Youth Employment Program, Inc.

What Youth Employment Program, Inc. does

Youth Employment Program, Inc. (YEP) is a U.S. non-profit organization founded in 1994 in cooperation with Lemhi County, Idaho, that delivers youth workforce development through paid outdoor conservation projects on public lands. The organization primarily serves rural youth ages 15 and older in the Rocky Mountains, High Divide, and Missouri Headwaters regions, with operational offices in Salmon, Idaho and Dillon, Montana. Participants gain technical job skills (chainsaw operation, GPS/mapping, chemical weed treatment, welding, and—since 2016—heavy equipment operation including dozers and excavators), as well as core life skills in responsibility, accountability, and leadership. Since 2022, YEP has also extended its pipeline to undergraduate and master's students via university partnerships, including one with the University of Montana Western.

The underlying operating model combines seasonal crew-based project delivery with structured training curricula. YEP crews execute conservation and recreation management projects—process-based stream restoration, trail installation and maintenance, fencing, weed mapping and treatment, pollinator and botany studies, and campground maintenance—for a network of partner agencies that includes the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, National Wildlife Federation, Big Hole Watershed Committee, Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, and the University of Montana Western. A dedicated BLM internship track places youth in field positions across recreation, range/botany, and mixed-discipline projects.

YEP's revenue model is a hybrid of philanthropic contributions and contracted project delivery. Funding sources include general charitable donations ($25–$100+ tiers), targeted crew sponsorships, foundation grants (notably M.J. Murdock Trust), and corporate/community support (Steele Reese, United Way). Project-based partnership fees and BLM internship placements constitute the service-delivery side of the revenue mix. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: recruitment flows through schools, court referrals, community organizations, and direct outreach, while partnerships are cultivated through long-standing agency relationships rather than formal sales motions. No revenue figures, headcount data, or digital product offering are disclosed in the available source material.

Name

Youth Employment Program, Inc.

Legal name

Youth Employment Program

Website

https://youthemploymentprogram.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Youth Employment Program, Inc. is a non-profit founded in 1994 that provides rural youth ages 15+ with paid workforce training in conservation, recreation management, and skilled trades through project-based crews serving federal and state land agencies in the Rocky Mountain region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Workforce Development and Conservation Services

NAICS

Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAF

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAAAOAD

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Workforce Development Initiatives

Keywords

• Youth workforce development
• Conservation project services
• Technical career training
• Outdoor employment programs
• Community conservation partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Salmon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: General operational budget donations from individuals and organizations supporting YEP's mission. Funds go toward general operating costs and can be allocated to specific projects.
2. Sponsor Donations: Direct sponsorship donations specifically allocated toward items hard-working crews and individuals need on a daily basis, providing more targeted impact on participants.
3. Project-Based Partnership Fees: Partner organizations engage YEP for conservation projects including stream restoration, trail installation, fencing, weed treatment, and campground maintenance. Projects are billed through partnership arrangements.
4. BLM Internship Program: Field positions working with BLM and their project specialists in recreation, range/botany, and mixed disciplines through structured internship placements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

YEP is a non-profit youth employment organization that hires individuals aged 15 and older to work on conservation and outdoor projects, providing hands-on job-skills training in chainsaw use, GPS/mapping, chemical weed treatment, welding, and heavy-equipment operation while delivering project outcomes such as stream restoration, trail installation, fencing, and campground maintenance to partner agencies. The program combines Technical Career Training programs (Recreation & Resource Management, Welding), seasonal crew positions, and BLM internship placements under a unified youth workforce development framework.

Product overview

Youth Employment Program, Inc. is a non-profit organization that operates as a single unified service offering youth employment, job skills training, and career development. The core offering combines Technical Career Training programs (recreation & resource management, welding), crew-based conservation work (trail building, stream restoration, fencing, weed treatment), and BLM internship placements. The organization functions as both a youth development program and a service provider for partner agencies seeking conservation and maintenance work on public lands. Founded in 1994, the program operates primarily in the Rocky Mountains region with offices in Dillon, MT and Salmon, ID.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technical Career Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants develop unique skill sets including conservation techniques, outdoor work skills, and professional capabilities that may not otherwise be available to them
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, founding and major.

• University of Montana WesterncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 September 2022Partnership with university providing undergraduate and master's programs with opportunities for individuals to work in fields of choice while earning college degrees and career growth.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 February 2018In 2018, started initial dialogue with The Nature Conservancy to plan and fund a program in Dillon, Montana. Program has grown to include several agency and non-profit partners providing unique career training opportunities.
• Salmon/Challis National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 1996In 1996, work included a wide range of program work for the Salmon/Challis National Forest, marking expansion of conservation partnerships.
• Bureau of Land Management (Idaho BLM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 April 1994Initial projects from 1994-1996 were with the Salmon Regional office of the Idaho BLM, including fencing and range improvement work. Partnership expanded to Challis Regional Office in 2000.
• Lemhi CountyfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 1994Initial founding partner in cooperation with which YEP was first organized in 1994. Board members included magistrate judge, local business owners, county clerk, and representative of court system.
• United States Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSFS partnership provides recreation and resource management projects. Since 2016, YEP has had strong involvement with recreational trails on both BLM and USFS lands.
• United States Fish and Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSFWS partnership providing habitat improvement and conservation projects through YEP's workforce development programs.
• Trout UnlimitedmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partnership focused on process-based stream restoration, Zuni Work (Zeedyk, One Rock Dams), and watershed restoration projects.
• Montana Fish, Wildlife, and ParksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partnership providing wildlife habitat improvement and recreation management projects in Montana.
• National Wildlife FederationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational conservation organization partnership supporting wildlife habitat and ecosystem restoration projects.
• Big Hole Watershed CommitteemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal watershed partnership providing stream restoration and water resource management projects.
• Southwest Montana Sagebrush PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership focused on sagebrush ecosystem conservation and management in Southwest Montana.
• Steele ReesemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor supporter providing funding and resources to sustain YEP's programs and youth workforce development initiatives.
• United WaymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive supporter donating work shirts, notebooks, pens, and other resources. Described as one of YEP's most active supporters of community youth.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Groundwork USA: National network of local Groundwork trusts engaging youth in environmental and conservation projects in underserved communities. Mission-aligned peer with similar youth development focus but urban-oriented operating model.

Broad incumbents

• The Corps Network: National membership organization representing over 130 Service and Conservation Corps. Industry association peer that YEP could potentially align with for federal funding access and advocacy.
• Student Conservation Association: National non-profit placing young adults in conservation service roles on public lands. Larger, more established peer with similar mission, broader geographic reach, and a more developed alumni network.
• Conservation Legacy: National non-profit operating multiple regional corps programs (including Southwest Conservation Corps and Ancestral Lands). Broader parent organization in the same youth conservation corps category, with greater scale and federal funding access.
• AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps: Federal national service program engaging young adults in conservation and community projects. Large-scale peer with significant federal funding advantages and overlapping target demographic.

Regional players

• Northwest Youth Corps: Oregon and Idaho-based youth corps operating conservation crews on public lands. Operates in the broader Pacific Northwest/Northern Rockies region with comparable crew-based model and federal partnerships, but with primary footprint outside YEP's core geography.

Direct peers

• Rocky Mountain Youth Corps: New Mexico-based youth conservation corps operating crews on public lands in the Southern Rockies. Comparable service model, target demographic, and conservation/wilderness work focus, operating in a different but adjacent Rocky Mountain geography.
• Southwest Conservation Corps: Conservation Legacy program operating youth and veteran corps crews on public lands in the Four Corners region. Comparable service model, target population, and federal land management partnerships.
• Montana Conservation Corps: Montana-based youth conservation corps employing young adults on public lands projects with similar agency partnerships (USFS, BLM, FWP). Direct functional peer with comparable mission, crew model, and federal partnership structure.
• Idaho Conservation Corps: Idaho-based AmeriCorps-affiliated youth corps operating conservation and recreation projects on federal and state lands. Directly comparable model, geography overlap (Idaho), and agency partner set.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-employment-program-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Youth Employment Program, Inc.