Youth With A Mission San Francisco

What Youth With A Mission San Francisco does

Youth With A Mission San Francisco (YWAM SF) is a non-profit Christian ministry established in 1995 and headquartered at 357 Ellis Street in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. The organization operates a portfolio of integrated programs spanning Christian discipleship training, urban outreach, and faith-based business education. Its flagship educational offering is the Discipleship Training School (DTS), a 5-month program priced at USD 8,000 per participant, with phases covering training, outreach, and debrief, certified by the University of the Nations (UofN). A newer offering, the School of Transformational Business (SOTB), is a six-week intensive course positioned to launch on July 13, 2026, in partnership with the Business With A Mission (BWAM) network within YWAM.

YWAM SF's community outreach layer is anchored by a weekly food pantry serving 300+ families in the Tenderloin (in partnership with SF-Marin Food Bank for over 11 years, distributing 88,650 pounds of food valued at $134,276 in a single quarter), the Ellis Room drop-in center offering showers, restrooms, coffee, and late-night shelter, plus Hot Chocolate Ministry, Restoration Initiatives, and the Alpha Course (adopted in 2012). Short-term engagement is delivered through Mission Adventures, which packages Tenderloin service experiences for visiting church groups and teams.

The organization is funded through a mix of program tuition (DTS, SOTB), recurring and one-time donations via its Give and Miracle pages and PayPal online payment facility, and church partnership contributions. It owns its operating properties but carries outstanding building loans reported between $1.5 million and $1.83 million across 2017 and 2018. YWAM SF is currently navigating a leadership transition as Tim and Karol Svoboda, who led the base for 18 years after serving at YWAM Chennai, step out of their roles. The ministry is part of the broader YWAM global network and is not a technology company; its technology footprint is limited to PayPal payment processing and Google Analytics for website statistics.

Name

Youth With A Mission San Francisco

Legal name

Youth With A Mission San Francisco

Website

https://ywamsanfrancisco.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Youth With A Mission San Francisco is a non-profit Christian ministry in the Tenderloin neighborhood, founded in 1995, delivering the University of the Nations-certified Discipleship Training School, the School of Transformational Business, and urban outreach services including a weekly food pantry serving 300+ families, drop-in center, and Mission Adventures for visiting church groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Ministry and Faith-Based Training

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Missionary Training Colleges & Schools (EDAHAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI), Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Christian discipleship training
• Urban ministry outreach
• Faith-based education
• Community food pantry
• Short-term mission programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. DTS Program Fees: Discipleship Training School participants pay tuition (USD 8,000) for the 5-month program which includes training, outreach, and debrief phases.
2. SOTB Program Fees: School of Transformational Business is a six-week intensive course teaching participants to start and manage godly, profitable businesses.
3. Donations and Contributions: The organization accepts donations through its Give/Miracle pages and building fund campaigns to support ministry operations and property ownership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

YWAM San Francisco delivers Christian discipleship training programs, most prominently the 5-month Discipleship Training School (DTS) and the 6-week School of Transformational Business (SOTB), alongside urban ministry services including a weekly Food Pantry, the Ellis Room drop-in center, short-term Mission Adventures, Restoration Initiatives, the Alpha Course, and Hot Chocolate street ministry. Programs are anchored at its 357 Ellis Street facility in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco and blend paid tuition-based training with free community outreach for homeless, senior, and low-income neighbors.

Product overview

YWAM San Francisco is a non-profit Christian ministry organization operating in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco since 1995. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs including the Discipleship Training School (DTS), School of Transformational Business (SOTB), Food Pantry, Mission Adventures short-term outreach, Alpha Course, Hot Chocolate Ministry, Restoration Initiatives, and the Ellis Room drop-in center. These programs work together to engage San Francisco with a loving God through spiritual formation, community service, and marketplace ministry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DTS (Discipleship Training School): A 5-month journey from the Tenderloin of San Francisco into the nations of the world, focusing on spiritual formation, outreach, and debrief.
• Mission Adventures
• School of Transformational Business (SOTB)
• Food Pantry
• Restoration Initiatives
• Ellis Room

Products and services

• Discipleship Training School (DTS)

Quantifiable outcome

• Weekly food pantry serves 300+ families (valued at $134,276 quarterly with 88,650lbs distributed)

Named customers2 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

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SF-Marin Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYWAM San Francisco partners with the SF-Marin Food Bank to operate its weekly food pantry, distributing approximately 88,650lbs of food (valued at $134,276) quarterly to 300+ families in the Tenderloin. This partnership enables the food distribution program that has been running for over 11 years.
• University of the Nations (UofN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYWAM San Francisco operates under and is certified by the University of the Nations. Student applications are entered into the UofN database to register applicants as UofN trainees. DTS and other programs are aligned with UofN curriculum standards.
• Business With A Mission (BWAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYWAM San Francisco's School of Transformational Business (SOTB) is part of the BWAM network under Youth With A Mission. BWAM provides vision, values, and experienced business owners from different parts of the world to teach participants how to use business as mission to reach unreached peoples.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Youth With A Mission (Global HQ): Global parent network of YWAM bases operating in 100+ countries. YWAM San Francisco is a regional base under this worldwide missionary training and outreach organization with the same Discipleship Training School model.
• CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ): Large interdenominational Christian ministry with comparable discipleship training, missions mobilization, and university-age outreach programs.
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: Faith-based organization focused on campus ministry and discipleship training programs for young adults — overlapping DTS-style spiritual formation audiences.

Direct peers

• University of the Nations: YWAM's affiliated higher education institution that certifies YWAM SF's DTS and other programs. Operates comparable faith-based, missions-focused training schools worldwide.
• Glide Memorial Church: Iconic San Francisco nonprofit providing meals, social services, and spiritual care to underserved populations including the Tenderloin. Operates similar hybrid faith/social-service model.
• CityTeam San Francisco: San Francisco nonprofit providing food, shelter, and discipleship programs to homeless and low-income residents — directly comparable faith-rooted community service model in the Bay Area.
• SF-Marin Food Bank: Strategic partner and peer operator of food distribution programs serving San Francisco's vulnerable populations, including the Tenderloin where YWAM SF distributes food weekly.
• St. Anthony Foundation: Tenderloin-based nonprofit serving low-income and homeless residents through dining, social services, and workforce programs — directly competing for the same community service population.
• Alpha Course (Alpha USA): YWAM SF adopted and runs the Alpha evangelism/discipleship course. A peer provider of Christian introductory courses targeting similar faith-seeking audiences.
• Catholic Charities of San Francisco: San Francisco-based nonprofit providing food distribution, shelter, and social services in the Tenderloin area, directly comparable to YWAM SF's food pantry and restoration initiatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ywamsanfrancisco
• Instagraminstagram.com/ywamsf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-with-a-mission-san-francisco

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 With A Mission San Francisco