JA of Mid Michigan

What JA of Mid Michigan does

Junior Achievement of Mid Michigan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization and a local affiliate of Junior Achievement USA, headquartered at 600 West St Joseph, Suite 2G in Lansing, Michigan. The organization delivers experiential K-12 programming across three core pillars: financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness. Programs are delivered at no cost to students through trained community volunteers in classrooms, with supplementary virtual and blended-learning options via the JA Learning Platform (D2L Brightspace) and JA Connect. Flagship capstone experiences include JA Finance Park (a simulated personal financial planning environment, housed locally as the Karl & Susan Hascall JA Finance Park) and JA BizTown (a simulated town operated by students), supplemented by grade-specific programs such as JA Personal Finance 2.0, JA Financial Literacy, JA Company Program, JA Titan, and the JA Girls' Dream Fair STEM event.

The underlying technology footprint is modest and operationally focused: a D2L Brightspace LMS for content delivery, JA Connect and JA Here to Career self-guided platforms, and internal back-office systems (Workday, BCRM, evaluation statements). No AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Revenue is generated through four channels: individual donations, corporate sponsorships (with multiple tiers from title to supporting sponsors), event fundraising (JA Starmakers Breakfast, JA Stock Market Challenge, JA Capital City Golf Classic, Play 4 JA Field Day), and grants from foundations including the KPMG Foundation, Accenture, The Allstate Foundation, The Hartford, and Janus Henderson Foundation. The staff is lean at 6 employees, with leadership including Laura Lutterbeck (Chief Operations Officer) and Susan Shilton (Senior District Director).

Strategically, the affiliate is positioned to benefit from Michigan's new high school financial literacy graduation requirement, has secured title sponsors for its 2026 signature events, and operates as part of a national JA federation that has received over $10M in cumulative grants from major corporate foundations for curriculum redevelopment. The organization is governed by a local volunteer board and operates under licensed JA trademarks owned by JA Worldwide.

Name

JA of Mid Michigan

Legal name

Junior Achievement of Mid Michigan

Website

https://midmichigan.ja.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Junior Achievement of Mid Michigan is a Lansing-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers volunteer-led K-12 financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness programs at no cost to students across Mid Michigan, funded by corporate sponsorships, donations, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJALAM

After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Educational Support Services (Tutoring & Counseling)

Keywords

• Financial literacy education
• Youth entrepreneurship programs
• Work readiness education
• K-12 experiential learning
• Classroom volunteer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: General public can donate directly to support JA programs for local students
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Companies sponsor JA events, programs, and initiatives. Multiple tiers available from title sponsors to supporting sponsors.
3. Event Fundraising: Signature events including JA Starmakers Breakfast, JA Stock Market Challenge, JA Capital City Golf Classic, and Play 4 JA Field Day generate revenue through ticket sales and sponsorships.
4. Grant Funding: JA receives grants from foundations including KPMG Foundation, Accenture, People's United Community Foundation, Janus Henderson Foundation, and others to support specific program development and deployment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Junior Achievement of Mid Michigan delivers K-12 educational programs in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness through in-class sessions, virtual/blended instruction, and immersive simulation facilities (JA Finance Park and JA BizTown). Programs are provided at no cost to students and schools, funded by corporate sponsorships, individual donations, foundation grants, and signature fundraising events. The organization serves schools, educators, students, and corporate partners across the Mid Michigan region as a local affiliate of Junior Achievement USA.

Product overview

Junior Achievement of Mid Michigan is a nonprofit educational organization that delivers experiential learning programs across three primary pathways: Financial Literacy, Work Readiness, and Entrepreneurship Education. The organization operates as a portfolio of educational programs organized by grade level (K-5 elementary, 6-8 middle school, 9-12 high school) and delivery format. Core flagship programs include JA Finance Park (personal financial planning capstone), JA BizTown (simulated community experience), JA Personal Finance 2.0 and JA Financial Literacy (high school finance courses), JA Company Program (student entrepreneurship), JA Titan (business simulation), and various middle school programs like JA It's My Future and JA Economics. Programs are delivered through a combination of in-person volunteer-led classroom sessions, virtual instruction, blended learning via the JA Learning Platform/D2L, and immersive experiences at JA facilities. Supplementary resources include JA Connect, JA Here to Career, and various program supplements. The organization also hosts signature fundraising events including the JA Starmakers Breakfast and JA Capital City Golf Classic, and community engagement events like the JA Girls' Dream Fair (STEM-focused) and JA Stock Market Challenge (investment simulation competition).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JA Finance Park®: Junior Achievement's capstone program for personal financial planning and career exploration that helps students build a foundation for making intelligent financial decisions.
• JA BizTown®
• JA Financial Literacy
• JA Personal Finance®

Products and services

• JA Finance Park Capstone personal financial planning and career exploration program in which students build a personal budget and make financial decisions in a simulated town environment; serves middle and high school students.
• JA BizTown Combines in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town where students operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor; connects classroom learning to the real world for elementary and middle school students.
• JA Personal Finance 2.0 High school program in which students experience the interrelationship between today's financial decisions and future financial freedom, covering earning, budgeting, savings, credit, debt, investing, taxes, FAFSA, and net worth.
• JA Financial Literacy (Financial Literacy for Michigan) One-semester teacher-led course that equips high school students with foundational personal finance skills, including earning, saving, budgeting, bank accounts, credit, insurance, identity theft, and debt; designed to meet Michigan's financial literacy graduation requirement.
• JA Company Program Allows teens to start and run their own real business enterprise under volunteer mentorship, devising and marketing a product or service and selling stock in their company.
• JA Titan Allows teens to compete as managers of computer-simulated businesses in changing economic conditions, teaching essential economic, business management, and financial concepts.
• JA Economics for Success Helps middle school students understand economic principles and their application in real life, including personal finance and career planning.
• JA Be Entrepreneurial Teaches creative problem-solving, rapid business planning, and entrepreneurial thinking for middle and high school students.
• JA Economics Teaches fundamental economic concepts and principles to middle and high school students.
• JA It's My Future Helps middle school students plan for their futures by exploring career options and developing job-seeking skills.
• JA It's My Job (Soft Skills) Teaches students essential soft skills needed for workplace success, including communication, teamwork, and professionalism.
• JA Take Stock in Your Future Teaches high school students about stock market investing and building wealth for the future.
• JA More Than Money Introduces students to the basics of earning, saving, and spending money, along with basic entrepreneurship concepts.
• JA Our City / Our Community / Our Nation / Our Region / Our Families / Ourselves / Our Neighbors Suite of elementary programs introducing students to the concepts of cities, communities, regions, nations, families, neighbors, and basic economic roles.
• JA Excellence through Ethics Teaches ethical decision-making and business ethics to middle and high school students.
• JA High School Heroes High school program that trains students to be peer mentors and deliver JA programs to younger students.
• JA All About Cars Elementary school program introducing students to basic concepts about cars and financial decision-making related to vehicle ownership.
• JA Tools for Success Provides tools and resources to help students succeed academically and prepare for future careers.
• JA Stock Market Challenge Hands-on competition that introduces students to the fast-paced world of investing and finance, with student teams competing in a live simulated trading environment.
• JA Starmakers Breakfast Annual, entertaining professional networking and fundraising event featuring JA alumni and student speakers to help expand Junior Achievement programs in schools.
• JA Capital City Golf Classic Golf networking event for companies to bring employees for team building or to host clients and prospects.
• JA Girls' Dream Fair Introduces middle school girls to STEM career possibilities through presentations from local female professionals working in STEM-related fields, using the JA It's My Future curriculum.
• Play 4 JA Field Day Community event combining recreation and education with activities including backpack giveaway, field day games, JA programming, face painting, and inflatables.
• JA Company Program Pop-Up Condensed version of the JA Company Program for faster implementation of the student entrepreneurship experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,828,747 students reached nationally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• EY (Ernst & Young)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurvey partner with JA on multiple teen research studies including entrepreneurship, career ambitions, and financial outlook. Supports JA Launch Lesson program delivery by entrepreneurs.
• AIGmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurvey partner with JA on retirement planning research among teens. Mission to help Americans achieve secure retirements through financial education.
• Teach For AmericamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partnership to increase access to JA programs with focus on reaching at-risk youth. Corps members bring JA to classrooms; JA introduces volunteers to educational opportunity expansion.
• FedEx ExpressmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of FedEx/JA International Trade Challenge in Asia Pacific, providing employee volunteers as mentors. Has empowered over 6,100 young people in Asia Pacific.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DECA: International student organization focused on preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. Overlaps with JA's entrepreneurship and work readiness curriculum for high schoolers; serves similar schools and students but operates as a broader career-technical student organization rather than a single-purpose financial-literacy nonprofit.
• 4-H Youth Development: Large-scale national youth development program (Cooperative Extension / USDA-affiliated) covering financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and STEM for K-12. Overlaps with JA's mission and school-based delivery model, but operates as a broader youth-development organization rather than a financial-literacy specialist.

Regional players

• Junior Achievement of Western Michigan: Western Michigan JA affiliate operating the same national JA programs (Finance Park, BizTown, Company Program, Personal Finance) with the same volunteer-delivered GTM and donation-based funding model. Comparable in scale and operating model but covers the Grand Rapids region instead of Lansing/Mid Michigan.
• Junior Achievement of Central Texas: Mid-sized regional JA affiliate offering the same K-12 financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness curricula under the JA USA brand. Useful benchmark for comparable non-coastal JA affiliate scale and event-based fundraising mix.
• Junior Achievement of Chicago: Major-metro JA affiliate delivering identical JA curricula (Finance Park, BizTown, Company Program) to K-12 schools. Comparable in business model and program portfolio; differs only in geographic footprint and scale.
• Junior Achievement of New York: Large JA affiliate serving NYC-area schools with the same JA programs and federation model. Offers a peer benchmark for a major-metro JA operating structure, though considerably larger than JA of Mid Michigan.
• Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan: Another Michigan-based JA affiliate delivering the same JA curricula and brand in a different region (Detroit metro area). Directly comparable business model, revenue mix (donations/corporate sponsorships/events), and customer base (K-12 schools), but operating in a separate geography.

Direct peers

• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): National nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship education to middle and high school students from under-resourced communities. Closely comparable mission (K-12 entrepreneurship/financial literacy), school-based delivery, and donation/corporate-sponsor funding model.
• Junior Achievement USA: National umbrella organization of which JA of Mid Michigan is a local affiliate. Operates the same curricula, trademarks, and program model; directly comparable in mission (K-12 financial literacy, work readiness, entrepreneurship) and the parent of JA of Mid Michigan's content and brand.
• Junior Achievement Worldwide: Global parent of JA USA and JA of Mid Michigan, operating in 100+ countries and reaching 10.7M+ students globally. Most direct strategic peer for understanding the broader JA system in which JA of Mid Michigan operates, including research partnerships and global brand.

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JA_USA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ja-of-mid-michigan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 JA of Mid Michigan