What Secular Student Alliance does

Secular Student Alliance (SSA) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 and headquartered (by mailing address) in Los Angeles, CA. Its mission is to empower nonreligious high school, college, and university students to build inclusive campus communities, express secular identity, and advocate for separation of church and state. SSA serves as the connective infrastructure for a national network of 150+ affiliated student organizations, providing chapter resources, advocacy toolkits, leadership development, and direct services including scholarships, conferences, webinars, and a disaster-relief volunteer program.

SSA's core offerings include the Student Activist Scholarship program ($1,000–$3,000 awards co-sponsored with 20+ partner organizations), an annual national conference (next scheduled July 16–18, 2026 at University of Maryland, College Park), the Secular Spring Break volunteer program (partnered with All Hands & Hearts, 2026 edition in Asheville, NC), webinars, and a membership program. Underlying technology is a website-based platform powered by Neon One / NeonCRM that handles membership signup, donations (one-time and recurring monthly), conference registration, and scholarship application administration. No mobile app, proprietary AI, or API surface is in evidence.

The organization's business model is donor-dependent. Revenue streams comprise individual donations (the largest, including a monthly recurring giving program and a planned/legacy giving program), membership dues, conference registration fees ($59–$199 plus on-campus housing), and scholarship sponsorship facilitation (minimum $1,000 named scholarships administered by SSA on behalf of local atheist, humanist, and freethought groups). SSA holds the GuideStar/Candid Gold Seal of Transparency (2025) and is led by Executive Director Kevin Bolling. The organization has 18 employees and is governed by a Board of Directors; there is no venture or private equity backing, and no subsidiaries or M&A activity.

Name

Secular Student Alliance

Legal name

Secular Student Alliance

Website

https://secularstudents.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Advocacy and Student Community Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• Secular student advocacy
• Nonprofit student organization
• Student activist scholarships
• Campus chapter network
• Church-state separation

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting secular student activism. Monthly giving program available. Donations are tax-deductible as the organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with EIN 41-1967141.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership program for students, alumni, and supporters, providing benefits such as newsletter access, conference discounts, and advocacy resources.
3. Conference Registration Fees: Revenue from the annual national conference, with tiered pricing for students ($59), alumni/advisors ($79), non-student members ($179), and general public ($199). Group registration for 5 students available at $240.
4. Planned Giving & Major Gifts: Bequests through wills and trusts, retirement plan beneficiary designations, and life insurance policies. Major and matching gift program for significant donors. Contact: Kevin Bolling at [email protected].
5. Scholarship Sponsorships: Local atheist, humanist, and freethought groups and individuals sponsor named scholarships (minimum $1,000) through SSA's facilitated scholarship program. SSA administers the application process and disbursement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Secular Student Alliance operates a national portfolio of programs supporting nonreligious secondary and post-secondary students, including a scholarship program that awards $1,000–$3,000 to student activists, an annual national conference, week-long disaster recovery volunteer trips (Secular Spring Break), online educational webinars, and resources to help students start and run SSA chapters on their campuses. The organization also runs a membership program for students, alumni, and supporters, funded primarily through donations, membership dues, conference fees, and partner-sponsored scholarships.

Product overview

The Secular Student Alliance is a nonprofit organization that operates as a platform of programs and services supporting secular students. The core offerings include the SSA Student Activist Scholarships (providing financial awards from $1,000 to $3,000 for student activists), the annual SSA Summer Conference (the largest gathering of secular students in the country), and Secular Spring Break (a disaster recovery volunteer program). Additional services include webinars, student chapter resources, advocacy programs, and membership options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SSA Student Activist Scholarships Scholarship program providing $1,000 to $3,000 awards to full-time high school, college, and university students in the United States who demonstrate activism for secular values on their campus and/or in their community, including both general scholarships and state-specific scholarships sponsored by local atheist, humanist, and freethought organizations.
• SSA Summer Conference Annual national conference serving as the largest gathering of secular students in the country, featuring speakers, grassroots training, leadership enrichment, and secular perspective programming, with tiered registration for students, alumni, advisors, and the general public.
• Secular Spring Break Week-long disaster recovery volunteer experience for students 18+ partnering with All Hands & Hearts to help rebuild communities impacted by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Helene relief in Asheville, NC in 2026.
• Webinars Online webinar programming featuring educational sessions, workshops, and presentations for the secular student community covering topics related to activism, secular values, and advocacy.
• Membership Program Individual membership program providing students, alumni, and supporters with ongoing connection to the secular student movement, newsletter updates, conference discounts, and advocacy resources.
• Student Chapter Network Program Comprehensive student chapter program supporting 150+ affiliated secular student organizations on U.S. high school, college, and university campuses, providing organizing materials, advocacy guides, and community connection tools to start and maintain chapters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80% of SSA student members are registered to vote
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• All Hands & HeartscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSA partners with All Hands & Hearts to deliver Secular Spring Break — a week-long disaster recovery volunteer experience for nonreligious students aged 18+. Students work directly in communities affected by natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Helene relief in Asheville, NC in 2026). All Hands & Hearts provides the volunteer worksite infrastructure and base camp accommodations. This partnership enables SSA to offer a distinctive values-based service program that differentiates the organization from other secular advocacy groups.
• Candid (GuideStar)minorOthersSSA holds Candid's Gold level Seal of Transparency, demonstrating the organization's commitment to financial transparency and accountability standards recognized across the nonprofit sector.
• Black NonbelieversminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlack Nonbelievers co-sponsors the Zora Neale Hurston Scholarship with SSA, targeting secular Black student activists. This partnership extends SSA's reach into an important demographic within the nonreligious community and shares marketing and promotion responsibilities for the scholarship.
• Hispanic American FreethinkersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsors the Dr. Hector Avalos Scholarship with SSA, supporting Hispanic American secular student activists. Partnership enables shared promotion and broader reach into the Hispanic secular community.
• Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFFRF co-sponsors multiple named scholarships including the Cliff Richards Memorial Student Activist Awards and Yip Harburg Lyrics Foundation Student Awards with SSA. These scholarships are awarded to students active in state-church separation activism. FFRF is a leading national secular advocacy organization, and the partnership amplifies SSA's scholarship reach and credibility.
• Florida Humanist AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors multiple $1,000 scholarships for secular students enrolled in Florida colleges and universities. Actively promotes scholarship opportunities to its local network.
• Humanists of Sarasota BayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors a $2,000 scholarship for students from the Sarasota, Tampa, and Fort Myers areas of Florida. Engages local community members in supporting secular student activism.
• Houston OasisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors a scholarship for secular students enrolled in Texas colleges. Promotes scholarship to Houston-area secular community.
• Freethinkers Association of Central TexasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSan Antonio-based group sponsors scholarships for secular students in Texas colleges. Supports the broader SSA scholarship ecosystem with state-specific funding.
• Rationalists of East TennesseeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors scholarships for secular student activists in Tennessee. Engages local freethought community in supporting SSA's scholarship program.
• Oklahoma AtheistsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors a scholarship for Oklahoma-based secular student activists. Partnership extends SSA's scholarship footprint to the Oklahoma secular community.
• Secular Coalition for ArizonaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsors scholarships for Arizona secular student activists. Promotes opportunity through its state-level secular advocacy network.
• The Freethought SocietyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors scholarships for Pennsylvania secular students. Partnership supports the scholarship program through the Freethought Society's community network.
• PA Non-believersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPennsylvania-based secular organization sponsoring scholarships for in-state secular student activists.
• The Rationalist Society of Saint LouisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors scholarships for secular students in Missouri. Extends SSA's scholarship reach to the St. Louis freethought community.
• Atheists United / Humanist Association of Orange County / Inland Empire Atheists / Humanists of Santa BarbaraminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoalition of Southern California secular organizations jointly sponsors scholarships for students enrolled in Southern California colleges. Shared promotion across multiple partner organizations maximizes reach.
• New Jersey Humanist NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors a scholarship for New Jersey secular student activists. Partnership connects SSA to New Jersey's humanist community.
• Ethical Humanist Society of the Triangle (NC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors a scholarship for North Carolina secular student activists. Engages the Triangle area humanist community in supporting secular students.
• Freedom From Religion Foundation — East Tennessee ChapterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFFRF's East Tennessee Chapter sponsors scholarships for Tennessee secular student activists.
• FFRF Cincinnati Metro ChapterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFFRF's Cincinnati Metro Chapter sponsors scholarships for Ohio secular student activists.
• FFRF Valley of the Sun ChapterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFFRF's Valley of the Sun Chapter sponsors scholarships for Arizona secular student activists.
• Humanist Society of Greater PhoenixminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors a scholarship for Arizona secular student activists in partnership with SSA.
• American Humanist Association / Jefferson Humanists (CO)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmerican Humanist Association and its Jefferson Humanists chapter sponsor scholarships for Colorado secular student activists.
• Secular WomanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors a scholarship for a woman or person of another marginalized gender who is working or has worked for gender equality, aligned with SSA's intersectional values.
• Society for Humanistic JudaismminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors a scholarship for a secular Jewish student, supporting intersectional engagement between secular and humanistic Jewish communities.
• 16-Nation Secular Coalition (LGBTQ+ Rights Joint Statement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSA joined a coalition of 16 national atheist, humanist, freethought, and secular groups in issuing a joint statement pledging to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans. This coalition, referenced in SSA's January 2025 statement on LGBTQ+ rights, represents a high-level strategic alignment across the secular movement on civil rights advocacy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Freedom From Religion Foundation: Largest U.S. nonprofit dedicated to church-state separation; co-sponsors multiple SSA scholarship awards (Cliff Richards, Yip Harburg) and shares overlapping advocacy priorities. Most operationally comparable secular advocacy peer, though broader in demographic than SSA's student focus.
• Center for Inquiry: Secular humanist organization advocating for science, reason, and freedom of conscience. Comparable donor base and overlapping advocacy themes with SSA; operates at broader demographic and policy scope.
• Foundation Beyond Belief: Secular philanthropic foundation mobilizing atheist/humanist donors for charitable giving, including humanitarian causes. Comparable donor base and recurring-giving model to SSA; focused on grantmaking rather than student community-building.
• Secular Coalition for America: Lobbying and policy-focused coalition of secular, atheist, and humanist organizations. Comparable advocacy orientation toward secular public policy; broader coalition role versus SSA's student-member focus.
• American Humanist Association: National humanist advocacy organization that co-sponsors scholarships with SSA (e.g., Colorado scholarship via Jefferson Humanists chapter). Comparable mission, donor base, and advocacy themes; broader demographic than SSA.
• American Atheists: National atheist advocacy organization pursuing church-state separation and civil rights for nonbelievers. Directly comparable mission and competing for overlapping secular donor dollars; broader demographic scope than SSA.

Emerging players

• Black Nonbelievers: Secular community organization for Black atheists, agnostics, and humanists; co-sponsors the Zora Neale Hurston Scholarship with SSA. Comparable advocacy themes with focused demographic niche; smaller scale and geographic concentration.
• Camp Quest: Overnight summer camps and youth programs for secular, humanist, and nonreligious children and teens. Comparable target demographic (nonreligious youth) and experiential programming model; smaller scale and broader age range than SSA.

Others

• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: Largest U.S. campus-based religious student organization with extensive chapter network, conferences, and leadership programs. Functionally parallel to SSA in structure (campus chapter network + national conference + leadership development) but serves religious rather than secular students — useful structural mirror.

Broad incumbents

• Americans United for Separation of Church and State: Long-established national nonprofit advocating for church-state separation across legal, legislative, and educational arenas. Operates with a much broader portfolio and institutional scale than SSA but shares the same core constitutional issue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SecularStudents
• Facebookfacebook.com/SecularStudents
• Instagraminstagram.com/secularstudents
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/secular-student-alliance

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Secular Student Alliance