Youth Catalytics

What Youth Catalytics does

Youth Catalytics was a Burlington, Vermont-based nonprofit intermediary organization founded in 1981 (originally as the New England Coalition for Family and Youth, later renamed NEN before adopting the Youth Catalytics brand) that operated for 45 years before announcing effective closure at the end of April 2026. The organization strengthened public and private agencies, coalitions, schools, and communities across the United States through three interconnected service divisions: Organizational Planning & Sustainability (strategic planning, leadership development, partnership/coalition development, fund development, and grant writing); Professional Development (practitioner trainings including Child & Youth Care: Foundations Course, Youth Thrive, Families Thrive, trafficking prevention, and facilitation methods); and Research, Evaluation & Communication (program evaluation, needs assessments, youth participatory research, and communication support).

Its intellectual property centered on proprietary methodologies rather than software platforms: YouthMap (a youth-driven community mapping process for ages 16-24), Zoom-In (an online youth survey paired with a photovoice project), the Improve Outcomes Framework (a staff-trainable evaluation framework), and the Homeless Youth Estimation Project (a student-direct surveying methodology used in 12 New England high schools, including Connecticut's 2015 count that surveyed 5,439 students and identified 930 unstably housed youth). The organization also produced 18 podcasts across three series and a substantial library of publications and toolkits. There is no proprietary software platform, API, or AI/ML component; the technology footprint is a Squarespace website and standard content distribution channels.

Youth Catalytics generated revenue through fee-for-service consulting, professional development training, and grant-funded project work, having secured over $10 million in funding for child and youth programs across its lifespan (including $9.5 million in multi-year federal funding for Kids in Crisis in 2022 alone). Customers spanned human services, education, juvenile justice, public health, and housing — including Howard Center (VT), Kids in Crisis (CT), National Safe Place, MA Department of Public Health, NYC Department of Probation, Vermont State Housing Authority, and various school districts and youth-serving nonprofits. Distribution relied on direct consulting engagements, trainings, webinars, podcasts, publications, and core partnerships with national intermediaries including the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE), the Academy for Competent Youth Work, and the Child and Youth Care Certification Board. Following closure, website resources are being maintained for one to two years and former staff are available for individual consultation.

Name

Youth Catalytics

Legal name

Youth Catalytics

Website

https://youthcatalytics.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Youth Catalytics was a Burlington, Vermont-based nonprofit (1981–2026) that provided organizational planning, professional development, and program evaluation services to child and youth-serving agencies, schools, and coalitions nationwide. It closed in April 2026 after 45 years.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Youth Services Consulting

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAD

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits

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

SECONDARYBPAGADAO

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

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

SECONDARYBPAGADAK

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

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

Keywords

• Youth services consulting
• Capacity building services
• Program evaluation consulting
• Nonprofit professional development
• Youth participatory research

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Technical Assistance: Youth Catalytics provides fee-for-service consulting, professional development training, and technical assistance to public and private agencies, coalitions, schools, and communities.
2. Grant-funded Project Work: The organization secures government and private foundation grants on behalf of client organizations and conducts grant-funded research and evaluation projects. Over $10 million in funding was secured for child and youth programs over its lifespan.
3. Fund Development Services: Youth Catalytics writes competitive government and private foundation grants for child and youth-serving organizations, specializing in homeless services proposals. A client (Kids in Crisis) received over $9.5 million in multi-year funding in 2022 through Youth Catalytics' grant writing.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Youth Catalytics is a nonprofit intermediary organization that strengthens child and youth-serving agencies, coalitions, schools, and communities through three interconnected service divisions: organizational planning and sustainability, professional development training, and research, evaluation, and communication. The organization delivers fee-for-service consulting, training, and grant-funded research to help youth-serving organizations plan strategically, develop staff, evaluate programs, raise funds, and engage young people in community assessment.

Product overview

Youth Catalytics is a nonprofit intermediary organization (not a technology product company) that provides consulting and support services to the child and youth-serving sector. Its offerings are organized into three interconnected service divisions: Organizational Planning & Sustainability (strategic planning, leadership development, partnership development, and fund development); Professional Development (practitioner trainings including the Child & Youth Care: Foundations Course, Youth Thrive™, Families Thrive©, trafficking prevention, and facilitation methods); and Research, Evaluation & Communication (program evaluation, needs assessments, and youth participatory research). Key methodologies include YouthMap (youth-driven community mapping) and Zoom-In (youth survey plus photovoice). The organization also produces podcasts, publications, and capacity building resources. All resources will remain available on the website through approximately 2027-2028 as the organization closes after 45 years of operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organizational Planning & Sustainability Strategic planning, scenario planning, leadership development, partnership and coalition development, and fund development services designed to strengthen youth-serving organizations and build their internal capacity.
• Professional Development Training Practitioner training programs including the Child & Youth Care: Foundations Course, Youth Thrive™, Families Thrive©, human trafficking and exploitation prevention trainings, mindfulness and team-care trainings, and facilitation methods (Making Meetings Matter, Technologies of Participation), delivered in-person and virtually to organizations and schools.
• Research, Evaluation & Communication Program evaluation design and implementation, needs assessments, youth participatory research, and communication support services for youth-serving organizations and government agencies.
• Fund Development and Grant Writing Competitive government and private foundation grant writing services for child and youth-serving organizations, specializing in homeless services proposals and federal funding applications.
• YouthMap A youth-driven community mapping methodology that provides structured opportunities for young people ages 16-24 to learn about resources in their communities through in-depth engagement with adults.
• Homeless Youth Estimation Project A methodology developed in 2005 to estimate the number of unstably housed youth in school districts by surveying students directly about their peers' housing situations, used in 12 high schools across New England.
• The Foresight Initiative A 2021 pandemic response research project that explored how the youth services field adapted during COVID-19, incorporating survey findings, conversations with youth and leaders, and research synthesis to identify new perspectives shaping the future of youth services.
• Zoom-In Youth Participatory Research A two-pronged youth participatory research model combining an online youth survey implemented through schools and local agencies with a youth photovoice project where young people document their experiences through photographs.
• Human Trafficking Awareness Resources Reports, tip sheets, and webinars on preventing human trafficking and child exploitation in schools, produced in partnership with the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $9.5 million in multi-year federal funding secured for Kids in Crisis in 2022 through grant writing services
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers30 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Youth Catalytics has a formal partnership with NCSSLE (funded by the U.S. Department of Education) to improve conditions for learning in schools. Together they produce webinars, publications, and resources on human trafficking prevention, staff well-being, and other topics. Youth Catalytics co-produces the Addressing Human Trafficking in America's Schools Webinar Series and the Working Well Resource Directory with NCSSLE.
• National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operations (PMFO) at Head StartminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Youth Catalytics wrote and edited technical and PR materials for the Head Start National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operations, including a guide on natural disasters and Head Start facilities.
• Opening Doors, CT (Homeless Youth Planning Project)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Youth Catalytics developed and directed the Homeless Youth Estimation Project under Opening Doors-CT's Homeless Youth Planning Project, which aimed to design a comprehensive, integrated service system for homeless and unstably housed youth across Connecticut.
• Academy for Competent Youth WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Catalytics partners with the Academy for Competent Youth Work to deliver the Child & Youth Care: Foundations Course for practitioners, and a Train the Trainers program. Youth Catalytics also supports Youth Thrive and Families Thrive training programs through this partnership.
• Child and Youth Care Certification Board (CYCCB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Catalytics provides leadership on the Child and Youth Care Certification Board, which continually reviews and updates core competencies for the youth work field. Youth Catalytics also supported strategic planning for the CYCCB.
• Think of UsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Catalytics fiscally sponsored Think of Us for its first two years and coached founder Sixto Cancel through first hire, first federal grant, and first White House event. Think of Us is an organization focused on improving the foster care system.
• Spitfire (DC-based nonprofit communications consultancy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Catalytics co-produced three communications strategy webinars with Spitfire in 2017, focused on helping nonprofits develop messaging, build storybanks, and use social media effectively. The webinars were created for programs promoting adolescent sexual health but share universal strategies.
• National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (Working Well partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Catalytics partnered with NCSSLE on the Working Well initiative, which examined how schools can find and support teacher leaders. The partnership produced podcasts, resource directories, evidence-based briefs, and guides on educator well-being.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Forum for Youth Investment: National nonprofit intermediary that builds capacity and advocates for quality youth-serving systems; closely comparable to Youth Catalytics' intermediary role serving public and private agencies, coalitions, and schools.
• The Finance Project: Nonprofit that helps public and private agencies plan, finance, and evaluate children, youth, and family services — overlaps with Youth Catalytics' organizational planning, fund development, and grant writing work.
• ChildTrends: Nonprofit research organization that conducts program evaluation, needs assessments, and policy research for child- and youth-serving agencies — directly comparable to Youth Catalytics' Research, Evaluation & Communication division.
• National Innovation Service: Nonprofit consulting firm that provides capacity building, evaluation, and strategic planning for youth and human services organizations; highly comparable to Youth Catalytics' consulting and capacity-building offering.

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light Foundation: Large nonprofit focused on volunteer mobilization and nonprofit capacity; offers training and resources for community organizations — adjacent to Youth Catalytics' youth-serving focus.
• FHI 360: Global nonprofit organization providing research, training, and evaluation for education and youth programs worldwide; overlaps with Youth Catalytics' professional development and evaluation services but at far greater scale.
• National Council of Nonprofits: National network providing capacity-building resources, advocacy, and consulting for the nonprofit sector broadly; overlaps with Youth Catalytics' organizational planning and sustainability work but spans all nonprofit sub-sectors.
• RTI International: Research institute providing evaluation, technical assistance, and professional development in education and human services; comparable in capability set but operates at much greater scale across more topics.
• ICF International: Major consulting firm with a public sector practice delivering training, technical assistance, and evaluation for federal and state agencies; comparable in service mix to Youth Catalytics but operating at vastly larger scale.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large nonprofit research and evaluation firm serving education and human services agencies; offers comparable program evaluation and capacity-building work but at much larger scale across broader topics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/youthcatalytics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-catalytics

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 Catalytics