Youth Champions

What Youth Champions does

Youth Champions, founded in 2017 by Jack R. Cline Jr. and Cambria Cline, is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Los Angeles that runs a paid personal development internship for underserved high school students in grades 10-12. The core product is a nine-month (September–May) program combining 24 weekly one-hour virtual workshops delivered via Zoom with companion workbooks and PowerPoint presentations, six annual in-person field trips, mentorship, and stipends of up to $1,000 per student per school year based on participation milestones. The curriculum is proprietary and developed with Colonel Garth Massey of CommandReady, covering critical thinking, leadership, financial literacy, goal-setting, and personal responsibility; an advanced Level II track exists for returning students. The organization originated as an AltaMed Health Services incubator program, transitioned to a paid internship model in 2022, and gained independent 501(c)(3) status in November 2023 (EIN 93-3017219). Since inception it has served 1,125+ students across 60+ high schools, with 87% of graduates pursuing higher education and a 40% year-over-year student return rate.\n\nThe business model is donation- and sponsorship-funded: programs are delivered at no cost to students, with revenue derived from individual donors and corporate sponsors via a structured tiered sponsorship catalog ranging from $1,000 per student stipend to $300,000+ flagship sponsorships covering elements such as virtual workshops ($6,500), field trips ($10,000), the Alumni Leadership Institute ($33,000), the Summer Book Club ($15,000), the Facilitator's Institute ($30,000), and the Ignite Speaker Series ($15,000). Distribution is anchored by direct partnerships with 60+ high schools, supplemented by the AltaMed/LAUSD network and an emerging affiliate chapter model intended for national expansion; supporting programs include the Summer Book Club, Alumni Leadership Institute (in partnership with America Needs You), Ignite Speaker Series, and the annual Springboard Summit and Launching Your Legacy Gala. The organization employs 45 staff and is led by an Executive Director (Michelle Durand), with Jim Madrid serving as Chief Personal Development Officer and a nine-member Board of Directors including AltaMed's CEO Cástulo de la Rocha and former Google foundational team member Ferdinand Mehlinger. There is no disclosed revenue figure; first-year operating budget was $209,000 (2017) and $123,800 was distributed to 166 students in 2023-24.

Name

Youth Champions

Legal name

Youth Champions, Inc.

Website

https://youth-champions.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Youth Champions is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit running a paid personal development internship for underserved high school students (grades 10-12), delivering 24 weekly virtual workshops, field trips, and up to $1,000 annual stipends, funded by donations and corporate sponsorships with national expansion via affiliate chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Service Learning & Volunteer-to-Career Pathways (EDAMAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

College & Career Exploration Camps (Pre-College Samplers, Pathways) (EDAMALAN), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN), Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• High school internships
• Nonprofit education services
• College career readiness
• Student mentorship programs

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The primary revenue source comes from individual donors and corporate sponsors who fund student stipends, workshops, field trips, and operational costs. The organization offers various donation tiers from $1,000 to $300,000+.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support specific programs such as field trips, the Alumni Leadership Institute, Summer Book Club, and the Ignite Speaker Series through sponsorship packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Youth Champions runs a paid personal development internship program for underserved high school students in grades 10-12. The program combines 24 weekly virtual workshops, six field trips, mentorship, and stipend payments of up to $1,000 per school year to support college and career readiness.

Product overview

Youth Champions is a nonprofit educational organization offering a paid personal development internship program for high school students. The core offering consists of 24 weekly virtual workshops (Level I and Level II tracks) covering personal development topics, supplemented by 6 annual field trips for hands-on career exploration. Additional programs include the Summer Book Club (Level 1 and Level 2), Alumni Leadership Institute for continuing education after graduation, and the Ignite Speaker Series featuring guest entrepreneurs and authors. The organization operates primarily in the Los Angeles area with national expansion underway through affiliate chapter partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% of YC graduates pursue higher education
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Jim MadridcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Jim Madrid partnered with Youth Champions for fall classes as Chief Personal Development Officer. He works closely with the organization to elevate the quality and impact of the personal development curriculum, bringing expertise in human performance and personal development from his work with professional athletes and organizations worldwide.
• AltaMed Health ServicesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017AltaMed served as the incubator for Youth Champions for its first five years, providing backend support, student recruitment, and program management. Youth Champions was launched in 2017 through the AltaMed Foundation partnership. AltaMed continues to provide resources for underserved youth to learn about medical field options, with 46 Southern California locations. The organizations continue to work closely together following Youth Champions' transition to independent 501(c)(3) status in November 2023.
• America Needs You (ANY)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ANY empowers ambitious first-generation college students with mentorship, career development, networks, and holistic support through monthly workshops. Youth Champions partners with ANY to provide program alumni with continued support and resources after they leave high school, helping them access opportunities for higher education and career success.
• CommandReady (Colonel Garth Massey)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Colonel Garth Massey of CommandReady developed the high school level curriculum for Youth Champions, specializing in comprehensive leadership development programs. The curriculum helps students enhance personal skills, gain real-world experience, explore career and education paths, and be competitive in the 21st century marketplace. CommandReady continues to provide weekly curriculum and facilitators for chapters.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• America Needs You: Provides intensive mentoring, career development, and networks for first-generation college students; a formal YC alumni-partner serving the same underserved-youth population with a similar mentorship-plus-career-exposure model.
• College Track: College access and success nonprofit serving low-income and first-generation high school and college students through academic coaching, mentoring, and career exploration — closely aligned with YC's college-prep and life-skills focus.
• Bottom Line: College access and success organization for first-generation students from low-income backgrounds, providing one-on-one advising from high school through college graduation — comparable cohort, mission, and outcome orientation.
• Year Up: Workforce development program that combines skills training, mentorship, and corporate internships for young adults from underserved communities; similar paid-internship-with-mentorship model scaled nationally.
• iMentor: Pairs low-income high school students with college-educated mentors for multi-year relationships focused on college readiness and graduation; directly comparable mentoring-driven, college-pipeline model.
• Genesys Works: Provides high school students from underserved communities with paid corporate internships and college and career coaching; closely mirrors YC's paid-internship-plus-career-exposure offering.

Broad incumbents

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth-mentoring nonprofit pairing adult mentors with youth; broader and more established than YC, with overlapping one-to-one mentoring and life-skills focus for underserved youth.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth-development organization offering after-school academic support, career exploration, and leadership programs for school-age youth; comparable target demographic with a much broader programming portfolio.
• National Academy Foundation (NAF): Network of career-themed academies within public high schools focused on career exploration and work-based learning; comparable focus on high school career pathways and industry exposure.

Emerging players

• Per Scholas: Provides tuition-free technology skills training and career support to adults from underserved communities; adjacent workforce-development model with comparable employer-aligned career pathway focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/youthchampions
• Facebookfacebook.com/youthchampionsorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-champions
• Instagraminstagram.com/youthchampionsorg

Compliance1 record

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 Youth Champions