Spiral Giving

What Spiral Giving does

Spiral Giving is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 by Sue Greene Fuirst and Julie Gerstein in Westchester County, New York. It operates a youth philanthropy program in which high school students from six partner schools (Mamaroneck, Byram Hills, Greeley, Armonk, Chappaqua, and Ossining) learn about charitable giving, evaluate grant applications from local nonprofits, and award funding to organizations addressing community needs such as food security, housing, healthcare, refugee support, and youth services. Since 2016, the program has awarded grants to more than 40 Westchester County nonprofits, including a $10,000 COVID-19-era grant to Feeding Westchester in 2020.

The organization runs a single core product, the Youth Philanthropy Program, which combines an educational curriculum for teens with a grantmaking function. Since 2022, grant applications have been processed through YPIE's (Yorktown/Peekskill Intervention & Prevention) platform at ypie.org/spiral-giving, providing operational infrastructure without requiring in-house technology investment. The organization is volunteer-led with a board of directors and operates with 1-10 people; its website and Instagram account serve as the primary digital touchpoints, and the donation page currently states the organization is not accepting donations.

Spiral Giving's revenue model is philanthropic contributions, with no commercial products or services sold. It is incorporated under New York State law and recognized as a 501(c)(3) by the IRS. The organization has received regional recognition including the 2019 Association of Development Officers Outstanding Philanthropist award (for the co-founder) and 2024 YWCA and ADO awards for student participants. There is no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or external investor ownership.

Name

Spiral Giving

Legal name

Spiral Giving

Website

https://www.spiralgiving.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Spiral Giving is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 in Westchester County, New York, that runs a youth philanthropy program where high school students from six partner schools evaluate grant applications and award funding to local nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• Youth philanthropy
• Community grant funding
• Nonprofit grant programs
• Charitable education
• Student grantmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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 Contributions: Spiral Giving is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds through donations to support its youth philanthropy grant program. The organization accepts tax-deductible donations to fund grants awarded to Westchester County nonprofits. Note: The donation page currently states 'Spiral Giving is not accepting donations at this time.'

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Spiral Giving operates a Youth Philanthropy Program that educates high school students in Westchester County about charitable giving by having them evaluate grant applications and award micro-grants to local nonprofit organizations. The companion Grant Awarding Program channels those student-directed funds to qualifying nonprofits addressing community needs such as food security, refugee support, youth services, and healthcare. The program is delivered through school partnerships and the YPIE grant application platform.

Product overview

Spiral Giving is a 501(c)(3) youth philanthropy organization offering a single unified program—the Youth Philanthropy Program—where high school students learn about charitable giving, evaluate nonprofit grant applications, and award funding to local organizations. The core Grant Awarding Program enables students to support social issues important to them by distributing micro-grants to Westchester County nonprofits addressing needs such as food insecurity, refugee assistance, youth services, and healthcare. The program operates through partnerships with schools and the YPIE organization to recruit student participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Philanthropy Program A hands-on educational program that gives high school students the opportunity to learn about charitable giving, evaluate grant applications, and award money to local nonprofit organizations in Westchester County. Delivered through partnerships with schools including Mamaroneck, Byram Hills, Greeley, Armonk, Chappaqua, and Ossining.
• Grant Awarding Program Students review grant applications from local Westchester County nonprofits and award funding to organizations addressing community needs including food security, refugee support, youth services, housing, healthcare, and disability services. Applications are processed through the YPIE grant application platform at ypie.org/spiral-giving.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 nonprofit organizations have received grants since 2016
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• YPIE (Yorktown/Peekskill Intervention & Prevention)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Spiral Giving partnered with YPIE to launch the YPIE Spiral Giving Youth Philanthropy Program. YPIE hosts the grant application platform for Westchester County nonprofits to apply for Spiral Giving grants. The partnership expands the reach and infrastructure of the youth philanthropy program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Impact100 Westchester: Local women's collective giving circle serving Westchester County nonprofits through pooled grants. Comparable to Spiral Giving as a regional grantmaking vehicle, though its adult membership model differs from Spiral Giving's youth-led approach.

Direct peers

• Learning to Give: National nonprofit that provides K-12 educators with lesson plans and resources to teach philanthropy, service, and giving. Directly comparable to Spiral Giving's mission of instilling philanthropic habits in youth, though it focuses on curriculum rather than grantmaking.
• Youth Service America (YSA): National organization that mobilizes young people to identify and address community needs through service and grant programs. Directly comparable as a youth-led community impact and mini-grant incubator.
• YPIE (Yorktown/Peekskill Intervention & Prevention): Westchester County college and career access nonprofit that hosts the Spiral Giving grant application platform. Comparable as a youth-serving nonprofit in the same geography with overlapping educational mission.
• Generation On: Youth service and philanthropy organization that empowers young people to take action through grants and service projects. Directly comparable mission of mobilizing youth as grantmakers and community changemakers.

Broad incumbents

• DoSomething.org: Large youth-focused nonprofit that drives civic engagement and social impact campaigns among teens. Comparable audience and mission alignment, though it operates digitally at national scale rather than locally as a grantmaker.
• Points of Light: Major volunteerism and civic engagement nonprofit with a global footprint. Comparable in promoting community engagement, though it focuses on volunteer mobilization rather than youth grantmaking.
• GivingTuesday: National movement encouraging giving and generosity with a youth-led program. Comparable in promoting youth philanthropy and community giving, though it functions as a movement rather than a local grantmaking program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/p/CzeYGt3OFJW
• Facebookfacebook.com/spiralgiving
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spiral-giving

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Spiral Giving