Youth Mental Health Corps

What Youth Mental Health Corps does

Youth Mental Health Corps (YMHC) is a U.S. national service initiative founded in 2024 by the Schultz Family Foundation and Pinterest that trains and mobilizes young adults aged 18-29 to serve as near-peer mental health navigators in schools and community settings. The program is delivered through the federal AmeriCorps infrastructure in partnership with state service commissions, host organizations (K-12 schools, community health clinics, nonprofits such as Communities In Schools and Boys & Girls Clubs), and implementation partners including InsideTrack for career coaching, Peer Health Exchange for training via a Learning Management System, and Wayne State University's Community Health Worker Academy for credentialing. Corps members earn stackable industry-recognized credentials (School-Based Mental Health Navigator, Peer Support/Recovery Specialist, Community Health Worker) while serving, and WestEd-conducted independent evaluation has documented reduced behavioral referrals, improved attendance, and increased student help-seeking behavior in host schools. Outcomes data shows 80% of alumni remain in the mental health field post-service and 92% are employed or enrolled in higher education within six months.

YMHC operates in 16 states as of the 2026-2027 school year (Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia), with 11 additional states planned for 2027. Nearly 1,000 Corps members have been trained across the first two years, deployed across 440+ host sites, reaching more than 44,000 community members. The program is free to participants; members receive living allowances and Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards in exchange for service.

YMHC is structured as a collaborative multi-sector initiative rather than a traditional corporate entity. It is funded through a pooled YMHC Collaborative Fund that includes Pinterest (which has invested $30 million in Impact Partners working on youth mental health), Schultz Family Foundation, Ballmer Group, DreamMachine.org, Lululemon, Mae Philanthropies, Pivotal, and The Starbucks Foundation, alongside AmeriCorps allocations and state-level appropriations. The national program office has 11-50 employees, and the organization is recognized as a 2025 Fast Company World Changing Ideas honoree and Gold/Silver winner at the 5th Annual Anthem Awards.

Name

Youth Mental Health Corps

Legal name

Youth Mental Health Corps

Website

https://youthmentalhealthcorps.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Youth Mental Health Corps is a U.S. national service initiative founded in 2024 that trains young adults aged 18-29 as near-peer mental health navigators placed in schools and community organizations across 16 states, while building a credentialed behavioral health workforce pipeline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mental Health Services / Behavioral Health Workforce Development

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

School-Based Mental & Behavioral Health Services (EDAJAIAB), Mental Health Screening, Assessment & Referral Coordination (School-Based) (EDAKAMAN), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Youth mental health services
• Peer support programs
• Behavioral health workforce
• National service initiative
• Community mental health

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and AmeriCorps Funding: YMHC is a national service initiative that operates through AmeriCorps infrastructure. The program receives funding through government grants, AmeriCorps allocations, and state service commission funding to support member living allowances, education awards, and program operations.
2. Corporate and Philanthropic Sponsorship: Funders including Schultz Family Foundation, Pinterest ($30M invested in Impact Partners), Ballmer Group, DreamMachine.org, Lululemon, Mae Philanthropies, Pivotal, and The Starbucks Foundation provide funding through the YMHC Collaborative Fund to sponsor expansion and sustainability of programs.
3. Member Service (Free to Participants): The program is free for eligible young adults aged 18-29. Members receive living allowances, Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards, and professional certifications in exchange for their service. Revenue comes from public and philanthropic sources that fund the program, not from members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Youth Mental Health Corps trains and mobilizes young adults aged 18-29 to serve as near-peer mental health navigators in schools, nonprofits, and community organizations across 16 U.S. states. Members earn stackable credentials (School-Based Mental Health Navigator, Peer Support/Recovery Specialist, Community Health Worker), receive living allowances, Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards, and career coaching, while providing trusted in-person mental health support to youth. The program operates free of charge to participants and is funded through AmeriCorps, state service commissions, and philanthropic/corporate sponsors.

Product overview

The Youth Mental Health Corps is a single, unified national service program—not a modular software platform—designed to address the youth mental health crisis through near-peer support. The core offering is the Corps member program, which trains young adults ages 18-29 to serve as mental health navigators in schools and communities. This core program is augmented by the Leadership Fellows Program for advanced members, a Resource Library for member training and support, and the Collaborative Fund for organizational sponsorship. The program operates in partnership with AmeriCorps, state service commissions, host organizations, and corporate funders including the Schultz Family Foundation and Pinterest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YMHC Leadership Fellows Program: A program offering selected YMHC members a platform to cultivate leadership skills, collaborate with peers across the nation, and network with mental health experts.

Products and services

• Youth Mental Health Corps Program A national service initiative that trains and mobilizes young adults (ages 18-29) to provide near-peer mental health support to youth in schools and communities while building career pathways in behavioral health. Free for eligible participants; members receive living allowances, Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards, and professional certifications.
• Member Engagement and Support Services Comprehensive support services for Corps members including 1:1 career coaching (via InsideTrack), peer networking and on-demand training modules (via Peer Health Exchange Learning Management System), mental health resources, professional development, and financial assistance through the Member Assistance Fund.
• YMHC Leadership Fellows Program An elite development program for selected Corps members offering a platform to cultivate leadership skills, collaborate with peers across the nation, network with mental health experts, and complete the Career Vision Project.
• YMHC Resource Library Digital catalog providing members access to coaching resources, training calendars, Peer Health Exchange materials, InsideTrack coaching bios, and mental health support resources.
• YMHC Collaborative Fund Sponsorship and funding mechanism enabling philanthropies and corporations to support YMHC expansion and sustainability through pooled resources, impact measurement, and shared data insights.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of YMHC alumni stayed in the mental health field post-service
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency providing the national service infrastructure for YMHC programs. AmeriCorps membership provides living allowances, education awards, and the operational framework for Corps members across all states.
• America's Service CommissionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association representing state service commissions that implement YMHC programs. They help lead the approach connecting service, workforce development, and community needs.
• InsideTrackcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides personalized 1:1 career coaching for YMHC members including career assessments, goal setting, soft skills development, and crisis support services referral.
• Peer Health ExchangecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides virtual networking gatherings, learning management system with on-demand training modules, and monthly trainings on mental health education, youth advocacy, and handling secondary trauma.
• National Science & Service CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts career surveys to measure impact of member career data, inform workforce development programming, and track alumni outcomes through baseline, exit, and 6-month post-service surveys.
• WestEdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted independent evaluation of YMHC Year 1 outcomes, finding that schools with YMHC members saw reductions in behavioral referrals, improved attendance, and increased student help-seeking behavior.
• Maryland Department of Service and Civic InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency leading Maryland YMHC launch in 2026, partnering with AmeriCorps, Pinterest, and Schultz Family Foundation to train 36 Corps members across 10 host sites.
• Wayne State University Community Health Worker AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides five youth mental health certifications through their Community Health Worker Academy to augment Michigan YMHC member training and workforce development.
• Communities In SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational nonprofit partnering with YMHC in Texas and Iowa to integrate Corps members into school communities for case management and student support services.
• Boys & Girls ClubscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoys & Girls Clubs of Utah County and other local chapters host YMHC members who provide mental health support and navigation services.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Teach For America: National service program that places young adults in high-need schools for multi-year commitments. Comparable in near-peer placement model, alumni pipeline outcomes, and cross-sector partnership structure.
• Peer Health Exchange: YMHC's training partner; trains college-age young adults to deliver health education to high school students, including mental health. Directly comparable peer-support and youth-development model.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth-development nonprofit operating after-school and community programs, and an active YMHC host site. Comparable in serving youth through community-based delivery and providing the host infrastructure for YMHC's near-peer model.
• Active Minds: National nonprofit activating student-led mental health awareness and peer support programs on high school and college campuses. Comparable peer-led youth mental health model with similar target audience.
• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit placing site coordinators inside K-12 schools to provide case management and student support. A YMHC host-site partner; comparable in mission, school-based delivery model, and student wellbeing focus.
• City Year: National service program placing young adults (mostly 18-25) in schools as near-peer mentors and student success coaches. Most directly comparable to YMHC in mission, age range, AmeriCorps funding model, and K-12 host-site structure.

Broad incumbents

• Peace Corps: Federal national service program placing young adults in community-impact roles. Comparable as a model for young-adult service programs with similar age-range recruitment, but operates internationally with longer commitments.
• AmeriCorps: Federal agency that provides the national service infrastructure YMHC operates through. While not a direct competitor, AmeriCorps is the parent ecosystem YMHC lives within and a benchmark for similar national service programs.
• Mental Health America: Established national nonprofit working on mental health screening, prevention, and peer support across all ages. Comparable in mission and broad-reach strategy but significantly older and more institutionally mature than YMHC.
• JED Foundation: National nonprofit focused on youth and young adult mental health and suicide prevention, working primarily through high schools and colleges. Adjacent to YMHC's mission but emphasizes systems-level program design rather than direct near-peer service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@youthmentalhealthcorps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Youth Mental Health Corps