises dozens of volunteer-delivered and teacher-led programs organized across three pathways — Financial Literacy, Work and Career Readiness, and Entrepreneurship — including JA Finance Park, JA Inspire Entry, JA Take Stock in Your Future, JA Titan, JA Economics, and multiple one-semester high school courses, supplemented by digital platforms (JA Connect Learning Pathways, JA Here to Career, JA Money Quiz) and a 13,000 sq ft experiential learning facility (JA Inspiration Center) opened in 2026 in partnership with Vibrant Credit Union.

The organization operates as a local affiliate of Junior Achievement USA and is governed by a board of directors under a President & CEO (Dougal Nelson), with a CFOO (Amy Barth) overseeing finance and operations. Technology infrastructure relies on third-party platforms including VFairs for virtual events, D2L (Desire2Learn) for curriculum delivery, Workday for HR, and BCRM for constituent relationship management, alongside JA-owned digital learning resources. The business model is a nonprofit donation-and-sponsorship model: all programs are provided free of charge to schools, educators, and students, with operating revenue generated through corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, individual donations (including Donor-Advised Funds), and signature fundraising events (JA Taste of Achievement Boos & Bites, JA Stock Market Challenge, JA Golf Classic, JA Inspire Career Expo). Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the organization recruits business professionals as classroom volunteers, partners directly with school districts for curriculum integration, and cultivates corporate partners through signature events that serve dual fundraising and engagement functions. Distribution channels span school-based program delivery, the JA Inspiration Center facility, self-serve digital platforms (JA Connect, JA Here to Career), and public fundraising events. The organization is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2026.

Name

Junior Achievement of the Heartland

Legal name

Junior Achievement of the Heartland

Website

https://heartland.ja.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Junior Achievement of the Heartland is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1956 in Moline, Illinois, delivering financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship programming free of charge to 57,365 K-12 students annually across a 24-county Iowa-Illinois service region, funded by 90+ corporate and foundation sponsors and operated through 2,719 business volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Career Readiness & College Prep (In-School) (EDAJAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth financial literacy
• Career readiness education
• Entrepreneurship education
• K-12 educational programs
• Experiential learning simulations

Headquarters

HQ city

Moline

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate and Foundation Donations/Sponsorships: JA of the Heartland is primarily funded through corporate sponsorships and foundation grants. The organization lists over 90 corporate sponsors and community foundations on its supporter page, including major donors such as ADM, John Deere, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Alliant Energy, and numerous community foundations. Sponsors provide both monetary contributions and in-kind support. Impact partners fund specific programs delivered to local students.
2. Event Fundraising: The organization generates revenue through signature fundraising events including the JA Taste of Achievement Boos & Bites (tickets priced at $30), JA Golf Classic, and JA Stock Market Challenge. These events serve dual purposes of fundraising and community/corporate engagement.
3. Event Ticket Sales: Direct ticket sales for fundraising events such as the 2026 JA Taste of Achievement Boos & Bites at $30 per ticket, with proceeds supporting JA learning experiences in Cedar, Des Moines, Henderson, Lee, Louisa, Mercer, Muscatine, Warren, and Washington counties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Junior Achievement of the Heartland delivers standards-aligned K-12 learning experiences in financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship through a blended delivery model combining volunteer-led classroom instruction, teacher-led curricula, and digital platforms. Core offerings include JA Finance Park simulations, JA BizTown, JA Inspire career exploration, JA Titan business simulation, and a portfolio of semester-length high school courses in personal finance, marketing, business communications, and entrepreneurship. Programs are provided free to schools, educators, and students, funded by corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and event-based fundraising.

Product overview

Junior Achievement of the Heartland is a nonprofit educational organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of K-12 learning experiences organized across three pathways: Financial Literacy, Work and Career Readiness, and Entrepreneurship. The core platform consists of volunteer-delivered and teacher-led programs including JA Finance Park (Entry Level and Advanced), JA Inspire Entry, JA Take Stock in Your Future, JA Titan, JA Economics, and various high school semester courses like JA Personal Finance, JA Financial Literacy, JA Business Communications, JA Marketing Principles, and JA Introduction to Business and Technology. Supplementary digital tools include JA Connect Learning Pathways (self-guided platform), JA Here to Career (career exploration), JA Tools for Success, and JA Money Quiz. The programs are delivered through classroom-based, remote live, after-school, and experiential formats including the JA Inspiration Center facility and the JA BizTown simulation. Programs serve elementary, middle, and high school students across a 24-county service region in Iowa and Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• JA Finance Park (Entry Level) Capstone program for grades 7-9 combining classroom curriculum with a hands-on budgeting simulation at a realistic on-site, mobile, or virtual facility. Students develop and commit to a personal budget using persona-based life scenarios.
• JA Finance Park Advanced Advanced capstone curriculum for high school students (grades 9-12) where students select a career and define future lifestyle and financial goals, seeing long-term impact of education, savings, and credit decisions.
• JA Inspire Entry Career exploration program for middle school students (grades 6-8) bringing together the business community and local schools through pre-event career sessions, the JA Inspire event, and post-event reflection. Available in-person, virtual, or hybrid formats.
• JA Take Stock in Your Future High school program (Grades 9-12) introducing students to stock market concepts through five 45-minute sessions, with an optional JA Stock Market Challenge competition event. Part of the JA Financial Literacy Pathway.
• JA Connect Learning Pathways Junior Achievement's first self-guided student experience featuring a flexible, modular online repository of activities related to work and career readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. Available at connect.ja.org.
• JA Titan

Quantifiable outcome

• 57,365 students reached locally through JA learning experiences annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vibrant Credit UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVibrant Credit Union is a key facility partner for the JA Inspiration Center, collaborating with JA of the Heartland to convert 13,000 sq ft of space into a state-of-the-art experiential learning facility serving 8,000 students annually.
• PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPwC co-created JA Afford Your Future with Junior Achievement USA — a program providing tools enabling teens to compare career income and education funding options to make informed decisions about their futures and minimize college debt.
• Black Hawk CollegeminorOthersBlack Hawk College is listed as a supporter and education sponsor, appearing on JA Finance Park supporter materials indicating collaboration on post-secondary educational pathways.
• Eastern Iowa Community CollegeminorOthersEastern Iowa Community College appears on JA supporter materials and website sponsor listings, indicating collaborative support for JA programs and student pathways.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA: The national parent organization and federation of all U.S. Junior Achievement chapters. Directly comparable as it produces the curriculum, technology platforms, and corporate partnerships (PwC, Accenture, EY) that JA of the Heartland deploys locally.
• 4-H (National 4-H Council): National youth development nonprofit delivering hands-on educational programs to K-12 students through schools, clubs, and community organizations. Comparable in K-12 youth development mission, volunteer-driven delivery, and regional chapter structure, though with broader STEM/civic focus.
• DECA (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America): National career and technical student organization focused on entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, and hospitality career preparation for high school students. Comparable in target audience (high schoolers), career-readiness mission, and school-based delivery model.

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City: A peer regional JA chapter serving the Kansas City metro with identical JA program offerings, volunteer-driven model, and corporate-sponsor funding structure.
• Junior Achievement of Wisconsin: A peer JA regional chapter in the Upper Midwest offering the same portfolio of JA programs to K-12 students, schools, and corporate sponsors. Highly comparable in mission, scale, and corporate-sponsorship-driven funding model.
• Junior Achievement of Southwest New England: A peer JA regional chapter serving Connecticut and western Massachusetts with the same JA curriculum portfolio, volunteer-driven delivery model, and corporate-sponsor funding base.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): Nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship education to K-12 students, particularly in under-resourced communities. Comparable in youth entrepreneurship curriculum, school-based delivery, and corporate-sponsor funding model.
• Junior Achievement of Central Iowa: A sibling regional JA chapter serving central Iowa with comparable K-12 financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship programming. Most direct comparable in terms of service region, program mix, and operating model.
• Junior Achievement of New York: A larger peer JA chapter serving the New York metro region with the same K-12 financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship programs. Comparable in operating model though at materially larger scale.

Emerging players

• EverFi: Edtech platform providing K-12 financial literacy, career readiness, and STEM curricula on a self-serve digital basis. Overlaps with JA's curriculum portfolio (especially financial literacy and career exploration) but competes via pure digital delivery rather than volunteer-led in-person programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/set
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/junior-achievement-of-the-heartland-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Junior Achievement of the Heartland