The City School - Boston
The City School is a Boston-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1987 that develops youth and young adults (ages 14-25) as social justice leaders through participatory popular education, summer leadership programming, career pathway training, and paid workshops for New England schools and organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersDorchester, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The City School - Boston does
The City School (TCS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1987 and headquartered at 614 Columbia Road, Dorchester, Massachusetts. It develops youth and young adults (ages 14-25) as leaders for social justice through popular education methodology — a participatory, youth-centric approach to political education and community organizing that addresses systemic oppression including racism, ageism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, and ableism, while integrating collective care and transformative justice practices. The organization runs three core youth programs: the Summer Leadership Program (SLP), a five-week summer intensive for ~60 teens per year that has run continuously since 1995 (30+ summers as of 2024); Pathways to Change (PTC), a school-year program with three career pathways (educators, organizers/advocates, organizational leaders); and the Ella Baker Young Adult Fellowship (launched 2022) for emerging adult leaders ages 18-26. Additionally, TCS operates two external-facing programs targeting New England independent schools and organizations: the Social Justice Leadership Institute (SJLI), a weekend retreat series hosted at partner independent schools ($425-$525/student), and the Social Justice Education Institute (SJEI), which delivers tiered on-site racial and social justice workshops to schools and organizations ($750-$6,000 per workshop based on organizational budget). The organization also co-leads Boston People's Response, a community-led, non-police mental health crisis response initiative developed with Boston Liberation Health and a coalition of organizing partners.
The City School is supported by approximately 8-9 staff members and is funded through a diversified mix of individual donations, foundation/institutional grants (including United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Liberty Mutual Foundation, Hyams Foundation, Boston Youth Fund, AGM Summer Fund, and Genevieve McMillian Reba Stewart Foundation), modest program fees, B2B workshop fees, and space rental of its Uphams Corner facility. Go-to-market is community-led: youth programs recruit primarily through word-of-mouth, alumni referral, and school/community partnerships, while B2B workshops are sold directly to schools and organizations across New England. Leadership includes Executive Director Collique Williams and a multi-racial, majority BIPOC staff team with deep roots in Boston's racial justice and labor organizing ecosystem, including the Youth Justice and Power Union, Community Labor United, and MassCOSH.
The City School - Boston firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The City School - Boston
- Legal name
- The City School
- Website
- https://thecityschool.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The City School is a Boston-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1987 that develops youth and young adults (ages 14-25) as social justice leaders through participatory popular education, summer leadership programming, career pathway training, and paid workshops for New England schools and organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The City School - Boston industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Leadership Development
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)
Keywords
Where The City School - Boston is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dorchester
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The City School - Boston business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: The organization accepts one-time and monthly recurring donations from individuals. Donations are tax-deductible as it is a 501(c)(3) organization.
- Institutional Grants: The organization receives funding from foundations and institutional donors including AGM Summer Fund, Hyams Foundation, Liberty Mutual Foundation, and others listed as supporters.
- Program Fees - SJLI: Social Justice Leadership Institute charges registration fees per student: Early Bird $475-$525 for introductory retreats, $425-$450 for advanced retreats.
- Workshop Fees - SJEI: Social Justice Education Institute offers workshops to organizations and schools at tiered pricing based on organizational budget size, ranging from $750-$6,000 for 2-3 hour workshops for 6-20 participants.
- Space Rental: The organization rents its space in Uphams Corner to outside groups for corporate meetings, intimate gatherings, and creative workshops.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Per event | Social Justice Education Institute workshops for 6-20 participants, 2-3 hours |
| Unit Pricing | Per event | SJLI Introductory Retreat - Early Bird pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Per event | SJLI Introductory Retreat - Standard pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Per event | SJLI Advanced Retreat - Early Bird pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Per event | SJLI Advanced Retreat - Standard pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
The City School - Boston product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The City School is a community-based youth development organization that delivers social justice education, leadership training, and community organizing programs for youth ages 14-25 in Greater Boston. Its offerings include the Summer Leadership Program, Pathways to Change, Ella Baker Young Adult Fellowship, Social Justice Leadership Institute retreats, and Social Justice Education Institute workshops for schools and organizations. The organization also co-leads Boston People's Response, a community-led non-police mental health crisis response initiative.
Product overview
The City School is a youth leadership development organization offering a portfolio of programs focused on social justice education. The core offerings include the Summer Leadership Program (SLP), a five-week intensive summer program begun in 1995; Pathways to Change (PTC), a school-year program with three career pathways; and the Ella Baker Young Adult Fellowship for emerging leaders aged 18-26. The organization also delivers the Social Justice Leadership Institute (SJLI) and Social Justice Education Institute (SJEI) as workshop-based programs for external schools and organizations. Additionally, The City School co-leads Boston People's Response, a community-led mental health crisis response initiative.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Summer Leadership Program (SLP) A five-week intensive summer program for youth ages 14-19 providing community building, political education, leadership development, internships at local nonprofits, and Community Action Projects focused on racial, economic, gender, queer, and disability justice.
- Pathways to Change (PTC) A school-year program offering three career pathways for youth to develop as educators, organizers and advocates, and organizational leaders through training and mentorship.
- Ella Baker Young Adult Fellowship A fellowship program that develops young adult youth workers, facilitators, and organizers into effective organizational leaders to strengthen movement building across Boston.
- Social Justice Leadership Institute (SJLI) A two-session accelerated social justice program for high school students from New England independent schools, combining introductory and advanced weekend retreats focused on racial justice, organizing skills, and network transformation.
- Social Justice Education Institute (SJEI) A workshop-based program offering tailored racial and social justice training to organizations and schools across New England, with 2-3 hour workshops for 6-20 participants at tiered pricing based on organizational budget.
- Boston People's Response A community-led mental health crisis response initiative developed in partnership with Boston Liberation Health to design a non-police, community-based mental health crisis response model for the City of Boston grounded in racial, economic, gender, queer, and disability justice principles.
Quantifiable outcome
- SLP 2024 marked 30th summer of continuous programming
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The City School - Boston
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The City School - Boston technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The City School - Boston partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Boston Liberation HealthcoreCollaborated with The City School to design a community-led mental health crisis response model for the City of Boston that does not involve law enforcement. Boston Liberation Health is a collective of mental health providers and service users working to change institutional and societal factors that negatively impact mental health.
- Youth Justice and Power UnioncoreCo-organizer in the campaign for community-led mental health crisis response. Long-time community partner in Boston's organizing ecosystem.
- Muslim Justice LeaguemajorPartner in organizing for community design process and funding for mental health crisis response model that does not involve law enforcement.
- Asian American Resource WorkshopmajorPartner in organizing for community-led mental health crisis response model and broader Boston organizing efforts.
- Material Aid and Advocacy ProgrammajorPartner in organizing for community-led mental health crisis response model.
- Alternatives for Community and Environment (REEP)minorCommunity organization partner listed among TCS supporters.
- The Unnamed Youth Organizing NetworkminorYouth organizing network partner and supporter.
- World Education, IncminorEducation-focused organization listed among institutional supporters.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The City School - Boston competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Peace First: National nonprofit investing in young people as leaders of social change through peace education, community action, and grants. Comparable youth-leadership-for-social-justice model at national scale.
- Sociedad Latina: Boston-based nonprofit developing Latino youth as leaders through civic engagement, arts, and workforce programs. Comparable youth leadership development mission and Boston geography.
- Muslim Justice League: Boston-area civil rights organization working on racial, religious, and economic justice through organizing, campaigns, and policy advocacy. Co-developer of Boston People's Response with TCS, with overlapping constituency and methodology.
- Youth Justice and Power Union: Boston-area youth organizing coalition referenced as a long-time TCS partner. Builds youth leadership for racial, economic, and educational justice through base-building and campaigns—closely aligned with TCS's social-justice organizing model.
- Hyde Square Task Force: Boston-based youth development nonprofit serving Latino and other youth of color through culturally rooted programming, leadership development, and community organizing. Highly comparable mission, geography, and youth-justice focus to The City School.
- The Young People's Project: National youth leadership development organization that uses popular education methods to train youth as Math Literacy Workers and organizers. Closely aligned with TCS's popular-education methodology and youth leadership pipeline.
- Boston Liberation Health: Boston-based collective of mental health providers and service users that co-developed Boston People's Response with TCS. Direct partnership peer with comparable transformative-justice and non-police mental health response model.
- Boston Youth Organizing Project: Boston-area youth organizing entity where TCS Executive Director Collique Williams began their activism journey in 2001. Direct historical antecedent with overlapping leadership pipeline and youth-organizing methodology.
- Asian American Resource Workshop: Boston-based organization building power with Asian American communities through youth organizing, community campaigns, and cultural work. Partner of TCS on Boston People's Response with directly comparable organizing methodology.
Regional players
- uAspire: Boston-based nonprofit expanding college access and success for low-income youth. Comparable Boston-area youth development focus with overlapping donor and partner ecosystem, though mission centers on higher education access rather than social justice organizing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The City School - Boston social profiles
Digital presenceThe City School - Boston financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The City School - Boston leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
The City School - Boston funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The City School - Boston M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The City School - Boston
What does The City School - Boston do?
The City School is a community-based youth development organization that delivers social justice education, leadership training, and community organizing programs for youth ages 14-25 in Greater Boston. Its offerings include the Summer Leadership Program, Pathways to Change, Ella Baker Young Adult Fellowship, Social Justice Leadership Institute retreats, and Social Justice Education Institute workshops for schools and organizations. The organization also co-leads Boston People's Response, a community-led non-police mental health crisis response initiative.
Is The City School - Boston a public or private company?
The City School - Boston is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The City School - Boston founded?
The City School - Boston was founded in 1987.
Where is The City School - Boston based?
The City School - Boston is headquartered in Dorchester, United States, in the North America region.
How does The City School - Boston make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are institutional Grants, program Fees - SJLI, workshop Fees - SJEI and space Rental.
Who are The City School - Boston's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Peace First, Sociedad Latina, Muslim Justice League, Youth Justice and Power Union, Hyde Square Task Force, The Young People's Project, Boston Liberation Health, Boston Youth Organizing Project and Asian American Resource Workshop. uAspire is listed as a regional player.
Does The City School - Boston have an API?
No public API is recorded for The City School - Boston.
What industry is The City School - Boston in?
The City School - Boston's product category is Youth Leadership Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAM, Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGADAB, K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.