What True Colors United Inc does

True Colors United is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, headquartered at 311 West 43rd Street, 12th Floor, New York, that implements programs to prevent and end homelessness among LGBTQ+ and BIPOC youth. Founded in 2008 by Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Barbaris, Jonny Podell, and Gregory Lewis (originally as the True Colors Fund, rebranded in 2017), the organization cites research showing that LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ+ peers and that up to 40% of the 4.2 million U.S. youth experiencing homelessness each year identify as LGBTQ+. The organization works through four integrated program areas: federal, state, and local policy advocacy; youth-led collaboration (National Youth Forum on Homelessness and Youth Action Society); free training, toolkits, and online courses for service providers; and technical assistance delivered through a sustained partnership with HUD's Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP), which has trained leaders in over 70 communities. An annual Impact Summit, the international #TrueColorsDay campaign, and emerging international programming in East Africa extend its reach.

The organization's core deliverables are free educational resources rather than commercial products: seven toolkits (Advocacy, Youth Collaboration, Inclusion, Youth Action, Racial Equity, Project Management, Youth Career Services), research publications such as At the Intersections and the State Index on Youth Homelessness, online courses via the Equity Hub learning platform, and the Storyteller Series media training. There is no proprietary technology platform disclosed; delivery relies on the public website, a learning management system, and in-person convenings such as the HUD-approved Impact Summit.

True Colors United is funded entirely through philanthropy. Revenue streams include individual donations (via website, GivingTuesday, Pride season, and cryptocurrency/non-cash contributions through The Giving Block), foundation and government grants (notably the Annie E. Casey Foundation and HUD YHDP), and corporate sponsorships for the Impact Summit (Bronze $1,000 through Presenting $25,000). The organization does not charge for its training, toolkits, or services, and operates as an independent nonprofit with no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed private equity or venture backing.

Name

True Colors United Inc

Legal name

True Colors United, Inc.

Website

https://truecolorsunited.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

True Colors United is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 that ends homelessness among LGBTQ+ and BIPOC youth through free training, toolkits, technical assistance, youth-led advocacy, and policy work across the U.S. and East Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Homelessness Services and Advocacy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Cultural, Identity & Inclusion Programs (EDALAHAF)

Keywords

• Youth homelessness services
• LGBTQ+ advocacy
• Nonprofit training programs
• Housing justice advocacy
• Youth leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: True Colors United raises funds from individual donors through its website donation portal, cryptocurrency donations, and non-cash contributions via The Giving Block. The organization runs seasonal fundraising campaigns including GivingTuesday and Pride-related appeals.
2. Foundation and Government Grants: The organization receives grant funding from foundations including the Annie E. Casey Foundation and government partnerships such as HUD's Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP), which funds technical assistance and training programs delivered to communities.
3. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Corporate partners and sponsors support the annual Impact Summit through tiered sponsorship packages (Presenting $25,000, Platinum $10,000, Gold $5,000, Silver $2,500, Bronze $1,000). The organization also partners with companies during Pride season.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

True Colors United delivers free training, toolkits, research, online courses, advocacy, and technical assistance to end LGBTQ+ and BIPOC youth homelessness. Its core offerings include the National Youth Forum on Homelessness, Youth Action Society, Impact Summit, federal and state/local advocacy, and HUD YHDP-supported technical assistance to over 70 communities. The organization also produces proprietary toolkits, research reports, and storytelling training programs.

Product overview

True Colors United is a nonprofit organization implementing innovative solutions to youth homelessness focused on LGBTQ+ young people. The organization operates as a unified advocacy and education platform rather than a traditional product company, offering an integrated ecosystem of free toolkits, training programs, advocacy initiatives, and youth collaboration opportunities. Core offerings include: Toolkits (Advocacy, Youth Collaboration, Inclusion, Youth Action, Racial Equity, Project Management, Youth Career Services); Research and Reports (At the Intersections, State Index on Youth Homelessness, National LGBTQ+ Research Agenda); Training & Education (online courses via Equity Hub, Storyteller Series); Youth Leadership Programs (National Youth Forum on Homelessness, Youth Action Society); Events (True Colors United Impact Summit/Youth Action Summit, #TrueColorsDay); and Policy Advocacy (Federal, State & Local). The organization also provides Technical Assistance to YHDP communities and maintains resource hubs including the Black Lives Action Center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Toolkits A suite of free downloadable resources including the Advocacy Toolkit, Youth Collaboration Toolkit, Inclusion Toolkit, Youth Action Toolkit, Racial Equity Toolkit, Project Management Toolkit for Communities, and Youth Career Services Toolkit, designed to help service providers and advocates implement equitable practices for LGBTQ+ youth.
• Research and Reports Publications and research materials including At the Intersections: A Collaborative Resource on LGBTQ Youth Homelessness, On Our Own: A Survival Guide for Independent LGBTQ Youth, State Index on Youth Homelessness, National LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness Research Agenda, and Perceptions: Exploring Youth Homelessness Prevention and Diversion.
• Training & Education Programs Online courses, trainings, and professional development opportunities for service providers and youth leaders focused on embedding racial and LGBTQ+ equity and authentic youth collaboration within programming, policies, and practices.
• Storyteller Series A professional development training series teaching storytelling skills for advocacy, covering personal story-telling, editorial/opinion pieces, and multimedia interviewing techniques.
• Online Courses (Equity Hub) Educational courses available through the Equity Hub platform (learn.truecolorsunited.org) providing training on LGBTQ+ and racial equity topics.
• National Youth Forum on Homelessness (NYFH) A group of young people with lived experience of homelessness who contribute to national dialogue on youth homelessness policy, review YHDP grant applications, and advocate for change.
• Youth Action Society (YAS) A league of youth action boards across the country designed to build the power of young people who have experienced homelessness and uplift their visions for the future through peer connection and resources.
• True Colors United Impact Summit An annual HUD-approved conference bringing together young people with lived experience, service providers, funders, and government officials to develop strategies and exchange best practices for ending youth homelessness.
• Federal Advocacy Advocacy efforts at the federal level including reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Trafficking Prevention Act, maintaining funding for key programs, and coalition work through the National Coalition for Homeless Youth.
• State & Local Advocacy Advocacy efforts at state and local levels including state-specific memos on youth homelessness issues, bipartisan coalition building, and work on state-issued ID access and decriminalization of homelessness.
• Technical Assistance Guidance for youth homelessness service providers, policymakers, and advocates through an ongoing partnership with HUD's Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP), including training on LGBTQ+ and racial equity.
• #TrueColorsDay An annual international day of advocacy on April 24th focused on preventing and ending LGBTQ+ youth homelessness, featuring digital advocacy campaigns and community engagement.
• Youth State Index A resource providing state-level data and rankings on youth homelessness, accessible at youthstateindex.com.
• Black Lives Action Center A resource hub providing support, rights information, and engagement opportunities for those working in solidarity with the Black community, including mental health resources and advocacy tools.
• International Transgender Day of Visibility Resources Call to action materials and social media templates for raising awareness about transgender issues and rights on March 31st.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained leaders in over 70 communities on LGBTQ and racial equity, project management, and youth collaboration through HUD's YHDP partnership
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• KJHouse (Nairobi, Kenya)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2023True Colors United staff visited KJHouse in Nairobi from July 24-28 to work in-person with their partners, supporting LGBTQ+ youth internationally. This represents True Colors United's international programming and East Africa engagement.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrue Colors United serves as a key partner in HUD's Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP), training local leaders in over 70 communities on LGBTQ+ and racial equity, project management, and youth collaboration. NYFH members review and score YHDP grant applications and provide ongoing technical assistance to YHDP communities.
• Campaign for Housing and Community Development FundingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrue Colors United carries out advocacy activities via coalition membership, including the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding.
• Housing Advocates GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrue Colors United carries out advocacy activities via coalition membership in the Housing Advocates Group.
• National Coalition for Homeless YouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrue Colors United convenes the National Coalition for Homeless Youth, which provides advocates real-time updates on appropriations and legislation impacting youth experiencing homelessness.
• A Way Home AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrue Colors United's NYFH supports A Way Home America's 100-Day Challenges, which aim to test new strategies and house young people in communities across the country. NYFH helps facilitate youth engagement in each of these communities.
• Humble DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumble Design co-hosted a fundraising screening of 'A Girl Like Him' alongside True Colors United in Detroit (October 23, 2024) to support LGBTQ+ youth and end homelessness. Humble Design turns houses into personalized homes for those emerging from homelessness, with fewer than 2% of families they serve returning to the shelter system.
• Chapin Hall at the University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrue Colors United cites a study from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago as the source for its key statistic that LGBTQ+ young people are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ+ youth.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project is the largest U.S. nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ young people, offering crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and research. While broader in scope than True Colors United, it increasingly intersects on LGBTQ+ youth homelessness research, advocacy, and direct services.
• National Network for Youth: National Network for Youth is a national advocacy and capacity-building organization for youth-serving agencies, including Runaway and Homeless Youth programs, overlapping with True Colors United's federal advocacy and provider training work.
• Covenant House: Covenant House is the largest national nonprofit serving youth experiencing homelessness, operating shelters and direct-service programs across the U.S. and internationally, with significant overlap with True Colors United's beneficiary population and YHDP community footprint.
• Hetrick-Martin Institute: Hetrick-Martin Institute provides direct services, housing, and education to LGBTQ+ youth, serving a comparable population to True Colors United's target beneficiaries with overlapping advocacy focus.
• A Way Home America: A Way Home America is a national initiative to end youth homelessness and prevent systems involvement, partnering with True Colors United on 100-Day Challenges. Both organizations operate at the federal policy and community-capacity-building layer for youth homelessness.
• Point Source Youth: Point Source Youth is a national nonprofit exclusively focused on preventing and ending LGBTQ+ youth homelessness, directly competing with True Colors United's core mission and offering similar training, advocacy, and technical assistance to providers.
• Ali Forney Center: Ali Forney Center is a New York-based organization providing housing and wraparound services specifically to LGBTQ+ homeless youth, the same target population True Colors United serves through advocacy and training.

Broad incumbents

• National LGBTQ Task Force: National LGBTQ Task Force advances broad LGBTQ+ civil rights through policy, advocacy, and training, intersecting with True Colors United's federal advocacy and youth collaboration work but operating at a wider scope than homelessness.
• National Alliance to End Homelessness: National Alliance to End Homelessness is the leading national advocacy organization on homelessness broadly, sharing the federal policy and research agenda with True Colors United but lacking True Colors United's LGBTQ+ specialization.
• Human Rights Campaign: Human Rights Campaign is the largest U.S. LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy organization with broad policy and corporate engagement. It overlaps with True Colors United on federal LGBTQ+ advocacy but does not specialize in homelessness.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/truecolorsunited
• Instagraminstagram.com/truecolorsunited
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/truecolorsunited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about True Colors United Inc