The Service Learning Project

What The Service Learning Project does

The Service Learning Project (SLP) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2014 by Liz Pitofsky that delivers youth-led action civics programs to K-12 students. SLP partners with public, charter, and independent schools to integrate civic engagement into the school day through its Residency Program, run after-school social action clubs (SLP Club), and offer virtual after-school activities (SLP Lab) for 4th-12th graders. Supporting services include Coaching & Professional Development for educators and customized Workshops & Events for school breaks. Programs serve elementary, middle, and high school students primarily in Brooklyn, with additional partnerships in Vermont, Los Angeles, and (since 2024) nationwide via virtual offerings. SLP does not charge schools or students; participation is funded through donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships. The organization's fiscal sponsor is The Fund for the City of New York, which enables tax-deductible contributions.

SLP's programmatic model is distinguished by a fully youth-led structure: students identify the social issue, research it, and design their own advocacy — producing tangible outputs such as PSAs, policy advocacy to NYC Council members, anti-smoking campaigns distributed via LinkNYC kiosks reaching 175,000 Queens residents, and gun violence prevention projects co-developed with Everytown for Gun Safety. The organization has built an ecosystem of advocacy partners (ASPCA, UPROSE, Citizens' Climate Lobby, Care for the Homeless, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and others) that provide real-world mentorships for student projects. Reported impact metrics include 750+ students served annually, 30+ action civics projects completed annually, and 91% of alumni reporting belief they can make a difference in their community.

Commercially, SLP operates as a donation- and grant-funded nonprofit with no fee-for-service revenue. Annual benefit fundraising events have raised between $17,000 (2017) and $55,000 (2018), and the organization has cultivated a roster of foundation and corporate donors including Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Pinkerton Foundation, Con Edison, Two Trees, Camber Property Group, Cheney Agency, and Walden Macht & Haran LLP. Go-to-market is event-driven: SLP reaches schools through direct partnership outreach, school-day residencies, after-school programs, education-sector events, and an online partner interest form. There is no proprietary technology platform, no app, and no AI capability — delivery is people-intensive via SLP Faculty embedded in school curriculum and programs.

Name

The Service Learning Project

Legal name

The Service Learning Project

Website

https://servicelearningnyc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Civic Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

School Counseling Services (EDAJAIAA)

Keywords

• Youth civic engagement
• Service learning programs
• Action civics education
• K-12 civic education
• After-school leadership clubs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: SLP operates as a nonprofit organization that relies on donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Their fiscal sponsor is the Fund for the City of New York, which allows contributions to be tax-deductible. Donations can be made via credit card through PayPal, by check payable to The Fund for the City of New York (noting SLP), or through in-kind donations for annual benefit auctions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Service Learning Project (SLP) is a nonprofit educational organization that delivers youth-led action civics programming to K-12 schools and community organizations. Trained SLP Faculty embed service learning opportunities into school-day curriculum through a Residency Program, run after-school social action clubs (SLP Club), lead virtual after-school activities via SLP Lab, provide educator coaching and professional development (SLP Support), and facilitate workshops during school breaks. In each program, students themselves identify a real-world social issue, research it, and advocate to stakeholders such as elected officials, advocacy organizations, and community groups.

Product overview

The Service Learning Project is a non-profit educational organization that offers a suite of youth civic engagement programs. The core offerings include the School-day Residency Program (integrating action civics into school curriculum), the After-school SLP Club (leadership and social action club), and SLP Lab (virtual after-school activities for remote participants). Supporting services include Coaching & Professional Development for educators and Workshops & Events for school breaks. All programs follow a youth-led service learning model where students identify social issues, research solutions, and advocate for change in their schools and communities. Programs serve elementary, middle, and high school students (K-12) primarily in Brooklyn, NY and expanding to Vermont and Los Angeles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School-day Residency Program An in-school program integrating youth voice and action civics opportunities into a school's curriculum during regular school hours, serving elementary, middle, and high school students.
• After-school SLP Club A social action or leadership club offered as part of after-school programming for students interested in community advocacy and civic engagement.
• SLP Lab Virtual, after-school activities for children or teens interested in making a difference in their communities, with remote Labs open to 4th-12th graders from anywhere in the United States.
• SLP Support: Coaching & Professional Development Coaching and professional development services for school and community organization staff to facilitate service learning projects independently.
• Workshops & Events Student-led advocacy projects integrated into school intersessions or breaks, providing intensive civic engagement experiences customized to partner needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 750+ students served annually (K-12)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

32 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Everytown for Gun SafetycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLP students partner with Everytown for Gun Safety and its Students Demand Action initiative on gun violence prevention. Students have created Student Safety Coalitions, PSAs, and advocacy campaigns. Everytown shares SLP resources with their extensive nationwide network of schools.
• Advocates for Children New YorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvocacy partner supporting SLP's work in NYC schools.
• ASPCAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on animal cruelty advocacy projects, including anti-animal testing campaigns.
• Brooklyn PawsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimal welfare advocacy partner for student projects on animal issues.
• Care for the HomelesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing SLP partner for homelessness advocacy. Students have organized campaigns to support CFH's Peer-to-Peer Outreach program and advocated for more supportive housing. SLP received advocacy award from CFH.
• Citizens' Climate LobbyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for civic engagement and climate advocacy projects.
• Coalition for the HomelessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for homelessness advocacy projects.
• Civilian Complaint Review BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for police and community relations advocacy projects.
• Fridays for FutureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate activism partner for student environmental advocacy.
• Grow NYCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for environmental sustainability and food security projects.
• Humane Society of New YorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimal welfare advocacy partner.
• Make Brooklyn SaferminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGun violence prevention advocacy partner.
• Mothers Against Drunk DrivingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for public safety and drunk driving prevention projects.
• Newtown Creek AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental advocacy partner for water pollution projects.
• North Brooklyn NeighborsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for neighborhood advocacy projects.
• Our ClimateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate change advocacy partner.
• PROP (Police Reform Organizing Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for police reform and community safety advocacy.
• Save Our Streets/Neighbors in ActionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGun violence prevention and community advocacy partner.
• UPROSEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental justice partner, particularly for Sunset Park community.
• Youth Civic HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for youth civic engagement initiatives.
• NYC City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for policy advocacy and community projects. Students advocate to Council members on various issues.
• NYC Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner for school-based programs throughout NYC.
• NYC Department of Youth and Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for youth development programs, including participation in DYCD events.
• NYC Mayor's Office/NYC ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity government partner for civic engagement initiatives.
• NYPD Youth OfficersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw enforcement partner for youth-focused community safety projects.
• MTA: New York City TransitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for public transportation safety campaigns, including subway surfing prevention PSAs.
• LinkNYCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing LinkNYC kiosks for public awareness campaigns, including secondhand smoke PSA reaching 175,000 Queens residents.
• PowerPlay NYCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth development partner organization.
• Sadie NashminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth leadership organization partner.
• Family BeehiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily support organization partner.
• International Congress of Youth VoicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal youth activism network that connects SLP with young activists from around the world for interviews and features.
• Sure We CanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighborhood recycling center partner. Director Ana Martinez spoke to kindergarten students about recycling. Students advocated to protect Sure We Can from losing their lease.

Scale indicators7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light: National civic-engagement nonprofit supporting volunteerism and service, and a current SLP financial partner. Comparable at the mission and donor-overlap level, though Points of Light is a much larger umbrella organization rather than a direct K-12 program operator.
• iCivics: Largest U.S. civic-education nonprofit, founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, providing digital civics games and curricular resources to K-12 schools nationwide. Differentiates from SLP via tech-enabled, self-serve curriculum rather than in-school facilitated action civics, but competes for the same district curriculum dollars.
• DoSomething.org: National youth civic-engagement nonprofit driving youth-led social impact campaigns. Comparable on the youth-activism mission and on funneling young people into advocacy projects, but operates as a digital/membership platform rather than as a school-embedded residency.
• Facing History & Ourselves: National nonprofit providing K-12 curricular resources and professional development on civic responsibility, equity, and history. Comparable as a school-embedded civic-education provider, but with a primarily curricular rather than action-civics delivery model.

Regional players

• PowerPlay NYC: NYC-based youth development nonprofit and current SLP partner. Comparable on the youth-development mission and NYC footprint, but focuses on sports-based leadership rather than civic-action programming.

Direct peers

• Mikva Challenge: Chicago-based civic engagement nonprofit offering action-civics programming, youth summits, and school partnerships that mirror SLP's Residency and Club offerings. Directly comparable on mission and target customer (K-12 schools) with a longer operating history.
• Generation Citizen: National nonprofit that runs action-civics programs placing college-aged mentors in K-12 schools to lead student-driven advocacy projects. Closest direct comparator to SLP's youth-led service-learning residency model, though operating at a larger national scale.

Emerging players

• EarthEcho International: Youth environmental education nonprofit partnering with schools on student-led environmental action projects. Comparable on youth-led, K-12 advocacy programs but narrower topical focus (environment) than SLP's multi-issue portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/servicelearningnyc.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/theslpnyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-service-learning-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Service Learning Project