Urban Youth Workers Institute

What Urban Youth Workers Institute does

Urban Youth Workers Institute (UYWI), founded in 1993 and headquartered in Santa Ana, California, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 31-1524740) that trains and supports Christian leaders serving youth in urban contexts. Its core service portfolio comprises four interlocking pillars: the year-long cohort-based Certification Program (formerly 90 Degrees, relaunched Fall 2021) delivered in Los Angeles, New York, and Houston; NXT LVL Leadership Coaching for high-capacity leaders; nine regional Fuel Networks providing peer connection, care, and collaboration; and the Leadership Library, a free Uscreen-powered digital platform hosting videos, eBooks, curriculum, and podcasts. Supporting assets include two podcasts (The Future Is Here, The Radical Middle), proprietary curricula such as Whole Life Discipleship, Character College, SCARS (trauma-informed discipleship), and the bilingual Discipleship Toolkit (English/Spanish). UYWI operates with 11-50 staff under CEO Tommy Nixon and COO Robert Aboites.

The underlying technology stack is deliberately lean: the Leadership Library runs on the Uscreen video platform, the marketing site uses WordPress, podcasts distribute via Spotify, and downloadable assets are hosted on Dropbox. There is no proprietary AI, ML, or data-infrastructure layer; the model is explicitly positioned as "facilitator-guided leadership development, not isolated online content," relying on veteran urban practitioners rather than automated delivery.

The business model is donor-funded rather than fee-based. All programs and digital resources are provided free to leaders and youth workers; UYWI instead monetizes via one-time donations and the tiered Urban Ally monthly partnership program ($25, $150, $300, and $450 per month). Primary customers are individual urban youth workers and church-based leaders; secondary beneficiaries are the urban youth they serve. Strategic distribution partners include Reframe Youth (a GenZ-focused curriculum founded by Jordan Francis), and trust signals are reinforced through Candid/Charity Navigator/Greater Nonprofits listings and PCI-DSS payment certification.

Name

Urban Youth Workers Institute

Legal name

Urban Youth Workers Institute

Website

https://uywi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Youth Workers Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1993 that trains and supports Christian urban youth leaders through cohort-based Certification, coaching, regional Fuel Networks, and a free Uscreen-powered Leadership Library, funded primarily by donations and monthly Urban Ally partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Youth Ministry Leadership Training

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Missionary Training Colleges & Schools (EDAHAKAF), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO)

Keywords

• Urban youth ministry
• Leadership development training
• Youth ministry certification
• Faith-based leadership
• Discipleship curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Fe Springs

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: UYWI relies on donations from individuals and organizations who support urban youth ministry. Donors can give one-time donations or become monthly Urban Ally partners. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
2. Monthly Partnership (Urban Ally): Monthly recurring donations at various levels ($25, $150, $300, $450 per month) that provide ongoing support for leadership development programs. Partners receive benefits including CEO emails, prayer access, swag, and VIP event access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UYWI trains and develops Christian leaders serving urban youth through a year-long cohort-based Certification Program (formerly 90 Degrees), individualized NXT LVL Leadership Coaching, regional Fuel Networks that provide peer community, and a free Leadership Library of videos, podcasts, eBooks, and curriculum including Whole Life Discipleship, Character College, and the Discipleship Toolkit. All programs and digital resources are provided at no charge to urban youth workers, funded by donations and monthly Urban Ally partnerships.

Product overview

UYWI offers a comprehensive ecosystem of leadership development resources for urban youth ministry leaders. The core offerings include the Leadership Library (a video-based digital platform powered by Uscreen providing free access to all resources), the year-long Certification Program (cohort-based training), NXT LVL Leadership Coaching, and Fuel Networks (regional communities of practice). Supporting content includes two podcasts (The Future Is Here and The Radical Middle), multiple curriculum products (Whole Life Discipleship, Character College, SCARS Trauma Informed Discipleship, and various seasonal series), and free resources like the Discipleship Toolkit and Youth In Distress eBook. A strategic partnership with Reframe Youth expands their curriculum offerings. All digital resources are accessible through the Uscreen-powered Leadership Library platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UYWI Leadership Library: Digital resource library providing free access to leadership training, ministry tools, and discipleship resources for urban youth workers.
• The Future Is Here Podcast
• The Radical Middle Podcast
• Whole Life Discipleship (WLD)
• Character College
• SCARS
• Discipleship Toolkit (DKit)
• Urban Ally

Products and services

• Leadership Library Uscreen-powered video-based digital resource library providing free access (with registration) to leadership development and youth ministry training content including courses, workshops, videos, eBooks, curriculum, and tools for urban ministry leaders.
• UYWI Certification Program Year-long cohort-based leadership development program equipping high-capacity urban leaders with elements of effective ministry leadership; meets monthly and is facilitated by veteran urban youth workers.
• NXT LVL Leadership Coaching Specialized coaching program providing personalized growth pathways for high-capacity urban leaders to develop their leadership effectiveness.
• Fuel Networks Regional community forums bringing together passionate urban youth workers to solve unique challenges of urban youth ministry through connection, care, and collaboration.
• Whole Life Discipleship (WLD) Curriculum framework for nurturing every aspect of a young person's being — physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and rest/play — to guide them toward holistic faith formation.
• Character College Video resource equipping urban leaders and youth with practical applications for character and virtue development, including session content, Instagram reels for each virtue, and downloadable social media assets for ministry promotion.
• Discipleship Toolkit (DKit) Free toolkit providing resources to help spark spiritual conversations with youth, available in both English and Spanish versions.
• SCARS - Trauma Informed Discipleship Free curriculum addressing trauma-informed care for youth workers, helping them address their own trauma and support young people effectively.
• Youth In Distress eBook Free eBook for urban youth workers providing tools to help connect with, support, and understand youth dealing with depression by addressing mind, body, and spirit.
• The Future Is Here Podcast Leadership podcast hosted by CEO Tommy Nixon and COO Robert Aboites discussing leadership principles for the next generation, available on Spotify.
• The Radical Middle Podcast Podcast exploring tension and dialogue around topics urban churches wish to discuss, embracing diverse perspectives in ministry.
• Reframe Youth Curriculum Urban youth ministry curriculum offered in partnership with Reframe Youth (founded by Jordan Francis), providing GenZ-centric, culturally relevant, biblically grounded content distributed through the UYWI network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Leaders trained by UYWI reach 50% to 300% more youth with the Gospel
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Reframe YouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUYWI announced a strategic partnership with Reframe Youth, created and founded by Jordan Francis. Reframe is an urban youth ministry curriculum that is GenZ-centric and informed by cultural relevance and biblical fidelity. UYWI platforms Reframe as an evolution in youth ministry curriculum, supporting the partnership through their network.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Network of Youth Ministries (NNYM): National networking organization connecting local youth workers and ministries, similar to how UYWI's Fuel Networks build regional communities of practice.
• Download Youth Ministry: Online training library and community for volunteer and paid youth workers, offering video-based training comparable to UYWI's Leadership Library model.
• The Youth Cartel: Coaching, consulting, and training firm for youth workers and youth ministry leaders; directly comparable to UYWI's NXT LVL Coaching and Certification cohorts in content and audience.
• Youth for Christ USA: Faith-based youth organization that trains and deploys adult leaders to mentor and disciple youth in urban, suburban and rural contexts; shares UYWI's missional approach to equipping adult youth workers.
• Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (CPYU): Provides resources, training, and cultural analysis for youth workers and parents, including conferences and curriculum that parallel UYWI's training and resource offerings.
• Axiom (formerly 252): Provides ministry training, coaching and resources specifically designed for next-generation and youth pastors; overlaps with UYWI's Certification and Coaching programs in audience and curriculum offering.

Broad incumbents

• Young Life: Large established faith-based youth organization with volunteer leader training programs that train adult leaders to mentor youth, comparable in mission scope though much larger scale.
• Orange (reThink Group): Major youth ministry strategy, curriculum, and conference provider serving a wide denomination-agnostic Christian audience; broader in scope than UYWI but overlaps significantly in training content.

Others

• Reframe Youth: Strategic curriculum partner to UYWI; GenZ-centric urban youth ministry curriculum provider. Not a direct competitor — adjacent/ecosystem relationship via the partnership.

Emerging players

• Lead121: Emerging leadership development organization for young Christian leaders; smaller scale and different demographic focus, but shares UYWI's emphasis on training next-generation ministry leaders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uywi
• Instagraminstagram.com/uywi
• Facebookfacebook.com/uywi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-youth-workers-institute

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Urban Youth Workers Institute