Riley's Way Foundation
Riley's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2014 that invests in youth leaders ages 13-23 through grants (up to $5,000), an annual leadership retreat, school-based councils and chapters, and alumni programs, serving over 4,500 young changemakers across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Riley's Way Foundation does
Riley's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2014 by Mackenzie and Ian Sandler to honor the memory of their nine-year-old daughter, Riley Hannah Sandler. Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, the foundation invests in and supports the next generation of kind leaders, ages 13-23, through a portfolio of interconnected programs: the Call For Kindness Fellowship (national grants of up to $5,000 to youth-led kindness projects paired with year-long leadership development), the annual Youth Leadership Retreat (a fully funded in-person weekend at Timber Lake West Camp in Roscoe, NY), Riley's Way Councils (high-school-based student groups), and Riley's Way Chapters (high school, college, and community extensions). The foundation also runs Continuation Grants for alumni fellows and a Youth Advisory Board composed of program graduates. The core technology stack is minimal: a WordPress website, a Grant Platform for application management, and standard social media channels (Instagram, YouTube, newsletter); there are no proprietary software products, APIs, or AI/ML components.
The foundation is funded through a mix of individual donations (online, check, wire, stock), corporate sponsorships structured at five tiers (Friend $7,500 to Visionary $100,000 annually), board-driven major gifts, and program-specific sponsored categories. To date, it has distributed over $5 million in grants and supported more than 4,500 young leaders, with a reported 100,000+ young people impacted globally. Operations are US-only, with applications restricted to US citizens and DACA recipients. The organization maintains a small professional staff of approximately 12-15 full-time members, supplemented by a robust intern pipeline, and is governed by a board that includes senior executives from JPMorgan, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Insight, Citadel, Willkie Farr, Mavik Capital, and McKinsey alumni, lending operational and fundraising leverage. Distribution is direct-to-participant through online applications, school-based chapters, and event-driven retreats, with earned media (Good Morning America, Forbes, Fortune, NPR, CBS News) providing top-of-funnel awareness.
Riley's Way Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Riley's Way Foundation
- Legal name
- Riley's Way Foundation
- Website
- https://rileysway.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Riley's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2014 that invests in youth leaders ages 13-23 through grants (up to $5,000), an annual leadership retreat, school-based councils and chapters, and alumni programs, serving over 4,500 young changemakers across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Riley's Way Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Leadership Development Nonprofits
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
Keywords
Where Riley's Way Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Riley's Way Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: Individual donors contribute to the foundation through online donations (rileysway.org/donate), checks mailed to the Brooklyn office, wire transfers, and stock donations. Donations support the foundation's youth leadership programs and grants to young changemakers.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support at five tiers: Friend ($7,500), Advocate ($15,000), Champion ($25,000), Changemaker ($50,000), and Visionary ($100,000). Sponsors receive recognition at events, social media mentions, website listing, and opportunities to participate in program selection.
- Grants: The foundation awards grants to youth-led projects through the Call For Kindness Fellowship, with winners receiving up to $5,000. These grants are funded through the foundation's fundraising efforts and sponsor contributions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Friend - $7,500 annual sponsorship |
| Subscription | Annual | Advocate - $15,000 annual sponsorship |
| Subscription | Annual | Champion - $25,000 annual sponsorship |
| Subscription | Annual | Changemaker - $50,000 annual sponsorship |
| Subscription | Annual | Visionary - $100,000 annual sponsorship |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Riley's Way Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Riley's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that invests in and supports the next generation of kind leaders through youth leadership development programs. It awards up to $5,000 grants via the Call For Kindness Fellowship to youth-led social impact projects and delivers leadership training through an annual in-person Youth Leadership Retreat, school-based Councils and Chapters, and ongoing coaching. The foundation is sustained by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants.
Product overview
Riley's Way Foundation is a nonprofit youth leadership development organization operating a unified portfolio of interconnected programs. The core offerings include: the Call For Kindness Fellowship (providing grants up to $5,000 and leadership training for youth-led kindness projects), the Youth Leadership Retreat (an in-person skill-building weekend), Riley's Way Councils (high school student groups), Riley's Way Chapters (high school/college/community chapters), Continuation Grants (extended support for alumni), and the Youth Advisory Board (student governance body). These programs work together to invest in and support the next generation of kind leaders through funding, training, coaching, and community building.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Call For Kindness Fellowship A national fellowship program that provides funding (up to $5,000 grants) and leadership development training to youth-led projects rooted in kindness and strengthening communities. Winners join a peer community of fellow changemakers and receive year-long leadership development support.
- Youth Leadership Retreat An annual in-person weekend retreat held at Timber Lake West Camp in Roscoe, NY, bringing together young leaders ages 15-18 from across the country for skill-building workshops on developing meaningful relationships, communication, and action planning. Riley's Way covers all travel, lodging, and meals.
- Riley's Way Councils Student-led groups that work directly with community organizations to find solutions to social impact issues through the lens of empathy and kindness, primarily in high school settings.
- Riley's Way Chapters Student-led chapters within high schools, colleges, or community groups that create opportunities for young changemakers to lead with empathy and kindness through service or advocacy-based projects with community-based organizations.
- Continuation Grants Extended funding and support for previous Call For Kindness Fellows to continue and expand their projects beyond the initial fellowship year.
- Youth Advisory Board A youth-led advisory body providing strategic input to Riley's Way Foundation, with student members who have graduated from various Riley's Way programs serving as ambassadors and mentors.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100,000+ young people impacted globally through programs
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Riley's Way Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Riley's Way Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Riley's Way Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- A Kinder World FoundationminorSponsor of the 'A Kinder World for Animals Award' category in the 2025 Call For Kindness program. Three youth-led projects addressing animal welfare will be awarded under this sponsored category.
- Katten Muchin Rosenman LLPminorSponsor of the 'Equity in Law Award' category in the 2025 Call For Kindness program. The firm has been awarded 'Best Law Firms for Women & Diversity' by Seramount's Hall of Fame.
- Timber Lake West CampcoreVenue partner for Riley's Way Youth Leadership Retreats. The camp in Roscoe, NY has hosted multiple Retreats including the 2024 Retreat with over 100 young leaders.
- READ AlliancecoreREAD Alliance is a longtime partner of Riley's Way. The nonprofit accelerates educational trajectory of early elementary students through teen-provided literacy tutoring in under-resourced communities. Riley's Way participates in READ Alliance's YOUth Summit at Hunter College, hosting masterclasses and recruiting new participants.
- Lady Gaga's Born This Way FoundationminorRepresented by Mariah Karis who participated as a panelist at the 2024 Youth Leadership Retreat alongside Riley's Way Call For Kindness Fellows.
- Student Leadership Network / Young Women's Leadership NetworkcorePartnership with Student Leadership Network schools including TYWLS of East Harlem and Nightingale. Multiple Riley's Way Councils operate within these schools, with alumni like Nicole Mateo serving as co-chairs.
- BronxWorkscoreCommunity-based partner organization that Riley's Way Chapters collaborate with for service and advocacy projects. BronxWorks helps individuals and families improve economic and social well-being through programs including domestic violence support, homelessness services, and health and wellness programs.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Riley's Way Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ashoka: Global network identifying and supporting leading social entrepreneurs, including young changemakers. Comparable in its fellowship-based support of youth-led social innovation and leadership development programming.
- DoSomething.org: National nonprofit mobilizing young people ages 13–25 around social impact campaigns and grant-funded youth-led projects. Directly comparable in target demographic, youth-led grantmaking model, and national fellowship/club structure.
- National Youth Leadership Council: Organization dedicated to advancing service-learning and youth leadership in K-12 and community settings. Comparable in its focus on youth-led service projects, leadership development, and school-embedded chapter-style networks.
- Born This Way Foundation: Lady Gaga-led nonprofit focused on youth mental health, kindness, and community-building. Directly comparable mission emphasis on kindness and youth wellness; existing Riley's Way partner as of 2024.
- Youth Service America: Nonprofit that funds and trains young people (ages 5–25) to lead community service and service-learning projects through grants and awards. Closely comparable in youth grantmaking, leadership training, and national program delivery.
- Echoing Green: Organization providing fellowships, seed funding, and leadership development to social entrepreneurs, including those under 25. Comparable in combining multi-year grant funding with leadership coaching for early-career changemakers.
Emerging players
- Character.org: Nonprofit advancing character and SEL development in schools and youth programs. Comparable in school-based partnership model and focus on kindness/empathy as leadership competencies.
- DoSomething Strategic (Spark / Lead180 / similar youth fellowships): Adjacent youth-leadership fellowship programs targeting the same 13–25 demographic with similar grant-plus-training structures. Useful as a benchmark for competitive youth-fellowship design.
Broad incumbents
- Points of Light Foundation: Large-scale nonprofit supporting volunteerism and civic engagement, with substantial youth-service programming. Comparable in mobilizing young leaders around community impact, though at materially greater scale and scope.
- The Jed Foundation: Established nonprofit focused on teen and young-adult mental health and emotional well-being. Overlaps with Riley's Way's youth-empathy and connection mission while operating at a much larger scale with broader institutional reach.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Riley's Way Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceRiley's Way Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Riley's Way Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Riley's Way Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Riley's Way Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Riley's Way Foundation
What does Riley's Way Foundation do?
Riley's Way Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that invests in and supports the next generation of kind leaders through youth leadership development programs. It awards up to $5,000 grants via the Call For Kindness Fellowship to youth-led social impact projects and delivers leadership training through an annual in-person Youth Leadership Retreat, school-based Councils and Chapters, and ongoing coaching. The foundation is sustained by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants.
Is Riley's Way Foundation a public or private company?
Riley's Way Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Riley's Way Foundation founded?
Riley's Way Foundation was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Riley's Way Foundation based?
Riley's Way Foundation is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Riley's Way Foundation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships and grants.
Who are Riley's Way Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ashoka, DoSomething.org, National Youth Leadership Council, Born This Way Foundation, Youth Service America and Echoing Green. Emerging players are Character.org and DoSomething Strategic (Spark / Lead180 / similar youth fellowships). Broad incumbents are Points of Light Foundation and The Jed Foundation.
Does Riley's Way Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Riley's Way Foundation.
What industry is Riley's Way Foundation in?
Riley's Way Foundation's product category is Youth Leadership Development Nonprofits. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAK, Education Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.