Youth Rising

What Youth Rising does

Youth Rising is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit that operates peer-led, non-clinical mental health and youth development programs for transitional-age youth, primarily ages 11 to 21 (with some locations serving up to age 24). Founded in 2011 as a pilot project in rural Oregon, the organization scaled to a 3,000 square-foot drop-in center by 2014 and launched a national expansion in 2019. Its current footprint comprises three physical Drop-In Centers located in Emmett, Idaho; Mountain Home, Idaho; and Hobbs, New Mexico, supplemented by school-based campus programs and virtual programming. The Emmett site additionally operates as a National Assessment Center Association (NAC)-approved screening center for mental health and substance abuse referrals in partnership with the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections.

The core offering is the Drop-In Center network, staffed by Certified Peer Specialists (Peer Advocates) with lived experience mirroring the challenges of youth served. Services are free to registered youth and include mental health support, peer mentorship, leadership opportunities, recreational activities, free snacks/meals, and case management for housing and workforce needs. The Lead360 Peer Support Program layers structured social-emotional learning by partnering with Wayfinder's resource library of evidence-informed activities. The underlying technology stack is operationally light: a Squarespace website, Mailchimp newsletters, NeonCRM donation portal, Google Forms registration, and PayPal donations; there is no proprietary software platform or mobile app.

Youth Rising does not have a commercial revenue model. It is funded primarily through individual, corporate, and foundation donations (via PayPal and NeonCRM) and government grants, with documented sensitivity to state funding cycles (both Idaho centers were temporarily paused in July 2025 due to a state funding delay). Pricing for services is freemium/free for youth; the only paid line item is a $10/month student bus pass for ages 6-18 in Hobbs. The organization is founder-led under Tasha Locks (Founder/President), with an executive team covering operations, grants/compliance, marketing, and external financial oversight, and three on-site Program Directors. Brand defensibility is supported by the registered "Youth Rising™" trademark and NAC accreditation at one site.

Name

Youth Rising

Legal name

Youth Rising National

Website

https://youthrising.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Youth Rising is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating peer-led, non-clinical drop-in centers and programs that provide mental health support and youth development services to transitional-age youth (primarily ages 11-21) across Idaho and New Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mental Health and Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO), Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

Keywords

• Youth mental health
• Peer support programs
• Drop-in centers
• Youth development services
• Social-emotional learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Emmett

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Giving: Youth Rising relies on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization accepts donations through PayPal and their NeonCRM donation portal. Donors can contribute through their website and are encouraged to support youth and families.
2. Government Grants and State Funding: The organization receives government grants and state funding for youth assessment centers and programming. State funding delays have caused temporary operational pauses, indicating significant dependence on government grants and contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Youth Rising operates community-based Drop-In Centers staffed by Certified Peer Specialists that provide non-clinical mental health support, peer mentorship, leadership development, and recreational activities for transitional-age youth ages 11-24. The Lead360 peer support program extends the organization's reach by integrating with Wayfinder's social-emotional learning resource library to support youth in school and community settings.

Product overview

Youth Rising operates as a multi-site nonprofit service organization offering a portfolio of youth development programs. The core offering is the Youth Rising Drop-In Center network, which provides safe physical spaces staffed by Certified Peer Specialists offering mental health support, peer mentorship, and recreational activities for transitional-age youth (ages 11-24). The Lead360 Peer Support Program supplements the drop-in centers by integrating Youth Rising's peer support model with Wayfinder's resource library for structured social-emotional learning. The Emmett center additionally serves as a National Assessment Center Association (NAC)-approved screening center for mental health and substance abuse referrals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drop-In Centers

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of all mental health problems appear by age 14, and 75% by age 24

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Idaho Department of Juvenile CorrectionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Rising Emmett Drop-In Center operates as a screening center for referrals for mental health and substance abuse in partnership with the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections. This partnership enables the organization to serve as an approved assessment center for youth in the state system.
• WayfindercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead360 program partners Youth Rising's peer support model with Wayfinder's resource library. Wayfinder provides evidence-informed activities and learning opportunities designed to reduce risk factors while promoting engagement, social awareness, belonging, and purpose among youth.
• National Assessment Center Association (NAC)minorOthersYouth Rising Emmett Drop-In Center is approved by NAC as a screening center for mental health and substance abuse referrals. This certification validates the organization's assessment center operations.
• Hobbs Express Public TransportationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth Rising has partnered with Hobbs Express to provide accessible transportation options for youth. Student monthly bus passes are available for youth ages 6-18 for $10 per calendar month with unlimited rides. This partnership removes transportation barriers to accessing the Drop-In Center.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Youth Villages: Youth Villages provides intensive community-based intervention and mental health services for at-risk youth and families, sharing Youth Rising's focus on transitional-age youth, behavioral support, and non-residential delivery models.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Boys & Girls Clubs operate after-school drop-in-style facilities offering safe spaces, mentorship, and youth development programming for similar age groups (typically 6-18), making them the closest direct comparison to Youth Rising's physical drop-in center model.
• Communities In Schools: Communities In Schools embeds staff inside K-12 schools to deliver mentoring, SEL, and wraparound supports to at-risk youth, directly comparable to Youth Rising's school-based campus drop-ins and Lead360 programming.
• Boys Town: Boys Town operates a national network of youth services including behavioral health, family support, and community programs, making it directly comparable in scope and target population to Youth Rising's drop-in and assessment services.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Big Brothers Big Sisters is the leading youth mentoring nonprofit in the U.S., operating a peer/mentor-led model that closely mirrors Youth Rising's certified peer specialist approach to youth empowerment and adult transition support.
• National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP): NYAP provides community-based behavioral health, child welfare, and youth development services across multiple states with a comparable focus on at-risk youth and state-contract-driven service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project is a leading national youth mental health nonprofit focused on crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth; comparable mission space but operates at much larger scale with a different delivery model (digital vs. physical drop-ins).
• JED Foundation: JED is a national nonprofit focused on youth and young adult mental health and suicide prevention through school partnerships and campus programs; adjacent in mission to Youth Rising's Lead360 SEL focus but operates as a broader incumbent in the mental health education space.

Others

• 4-H (National 4-H Council): 4-H is a national youth development organization offering peer-led programs, leadership development, and community-based learning for similar age groups; thematically related to Youth Rising's youth-led approach but focused on agriculture/civic engagement rather than mental health.

Regional players

• Childhelp: Childhelp focuses on child abuse prevention and treatment, operating programs serving at-risk youth with trauma-informed support; thematically adjacent to Youth Rising's work with abused/neglected youth but with a more specialized child welfare scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/youthrisingemmett
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youthrising

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Rising