What Inspiring Young Minds does

Inspiring Young Minds (IYM) is a New York-based nonprofit charitable organization founded in 2005 by Mark Cheong, Marion Cheong, and the late Diane Brown. The organization provides guidance and placement support to underserved youth in grades 7 through 12 seeking admission to independent boarding and day schools across the United States. IYM operates a free, events-driven program model anchored by the IYM Prep Scholar Program, which accepts up to 80 students per cohort and provides personalized counseling through the application process.

The core service offering centers on three annual events: information sessions from May through August, the National Prep School Fair (now in its 21st year with 50+ participating schools from the U.S. and Canada), and the Prep Basketball Showcase (now in its 19th year, attended by 50+ prep school coaches). The technology stack is minimal: a website with QR-code-enabled mobile application access, an email newsletter, and a self-serve online application portal. A 2025 partnership with Marriott Bonvoy Hotels extends the operational footprint by securing discounted accommodations for visiting school representatives.

Business model is freemium charity: services are free to students and families, with revenue derived from charitable donations and grants. As of 2026, IYM reports placing more than 800 students in 100+ independent schools and securing approximately $113 million in financial aid on their behalf. Customer segments are underserved youth, student-athletes (minimum B average required), and the families/guardians of grades 7-11 students. Geographic focus is the U.S. Northeast with national school representation, and a small lean team runs operations from venues at Riverside Church and Riverbank State Park in New York City.

Name

Inspiring Young Minds

Legal name

Inspiring Young Minds

Website

https://inspiringyoungminds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Inspiring Young Minds (IYM) is a 2005-founded New York nonprofit that provides free placement support and counseling to underserved youth in grades 7-12 seeking admission to independent boarding schools, having placed 800+ students and secured $113M in financial aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Access and Boarding School Placement Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Boarding school placement
• Youth education access
• College preparatory counseling
• Scholarship assistance services
• Nonprofit education support

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding/Donations: As a nonprofit charitable organization established in 2005, IYM generates revenue through charitable donations and funding. The organization is committed to assisting all students regardless of racial, ethnic, or religious backgrounds or economic circumstances, and helps students secure substantial financial aid and scholarship awards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Inspiring Young Minds is a nonprofit organization that helps underserved students in grades 7 through 12 gain admission to independent boarding schools. Its staff provide individualized counseling, family guidance, financial-aid advocacy, and exposure to private-school opportunities through structured programs and events. All services are delivered free of charge to participating students and their families.

Product overview

Inspiring Young Minds offers a unified program centered on the IYM Prep Scholar Program as its core offering. The program is complemented by recurring events including Information Sessions, National Prep School Fairs, and Prep Basketball Showcases, along with counseling services that guide underserved students through the boarding school application process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IYM Prep Scholar Program: Program accepting up to eighty students, providing guidance and support through the prep school application process.

Products and services

• IYM Prep Scholar Program A flagship, structured program that prepares and supports underserved middle and high school students through the boarding school admission process, including academic readiness and counseling. The program is free to participating students and families and targets youth in grades 7-12.
• Counseling and Family Guidance Services One-on-one and family-level counseling that helps students and parents understand independent boarding school options, prepare applications, and secure financial aid. These free services are offered to all IYM participants and their families.
• Information Sessions In-person information sessions that introduce underserved families to the independent boarding school landscape, explain the application process, and outline how IYM can support prospective students. Sessions are free and open to the community.
• National Prep School Fair An annual event hosted by IYM that brings together representatives from a wide network of independent boarding schools with prospective students and families, enabling direct engagement and on-the-spot inquiries about admissions and financial aid.
• Prep Basketball Showcase A signature IYM showcase that highlights student-athletes from underserved backgrounds to coaches and admissions staff at prep schools with basketball programs, providing an athletic pathway into boarding school life.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800+ students placed in independent schools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Marriott Bonvoy HotelsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 September 2025IYM has partnered with Marriott Bonvoy Hotels to offer special rates at top Manhattan hotels for admission officers and school representatives attending the National Prep School Fair. Hotel room blocks are reserved from Friday, September 12, 2025 through Sunday, September 14, 2025, with booking deadline of August 12, 2025. Partner hotels include The Westin Times Square, W New York - Times Square, Courtyard New York Manhattan, New York Marriott Marquis, and Springhill Suites New York Midtown Manhattan/Fifth Ave.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Oliver Scholars Program: Oliver Scholars prepares high-achieving Black and Latino students from underserved NYC communities for placement at top independent boarding and day schools, directly comparable to IYM's target population and placement model.
• Prep for Prep: Prep for Prep is a NYC-based nonprofit that identifies underserved students of color and prepares them for placement at independent boarding and day schools—nearly identical mission, geography, and target population to IYM's Prep Scholar Program.
• A Better Chance: A Better Chance is a national nonprofit placing academically able students of color into independent and public boarding schools, sharing IYM's focus on underserved youth and prep-school access pipelines.
• TEAK Fellowship: TEAK is a NYC-based nonprofit that prepares underserved students for competitive high schools and boarding schools, with similar counseling, test prep, and placement services to IYM.
• SEEDS (Scholarship Education Empowerment): SEEDS places high-achieving students from low-income families into independent boarding schools through a combination of academic preparation and access to financial aid, mirroring IYM's placement-driven approach.

Others

• Boys' Club of New York: BCNY is the organization that originally placed Mark Cheong's son at Kent School, directly inspiring IYM's founding; it operates youth development programs in NYC and connects underserved youth to private school opportunities.

Broad incumbents

• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is a national scholarship funder providing substantial aid to high-achieving low-income students, including those attending independent boarding schools—overlapping mission and target population but with a broader, scholarship-centric model.
• KIPP Foundation: KIPP operates a national network of public charter schools serving underserved communities with a college-preparatory mission—a broader, full-school alternative to IYM's placement-and-counseling model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inspiring-young-minds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Inspiring Young Minds