Upward Community Chicago

What Upward Community Chicago does

Upward Community Chicago is a non-profit mental health organization founded in 2008 that serves the Chicago Jewish community across prevention, intervention, and enrichment program pillars. Originally operating as Madraigos Midwest, the organization rebranded to Upward Community in December 2021 to better reflect its expanded mission of developing emotionally healthy children, teens, young adults, and families. Its service portfolio includes the Mozes and Helen Stern Upward Counseling Center (clinical assessments, referrals, and psychotherapy), LevelUp Lounge drop-in centers, UpShots Basketball Leagues (150+ weekly attendees), weekend retreats, social skills and art therapy groups, parenting support groups, school-based prevention workshops, the Mental Health Matters podcast, and a clinical internship program. The organization operates from its headquarters in Lincolnwood, Illinois, and distributes services through a counseling center, school partnerships (Ida Crown Jewish Academy, Hillel Torah, Arie Crown Hebrew Day School, and others), community drop-in facilities, and program-specific events.

The underlying service platform rests on a multidisciplinary clinical team trained in evidence-based modalities including EMDR, IFS, CBT, DBT, AEDP, art therapy, dance/movement therapy, play therapy, sand tray therapy, and trauma-informed care, delivered with cultural sensitivity to the Jewish community. The principal content asset is the proprietary 2,500-page, 30-week Step Up to Healthy Living Curriculum for grades 5-12, licensed from Amudim Community Resources and endorsed by Torah Umesorah. Technology infrastructure is light: a DrCloudEHR-based online intake scheduling system, a content website with donation and registration flows, and a Spotify-hosted podcast. The organization is currently hiring psychiatric prescribers (Psychiatrist/NP/PA) to add medication management capacity, indicating an upcoming clinical service line expansion.

The business model is a hybrid non-profit with four revenue streams: (1) individual and family donations with preset tiers ranging from $180 to $5,000 and program-specific designations (basketball leagues, camp scholarships, counseling center, retreats, school programming), (2) foundation grants (Walder Foundation for weekend retreats, Ralla Klepak Foundation for expressive arts therapy), (3) insurance-paneled clinical fees with a sliding-scale option at the counseling center, and (4) program sponsorships. Customer acquisition is community-led, driven by school partnerships, parent and word-of-mouth referrals, synagogue and community organization ties, community education lectures, and the podcast. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Rachel Karesh, with a senior team spanning clinical, operations, development, and program direction.

Name

Upward Community Chicago

Legal name

Upward Community

Website

https://upwardcommunitychicago.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Upward Community Chicago is a non-profit founded in 2008 serving the Chicago Jewish community through mental health counseling, prevention education, and youth enrichment programs, including a counseling center, drop-in lounges, sports leagues, and a proprietary social-emotional curriculum for grades 5-12.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mental Health Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Engagement & Caregiver Support Programs (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAK), School Climate, Culture & Belonging Initiatives (DEI-Aligned) (EDAKAMAM), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Parent Mental Health, Stress Management & Wellness Programs (EDACALAJ)

Keywords

• Youth mental health services
• Community mental health
• Social emotional learning
• Culturally sensitive counseling
• Youth enrichment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago Park

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization operates as a non-profit and relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals, families, and community members. The donate page shows various designation options including General Donation, Basketball Leagues, Camp Scholarships, Capital Gifts, LevelUp Lounge, Counseling Center, Retreat Sponsorships, and School Programming.
2. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including the Walder Foundation (supports weekend retreats) and Ralla Klepak Foundation for Education in the Performing Arts (supports expressive arts therapy programs including dance/movement therapy).
3. Insurance and Sliding Scale Fees: The Mozes and Helen Stern Counseling Center is paneled with select insurance companies and provides a sliding scale option to make therapy affordable for community members.
4. Sponsorships: Community members and businesses can sponsor specific programs such as boys in the basketball league, girls for dance programs, and other enrichment activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Upward Community provides mental health counseling, prevention education, and enrichment programs for Jewish youth, families, and schools in Chicago. Services span three pillars: Prevention (social-emotional curricula and workshops delivered in schools), Intervention (clinical psychotherapy, assessments and referrals at the Mozes and Helen Stern Counseling Center), and Enrichment (drop-in lounges, basketball leagues, retreats and camps). Programs are delivered with culturally sensitive care tailored to the Jewish community.

Product overview

Upward Community is a non-profit organization serving the Chicago Jewish community through mental health services since 2008 (rebranded from Madraigos Midwest in 2021). The organization operates as a unified platform of interconnected programs across three service pillars: Prevention (Step Up to Healthy Living Curriculum, School Workshops, Community Education, Mental Health Matters Podcast), Intervention (Mozes and Helen Stern Counseling Center, Parenting Support Groups, Social Skills Groups, Art Therapy Groups, Professional Development), and Enrichment (LevelUp Lounge, UpShots Basketball Leagues, Weekend Retreats, Summer Camp, Dance Programs). Additional offerings include the Project Impact teen influencer program and Iron Sword resource materials. The organization also runs a clinical internship program for graduate students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mozes and Helen Stern Upward Counseling Center Clinical counseling center providing assessments, referrals, and psychotherapy for children, teens, and young adults, featuring licensed clinicians who are culturally sensitive to the Jewish community clientele. Paneled with select insurance companies and offers sliding scale fees.
• LevelUp Lounge Drop-in center program providing teens with a safe, fun, and nurturing environment under staff supervision for unwinding, eating, and enjoying activities; operates separate boys and girls lounges for middle and high school students.
• UpShots Basketball Leagues Weekly basketball leagues for boys and girls providing teens with healthy outlets and opportunities to learn teamwork, self-esteem, and discipline; serves over 150 attendees weekly across both divisions.
• Weekend Retreats Annual weekend retreats focused on social and emotional health, designed to enhance self-acceptance, inner strength and resilience among teens, with funding support from the Walder Foundation.
• Step Up to Healthy Living Curriculum

Quantifiable outcome

• Step Up to Healthy Living program helps students build self-confidence, make healthier decisions, and be more successful in school

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amudim Community ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides the Barry and Harriet Ray Step Up to Healthy Living curriculum, a comprehensive 2,500 page 30-week social emotional curriculum for 5th-12th grade. The curriculum was developed under guidance of Rav Elya Brudny and endorsed by Vaad Rosh HaYeshiva of Torah Umesorah.
• Local Chicago Jewish SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local schools to implement prevention curriculum, provide teacher trainings, and serve as a resource for guidance staff. Schools include Ida Crown Jewish Academy, Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School, Arie Crown Hebrew Day School, and others.
• REACHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for community events such as the Rabbi Shais Taub presentation on mental health topics.
• Daughters of IsraelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization where clinical staff member Michal Cohen has served as Rebbetzin for 30 years and teaches brides through the Daughters of Israel program.
• Recovery ChevraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization dedicated to raising awareness about substance use and providing peer-supported recovery services, founded by clinical staff member DJ Shabat.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Gateways: Access to Jewish Education: Jewish special education organization providing school-based services, professional development, and SEL programming in Jewish day schools. Comparable on school-based prevention and educator training in the Jewish community.
• Blue Dove Foundation: Jewish mental health advocacy and grantmaking organization focused on mental health awareness and stigma reduction in Jewish communities. Comparable in mission orientation toward Jewish mental health, though operates as a funder/advocate rather than direct service provider.
• Mercaz Dafka: Chicago-based mental health provider staffed by Yeshiva University graduates serving the Jewish community. Comparable in clinical staffing model and culturally tailored Orthodox Jewish mental health focus in the same geography.
• Refuat Hanefesh: Orthodox Jewish mental health referral and resource organization providing psychotherapy referrals and educational programming. Directly comparable as a culturally tailored Jewish mental health intermediary serving Orthodox communities nationally.

Direct peers

• Shalom Task Force: Jewish community organization providing counseling, education, and advocacy on family and relationship issues. Comparable as a denomination-sensitive Jewish social service provider with counseling and education programming.
• Amudim Community Resources: National Jewish community mental health and crisis resource organization; the originating developer of the Step Up curriculum that Upward licenses. Direct peer in culturally tailored Jewish mental health services with national scope.
• Jewish Child & Family Services (JCFS Chicago): Large Chicago-based Jewish social service agency providing counseling, therapy, and family services to the Jewish community. Directly comparable as a behavioral health and youth services provider in the same geography and demographic, though with broader mandate and scale.

Regional players

• JCC Chicago (Bernard Weinger JCC / Apachi): Jewish Community Centers in Chicago offering youth programming, day camps, and family services in the same geographic and demographic market. Comparable on enrichment and youth programs, though broader in mandate and less specialized in clinical mental health.

Broad incumbents

• Ohel Children's Home and Family Services: Large Jewish social service agency in NYC providing mental health, foster care, and family services to the Orthodox Jewish community. Comparable as a culturally tailored Jewish mental health provider, though broader in scope and geographic in a different region.
• Chai Lifeline: Large international Jewish nonprofit providing social, emotional, and medical support to Jewish children and families in crisis. Comparable as a community-embedded youth support organization, though broader mission and larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3IjsdLutJ6eiRTp7ZownYw/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/upwardcommunitychicago
• Instagraminstagram.com/madraigosmidwest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upward-community-chicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Upward Community Chicago