Sacramento Youth Center

What Sacramento Youth Center does

Sacramento Youth Center (SYC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2019 by Adam and Raquel Shipp and headquartered at 1901 Del Paso Blvd in Sacramento, California. The organization serves transitional-age youth ages 14-24 in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood, with a particular focus on at-risk, immigrant, and refugee populations. Its core programs include a mentoring program built on an 8 Dimensions of Wellness framework, peer specialist services staffed by mentors with lived experience, job training paired with hands-on barista work, enrichment classes (guitar, sewing, English Club, clay and craft), and community service opportunities. SYC also operates school-based wellness coaching at Sacramento-area school sites, extending services beyond the physical drop-in center.

SYC's core product is in-person youth development services delivered through a 15,000 square foot facility operating Mon-Sat 12pm-6pm, with no proprietary technology platform underpinning the offering. The organization's workforce development arm is anchored by Cafe Paso, a third-wave coffee shop operating Tue-Sat 8am-3pm that doubles as a social enterprise, generating modest earned revenue while providing barista and customer service training to participants. There is no application, software product, or AI-driven service disclosed in the input materials.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure. Services to youth are provided free of charge, with funding drawn from individual and corporate donations (processed via Infinite Giving), foundation and corporate grants (managed by a dedicated Grant Coordinator), and earned revenue from Cafe Paso. Sponsorship support spans at least 14 disclosed partners including Sacramento Community Foundation, SMUD, Insperity, DPR Construction, OpenAI, Whole Foods, Kitchell, and Point West Rotary. Headcount is 11-50 employees spanning executive, program, communications, finance, and cafe operations roles.

Name

Sacramento Youth Center

Legal name

Sacramento Youth Center

Website

https://sacyouthcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sacramento Youth Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 that provides mentoring, peer support, workforce training, and enrichment classes to at-risk, immigrant, and refugee youth ages 14-24 in Sacramento's Del Paso Heights neighborhood, operating a 15,000 sq ft drop-in center and a Cafe Paso social enterprise coffee shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Community Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)

Keywords

• Youth development services
• Mentoring programs
• Workforce training
• Community nonprofit services
• Peer specialist support

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual and corporate donations support the organization's operations and programs. The website features a donation portal through Infinite Giving platform.
2. Cafe Paso Coffee Shop Revenue: Cafe Paso is a workforce development social enterprise that sells third-wave coffee and food. Revenue supports SYC's mission while providing job training for youth participants.
3. Grant Funding: The organization has a Grant Coordinator position and receives support from foundations and sponsors, indicating grant-based funding as a revenue stream.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sacramento Youth Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a drop-in center for youth ages 14–24, delivering structured mentoring built on the 8 Dimensions of Wellness framework, Peer Specialist trauma support from mentors with lived experience, workforce training paired with hands-on barista work at Cafe Paso, enrichment classes (guitar, sewing, English Club, clay and craft), and community service opportunities. All youth programs are offered free of charge to participants, with Cafe Paso sales providing earned-income support for the mission.

Product overview

Sacramento Youth Center is a nonprofit youth development organization providing a portfolio of programs and services for youth ages 14-24. The core offerings include the Mentoring Program (based on 8 Dimensions of Wellness), Peer Specialist Services for trauma support, Job Training (with hands-on cafe experience), Enrichment Classes (guitar, sewing, English Club, clay and craft), and Community Service opportunities. The organization also operates Cafe Paso, a workforce development cafe where youth gain barista and customer service experience. Major events include Summer Bash, SYC Camp 2026, and Juneteenth Festival. Services are accessible through a safe physical space at 1901 Del Paso Blvd and via various online forms for registration and inquiries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mentoring Program (8 Dimensions of Wellness) Small-group mentoring program (approximately 15 students per group) teaching self-awareness, goal-setting, communication, trust, and productive life skills using the 8 Dimensions of Wellness framework; designed for transitional-age youth ages 14–24.
• Peer Specialist Services Support services in which mentors with lived experience help students overcome trauma through shared understanding and connection; offered to youth ages 14–24.
• Job Training Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Served over 1,000 students since 2019
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Point West RotaryminorOthersSponsor of Sacramento Youth Center, appearing in the organization's sponsors section on the main website.
• Sacramento Youth DevelopmentminorOthersSponsor of Sacramento Youth Center, appearing in the organization's sponsors section on the main website.
• Sacramento Community FoundationminorOthersSponsor of Sacramento Youth Center, appearing in the organization's sponsors section on the main website.
• Sierra Service ProjectminorOthersSponsor of Sacramento Youth Center, appearing in the organization's sponsors section on the main website.
• SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utility District)minorOthersSponsor of Sacramento Youth Center, appearing in the organization's sponsors section on the main website.
• InsperityminorOthersSponsor of Sacramento Youth Center, appearing in the organization's sponsors section on the main website.
• DPR ConstructionminorOthersSponsor of Sacramento Youth Center, appearing in the organization's sponsors section on the main website.
• OpenAIminorOthersSponsor of Sacramento Youth Center, appearing in the organization's sponsors section on the main website.
• Whole FoodsminorOthersCorporate partner supporting SYC, appearing in the About page sponsors section.
• KitchellminorOthersCorporate partner supporting SYC, appearing in the About page sponsors section.
• The Giving CenterminorOthersCorporate partner supporting SYC, appearing in the About page sponsors section.
• GuidestarminorOthersGuideStar nonprofit information platform displaying SYC's transparency seal on the website.
• CandidminorOthersNonprofit information service (formerly GuideStar) linking to SYC's profile showing 501(c)(3) status and EIN 84-3656643.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Huckleberry Youth Programs: San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit providing counseling, youth housing, health, and education services for at-risk adolescents and transitional-age youth. Highly comparable on the at-risk-youth and mental-health support pillars, but serves a different Bay Area geography rather than Sacramento.

Direct peers

• La Familia Counseling Center: Sacramento-based nonprofit serving at-risk Latino, immigrant, and refugee families and youth with counseling, case management, education, and community services. Highly comparable on geography, target population (immigrant and refugee youth), and the mix of mental health, mentoring, and workforce-adjacent programming.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento: Operates the largest network of youth-serving facilities in the Sacramento region, offering drop-in programming, mentoring, and enrichment for school-age and teen youth. Directly comparable to Sacramento Youth Center on geography, target age group, drop-in physical-space model, and youth-development mission.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Sacramento Area: Local affiliate of the national mentoring nonprofit providing one-to-one and group mentoring for Sacramento-area youth. Closest comparable peer on the mentoring and youth-development dimensions and shares both the geography and the small-group mentoring cohort model.
• Communities In Schools of Sacramento: Sacramento affiliate of the national dropout-prevention network placing site-based coordinators in schools to support at-risk students. Strongly comparable to the school-site Wellness Coach channel of Sacramento Youth Center and serves an overlapping at-risk youth population.
• JobTrain: Bay Area nonprofit providing workforce training, soft-skills development, and job placement for at-risk and low-income youth and adults. Comparable on the workforce-development pillar of Sacramento Youth Center, particularly the social-enterprise training model pioneered through Cafe Paso.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of Superior California: Regional YMCA chapter operating youth programs, teen services, and community programming across the greater Sacramento region. Compares on youth-development mission and community facility footprint, but offers a broader portfolio rather than specializing in at-risk transitional-age youth.
• Year Up: National nonprofit providing workforce training, mentorship, and corporate internships for young adults ages 18-24 from low-income backgrounds. Comparable on the young-adult workforce-development pillar, but operates at national scale and is not embedded in the Sacramento community.
• 4-H Youth Development Program: Nationally affiliated youth-development organization delivering mentoring, life-skills, and enrichment programming through Cooperative Extension networks. Comparable on the positive-youth-development framework and enrichment-class portfolio, though focused on a different demographic and delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sacyouthcenter?sub_confirmation=1
• Instagraminstagram.com/sacyouthcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sacyouthcenter

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sacramento Youth Center