Legacy Disciple

What Legacy Disciple does

Legacy Disciple is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in August 2018 that cultivates young urban leaders through a portfolio of faith-based community programs. Its core offerings include Thriving Minds (social-emotional learning delivered inside Chicago elementary schools), Hood Heroes (summer employment and leadership development for youth ages 11–19), J29 Homes (abandoned property rehabilitation and homeownership pathways for excluded families), Brotherhood & Sisterhood Mentoring (church-based relational mentoring), Legacy University (online discipleship courses hosted on Thinkific), the Legacy Disciple Podcast, and the annual multi-city Legacy Conference (Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Phoenix in 2026). The organization operates with a 5-person staff serving approximately 500 students, 183 youth employees, 18 Kaleo Leaders, and 2,000 conference attendees in 2025.

The business model is donation-driven, supplemented by modest program fees ($25 per Spring Break Camp registration, $20 Thriving Minds T-shirts) and conference ticket sales processed through Constant Contact. Distribution is hybrid: direct-to-beneficiary through schools and community programs, plus partner-mediated through local church networks anchored by The Chicago Partnership, CarePortal, and adjacent coalitions. The technology layer is intentionally light, relying on Squarespace (website), Thinkific (LMS), Constant Contact (email/ticketing), and standard social/podcast platforms rather than proprietary systems or AI-driven infrastructure.

Commercially, Legacy Disciple is sub-scale and founder-led, with Executive Director Brian Dye holding cross-organizational leadership roles across the Chicago church ecosystem (Director of Leadership Development at The Chicago Partnership, Area Director at CarePortal, advisor to AND Campaign and Together Chicago). Revenue is not publicly disclosed, no funding rounds have been raised, and growth has been programmatic rather than headcount-driven, with conference geography and digital product surface (Legacy University, Podcast) representing the primary expansion vectors.

Name

Legacy Disciple

Legal name

Legacy Disciple

Website

https://legacydisciple.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Legacy Disciple is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs faith-based youth programs — school SEL (Thriving Minds), youth employment (Hood Heroes), homeownership pathways (J29 Homes), online courses (Legacy University), mentoring, and a multi-city annual conference — serving Chicago's urban communities and supported primarily by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Community Development

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Student & Alumni Communities (BPAMABAK)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Faith-based community
• Social-emotional learning
• Community development services
• Urban leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Legacy Disciple relies heavily on donor contributions to fund operations and programs. The donate page encourages ongoing giving to support urban community empowerment initiatives.
2. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce store selling branded merchandise including Thriving Minds T-shirts ($20), generating revenue while promoting program awareness.
3. Program Registration Fees: Spring Break Camp registration at $25 per student; conference tickets sold through Constant Contact pages for Legacy Conference events.
4. Conference Revenue: Legacy Conference generates revenue through ticket sales for multi-city annual events (Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Phoenix in 2026). Pre-conference events, vendor booth fees, and sponsor partnerships contribute additional revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Legacy Disciple is a faith-based nonprofit organization that delivers a portfolio of community development programs targeting urban youth, students, and families in Chicago. Its core offerings include Thriving Minds (social-emotional learning in elementary schools), Hood Heroes (youth employment and leadership development for ages 11-19), J29 Homes (property rehabilitation and homeownership support for excluded families), Legacy University (online discipleship courses), the annual multi-city Legacy Conference, Brotherhood & Sisterhood Mentoring, and the Legacy Disciple Podcast. Funding comes from donations, conference ticket sales, program registration fees, and merchandise sales.

Product overview

Legacy Disciple is a faith-based nonprofit organization operating as a single unified mission rather than a platform-plus-modules product architecture. Its portfolio consists of multiple distinct community programs: Thriving Minds (social-emotional learning for elementary students), Hood Heroes (youth employment and leadership development for ages 11-19), J29 Homes (community development through abandoned property rehab and homeownership), Legacy University (online disciple-making education), the Legacy Disciple Podcast (digital content), Legacy Conference (annual multi-city discipleship conference), and Brotherhood & Sisterhood Mentoring (church-based mentoring). These programs collectively aim to encourage, equip, and empower young urban leaders to bring holistic healing to their communities. The organization also sells merchandise (Thriving Minds apparel) through its store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thriving Minds: Program that equips elementary school students to excel socially, emotionally, and academically through mindful practices and creative expressions.
• Hood Heroes
• J29 Homes
• Legacy University
• Legacy Conference
• Legacy Disciple Podcast

Products and services

• Thriving Minds

Quantifiable outcome

• 183 youth employed through Hood Heroes in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Chicago PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2018Coalition of churches committed to making Jesus visible in every neighborhood of Chicago. Executive Director Brian Dye serves as Director of Leadership Development, creating deep integration between Legacy Disciple programs and church network resources.
• CarePortalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform connecting churches with needs of vulnerable children and families. Brian Dye serves as Area Director; Tyrell Shoemaker serves as Church Ambassador. Legacy Disciple staff leverage CarePortal to connect church resources with community needs.
• AND CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJustice and unity organization in Chicago. Executive Director Brian Dye serves as advisor, providing guidance on community transformation efforts.
• Together ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity transformation initiative in Chicago. Brian Dye serves as advisor, contributing to efforts in justice, unity, and neighborhood renewal.
• ThinkificcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline course platform hosting Legacy University at legacyu.thinkific.com. Provides the technical infrastructure for delivering discipleship courses and class enrollments.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Compassion International: Global faith-based child sponsorship nonprofit serving children in poverty through church partnerships. Comparable in faith-based holistic child/youth development framework and reliance on donor-funded, church-implemented programming, though operating internationally at massive scale.
• Young Life: Large national faith-based youth organization operating club programs, camping, and mentoring in urban and suburban communities across the US. Comparable in faith-based youth mentoring focus and multi-city operating model, though significantly larger and broader in scope.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development organization operating club facilities providing after-school programming, mentoring, and social-emotional learning to urban youth. Comparable to Thriving Minds and Hood Heroes in target demographic and program mix, though secular and far broader.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National nonprofit operating the largest youth mentoring network in the US. Directly comparable in the mentoring mission (Brotherhood & Sisterhood Mentoring) and target demographic (at-risk youth), though secular and significantly larger in scale and infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Inner City Impact: Chicago-based Christian youth development nonprofit providing after-school programs, summer camps, and mentoring to urban youth. COO Kevin Smallacombe lists prior involvement. Operates an almost identical faith-based, multi-program, church-partnered youth development model in the same city.
• By the Hand Club: Chicago faith-based nonprofit offering after-school programs, academic mentoring, and spiritual development to K-12 students in underserved neighborhoods. Listed in COO Kevin Smallacombe's prior involvement. Closely comparable in mission (whole-person urban youth development), target geography (Chicago), and faith-based delivery model.

Regional players

• Habitat for Humanity Chicago: Chicago affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, focused on affordable homeownership and property rehabilitation for families historically excluded from homeownership. Directly comparable to the J29 Homes program in target geography and homeownership-for-the-excluded mission, though secular and part of a national brand.
• The Chicago Urban League: Chicago-based civil rights and economic empowerment nonprofit serving African American communities through workforce development, housing, and youth programs. Comparable in addressing urban community transformation across employment, housing, and youth — overlapping with Hood Heroes and J29 Homes — though secular and advocacy-focused.

Others

• CarePortal: Technology platform connecting churches with needs of vulnerable children and families. Brian Dye serves as Area Director and Tyrell Shoemaker as Church Ambassador. Functions as a referral and case-management infrastructure partner to Legacy Disciple's child-and-family-facing programs.

Emerging players

• The Peace Center (or similar urban discipleship org): Urban faith-based community development organizations that combine discipleship with social services in city contexts. Comparable in mission framing (Gospel-centered community transformation), though smaller and less programmatically diversified than Legacy Disciple's full portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LegacyDisciple
• Instagraminstagram.com/legacydisciple
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/legacydisciple

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Legacy Disciple