Social & Emotional Wellness Initiative

What Social & Emotional Wellness Initiative does

Social & Emotional Wellness Initiative (SEWI) is a Santa Monica, California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2013 that delivers youth social and emotional wellness services across three integrated pillars: Direct Youth Services (individual counseling, group facilitation, and evidence-based interventions delivered through community partner sites), Staff Training & Development (research-backed workshops on SEL, trauma-informed care, and youth development offered in-person and virtually), and Curriculum Design (proprietary SELFY curriculum for youth and SELA curriculum for adults). The organization spun off from its founding Boys & Girls Club host and now operates an ecosystem of 35+ partner organizations spanning school districts, youth centers, and youth justice entities in Greater Los Angeles, with geographic reach extended into Arizona, New York, and Massachusetts through MSW intern partnerships with nine graduate social work programs including UCLA, USC, Columbia, and Smith College.

SEWI's service delivery is anchored by a Master of Social Work (MSW) Intern Program that places supervised graduate-student clinicians at partner sites, trained in Solution Focused Therapy, Restorative Circles, and Motivational Interviewing. To date, the organization reports 10,010+ youth served, 467+ trainings completed, 8,911+ youth development professionals trained, 137+ MSW interns trained, and 6,500+ staff and educators trained, with a 4.6/5 average participant rating. The team is small (10-15 employees) and founder-led by Executive Director Sarah Young-Sheppard, supported by a Director of Operations, Director of Youth Services, and four program managers, with governance from a Board of Directors including a President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

SEWI operates as a donation-dependent nonprofit (EIN 82-4152443); all services to youth and families are provided free of charge through community partners, and the organization is funded by tax-deductible contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Pricing for end users is intentionally zero-rated to maximize accessibility for underserved youth in lower-income communities. There are no productized paid tiers disclosed for SELFY or SELA curriculum licensing, no app or digital platform, and no AI or ML components identified in the technology stack. Distribution is exclusively community- and partnership-led (in-person and virtual), with marketing conducted through organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Pinterest) and an email newsletter.

Name

Social & Emotional Wellness Initiative

Legal name

The Social & Emotional Wellness Initiative

Website

https://sewi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Social & Emotional Wellness Initiative (SEWI) is a Santa Monica-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free youth mental health services, SEL staff training, and proprietary SELFY/SELA curricula through 35+ community partner organizations and nine university MSW programs, primarily serving underserved youth in Greater Los Angeles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mental Health Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

School-Based SEL Curriculum & Instructional Programs (EDAKAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Emotional Regulation Programs (EDAMAIAC), Staff Training, Coaching & Professional Development (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAL), Family & Community Support Services (Case Management, Referrals) (EDAJAIAK)

Keywords

• Youth mental health services
• Social emotional learning
• Staff training development
• SEL curriculum design
• Community mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN 82-4152443), SEWI relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. All contributions are tax-deductible.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SEWI is a three-prong nonprofit that provides free youth mental health services (individual counseling, group facilitation, and evidence-based social-emotional interventions) through community partners, research-backed staff training and development workshops for educators and youth professionals, and customizable SEL curriculum design (SELFY for youth and SELA for adults). Services are delivered through partnerships with schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, youth justice organizations, and universities, with training available in-person or virtually.

Product overview

SEWI is a three-prong nonprofit organization providing social & emotional wellness services to youth and families in the Greater Los Angeles area. The core offerings consist of Direct Youth Services (providing individual counseling, group facilitation, and evidence-based interventions via MSW Intern Program), Staff Training & Development (research-backed workshops for educators and youth development professionals covering topics from SEL fundamentals to trauma-informed care and leadership development), and SEL Curriculum Design (offering the SELFY program for youth and SELA program for adults, both affordable, accessible, and customizable). Services are delivered through partnerships with community organizations, schools, and universities, with training available in-person or virtually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SELFY Curriculum: Social & Emotional Learning for Youth - A program supporting young people in developing foundational skills for lifelong success.
• SELA Curriculum

Products and services

• Direct Youth Services (DYS) Provides essential support services including individual counseling, group facilitation, and evidence-based social and emotional wellness interventions for youth and families through community partners. Services are delivered free of charge via community partners including schools, youth centers, and community organizations in the Greater Los Angeles area.
• MSW Intern Program Provides Master of Social Work interns to partner organizations while closing service gaps in mental health access. Interns are supervised and trained in therapeutic models including Solution Focused Therapy, Restorative Circles Training, and Motivational Interviewing. SEWI sources interns from partner universities including UCLA, USC, Columbia, Smith College, and the CSU system.
• Staff Training & Development Offers research-backed workshops and customized training programs on social and emotional wellness topics for youth development professionals and educators, available in-person or virtually. Topics include SEL fundamentals, trauma-informed care, youth development, and organizational wellness. SEWI has trained 6,500+ staff and educators with a 4.6/5 average training rating.
• SELFY Curriculum Social & Emotional Learning program for Youth, supporting young people in developing foundational skills for lifelong success. A pre-designed curriculum that can be implemented in schools and youth-serving organizations, with custom curriculum design also available.
• SELA Curriculum Social & Emotional Learning program for Adults, empowering adults to enhance their wellbeing while managing life's demands. A pre-designed curriculum available to schools and organizations, with the ability to customize for specific organizational needs.
• Service Learning Trips Cultural immersion experiences where youth are immersed in new cultures and situations with integrated activities based on SEL competencies, helping participants grow outside their typical communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,010+ youth served since 2013
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UCLA, Luskin School of Public AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSW University Partner providing graduate social work students for intern placements. Students gain supervised clinical experience while providing services to underserved youth communities.
• USC, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSW University Partner providing graduate social work students for intern placements.
• CSU-Long Beach, School of Social WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSW University Partner providing graduate social work students for intern placements.
• CSU-Northridge, Tseng CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSW University Partner providing graduate social work students for intern placements.
• Smith College, School for Social WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSW University Partner providing graduate social work students for intern placements.
• Columbia University, School of Social WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSW University Partner providing graduate social work students for intern placements.
• CSU-Los Angeles, School of Social WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSW University Partner providing graduate social work students for intern placements.
• CSU-Dominguez Hills, Master of Social Work ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSW University Partner providing graduate social work students for intern placements.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa MonicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent youth organization partner hosting MSW interns and providing direct services to youth.
• Boys & Girls Club of LA HarborcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent youth organization partner hosting MSW interns and providing direct services to youth.
• Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner including John Adams Middle School, Olympic High School, Santa Monica High School, and SMASH program hosting MSW interns for mental health services.
• Da Vinci SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner implementing SEL curriculum and hosting MSW interns.
• Chuco's Justice Center - Youth Justice CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth justice organization partner providing services to justice-involved youth.
• Arizona State University Local - LAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing graduate social work students for intern placements.
• RISEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth organization partner providing direct services to youth.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Child Trends: Nonprofit research organization focused on child and youth outcomes including SEL. Comparable to SEWI in producing evidence-based guidance for youth-serving organizations, though as a research rather than direct-service provider.

Broad incumbents

• CASEL: The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning is the leading SEL framework and advocacy organization. Comparable to SEWI in promoting SEL standards and educator training, though operating as an umbrella/research body rather than direct service provider.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth organization network delivering programs across the U.S. Comparable to SEWI as both a youth-services organization and historical incubator (SEWI originated from a local Boys & Girls Club).
• Greater Good in Education: UC Berkeley's free SEL resource hub for educators. Comparable to SEWI's SEL 101, activities, and educator resources that support social-emotional wellness practice in schools.

Direct peers

• Rethink Ed: Offers SEL, mental health, and behavioral health resources for K-12. Comparable to SEWI's combination of SEL curriculum, staff training, and youth mental health support services delivered through school partnerships.
• Inner Explorer: Mindfulness and SEL daily practice program for schools and youth organizations. Comparable to SEWI's evidence-based SEL curriculum and educator training products.
• Move This World: Video-based SEL curriculum and educator training programs for schools. Comparable to SEWI in delivering structured SEL content and professional development to youth-serving organizations.
• Pure Edge: Provides SEL, mindfulness, and movement programs for schools and youth-serving communities. Comparable to SEWI in delivering trauma-informed SEL programming and staff professional development.
• Aperture Education: Provides SEL competency assessments, curriculum, and educator training for K-12. Comparable to SEWI's SELFY/SELA curriculum and Staff Training & Development offerings targeting schools and districts.
• Committee for Children: Developer of the widely adopted Second Step SEL curriculum for K-8 schools. Closely comparable to SEWI as a school-focused SEL curriculum and staff training provider targeting youth social-emotional development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SEWIwellness
• Facebookfacebook.com/SEWInitiative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/social-emotional-wellness-initiative
• Instagraminstagram.com/SEWInitiative
• Pinterestpinterest.com/02pc84y6eybc7ztcwbfrwkoi65o5zp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Social & Emotional Wellness Initiative