Play Smart

Name

Play Smart

Legal name

PlaySmart, Inc.

Website

https://playsmart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PlaySmart is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 by Princeton alumni that delivers free sports-based academic and character development programs to underserved middle school students across eight U.S. cities, funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Play-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAE)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Nonprofit sports education
• Character education curriculum
• Youth mentorship services
• Community youth programs

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Petersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: PlaySmart accepts financial contributions from individuals through its secure online donation system. Donors can make one-time or monthly recurring donations at various levels ($5 to $1,000+). The organization is a Delaware 501(c)(3) non-profit, making donations tax-deductible.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate partners provide financial support, in-kind donations (Nike shoes/shirts/backpacks), facilities (Rye Country Day School), and venue access. Examples include Tampa Bay Rays, Werner Family Foundation, Lids Foundation, and Love's Travel Stops.
3. Fundraising Events: Annual events including Taste and Toast ($150/person), Sips for Sports, Charity Bowl ($100-125/ticket), Iron Chef ($60/person), and Swing for Charity golf tournaments raise funds while engaging the community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PlaySmart is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs sports-based academic and life-skills programs for underserved middle school students. Its flagship offering, the PlaySmart Academy, is a one-to-two-week summer program integrating sports, physical fitness, and character development around five pillars (Respect, Hard Work, Honesty, Sportsmanship, Teamwork), followed by school-year activities. All programs are delivered free of charge to youth who meet Free and Reduced Lunch guidelines, including transportation, meals, equipment, and instruction.

Product overview

PlaySmart is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that operates multiple youth development programs centered around sports and academic enrichment. The core offering is the PlaySmart Academy, a flagship summer program for 5th through 8th graders that integrates sports, physical fitness, character development, and leadership training. The curriculum is built around five core pillars: respect, hard work, honesty, sportsmanship, and teamwork. The organization also operates a specialized PlaySmart Leadership Academy for middle school students, runs swimming programs, partners with the Playmakers Mentoring Program, and offers various enrichment activities including the Brains and Brawn Adventure Run and a Speaker Series featuring professional athletes. Programs are offered free of charge to underserved youth and include follow-up activities throughout the school year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PlaySmart Academy: Flagship youth program integrating sports and physical fitness with character, life skills, and leadership development for middle school students.
• PlaySmart Leadership Academy

Products and services

• PlaySmart Academy Flagship one-to-two-week summer youth development program integrating sports and physical fitness with character, life skills, and leadership development for 5th through 8th graders. Built around five pillars (Respect, Hard Work, Honesty, Sportsmanship, Teamwork), the program includes daily sports activities, life skills workshops, Speaker Series sessions with current and former professional athletes, swimming instruction, and field trips. Programs are delivered free of charge to qualifying youth including transportation, lunch, snacks, equipment, and instruction, with school-year follow-up activities continuing at community centers and middle schools.
• PlaySmart Leadership Academy One-of-a-kind leadership-focused experience for middle school youth featuring leadership skills, literacy projects, physical activity, and service learning to improve academic achievement. Geared toward 7th graders going into 8th grade who have a desire to lead. Students develop leadership and teamwork skills while working on the five pillars and community service projects, including the Accelerated Reader City Challenge.
• Brains and Brawn KIDS Adventure Run Adventure run and challenge course event featuring mud runs, tire rolls, climbs and slides, water tunnels, wooded runs, rope carry challenges, and low and high jumps. Designed to draw hundreds of Tampa Bay area kids for team-based physical challenges that reinforce the PlaySmart character and physical fitness mission.
• Playmakers Mentoring Program Values-based coaching and mentoring program in which youth are matched with trained Captains who provide guidance and friendship. Uses a book focused on building personal strength and character, with Certificates of Completion awarded for completing the program. Sponsored by PlaySmart to enable youth participation in the football camp experience.
• Swimming Program Swimming lessons and water safety instruction incorporated into PlaySmart programs, ensuring children develop fundamental life skills including swimming. Program incorporates health, fitness, teamwork, and confidence-building activities, and is delivered in partnership with YMCA facilities and university pools.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Rye Country Day SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRye Country Day School has generously donated their state-of-the-art sports facilities and fields each year since PlaySmart Academy's inception in 2013, enabling the program to host its Academy at no cost for facilities.
• Tampa Bay RaysmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor corporate supporter of Tampa Bay programs. Provided field trips to Tropicana Field and player meet-and-greets for Academy participants. Part of Tampa Bay's long tradition of supporting local kids.
• Tampa Bay LightningmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHL team that provided field trips and visits with players for PlaySmart Academy Tampa participants.
• Blake High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Blake High School in Tampa for Academy programming for multiple years. Blake staff member Coach Kenneth Muldrow served as Academy staff along with 20 volunteers, many of whom were Blake students.
• University of Central OklahomacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted OKC's first PlaySmart Academy for 5 days at UCO facilities including classrooms, sports fields, and ropes course. Staff at UCO provided support for the program.
• University of Nebraska-OmahacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted Omaha's full two-week, full-day Academy providing facilities including pools for swim lessons during the hottest days of summer. Over 40 local youth participated.
• Chelsea PierscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChelsea Piers in New York provided programs for PlaySmart during its early years when founders were working in NYC. Continued partnership including hosting NY Jets Charity Bowl events.
• Wellness in SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlaySmart sponsored Coach for Kids initiative during 2010-2011 school year. Coach for Kids invests in coaches who mentor at-risk children in NYC public school recess yards.
• Playmakers Mentoring ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlaySmart sponsors youth to attend Playmakers football camp which uses Values Based Coaching methods. PlaySmart kids are matched with Captains trained in mentoring techniques.
• Nothing But Net FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlaySmart Omaha Advisory Board provided 2012 partner grant enabling youth to participate in youth basketball league, afterschool activities, and summer enrichment programs.
• NY JetsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlaySmart has been one of three charities involved with NY Jets Charity Bowl for several years. Jets tight end Dustin Keller hosted events at Chelsea Piers featuring auction items, autograph sessions, and bowling.
• Greater Omaha Sports CommitteemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit founded in 1977 with over 200 executive members. Consists of sports-minded people who wish to see sports flourish in Omaha. Sponsors PlaySmart programs.
• Ryde for LifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of Spin for Kids event in St. Petersburg that raised funds for PlaySmart Tampa and St. Petersburg programs.
• YMCAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTampa Academy partnered with YMCA for swimming lessons. PlaySmart made it possible for over 125 kids in Irvington, NJ to join local swimming programs.
• NikemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated shoes, shirts, and backpacks for Tampa Academy participants, providing essential equipment for youth to participate.
• The Granola Bar, Rye Country Store, June & Ho, Rye Grill and BarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Rye businesses that donated and delivered delicious, healthy lunches for almost 100 people during the week-long PlaySmart Academy program.
• LINK School (Newark, NJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlaySmart has had close to a decade-long relationship with LINK supporting their academic and summer programs. 20 middle school honor students visited Princeton University as part of the partnership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Right To Play: Global nonprofit that uses sport and play to educate and empower disadvantaged children. Closely comparable mission of leveraging sports for character and life-skills development in under-resourced communities.
• Laureus Sport for Good Foundation USA: Foundation that funds and supports sport-for-development programs serving underserved youth. Comparable as a funder/operator of sport-based youth development with a structured curriculum and impact framework.
• Up2Us Sports: National nonprofit using sports-based youth development to train coaches and serve underserved youth. Comparable mission, training methodology, and target demographic of under-resourced youth.
• Police Athletic League (PAL): National nonprofit delivering youth sports and enrichment programs to underserved youth in urban communities. Highly comparable as a free, sports-led youth development model with city-level chapters.
• After-School All-Stars: National nonprofit providing free after-school programs including sports, fitness, and academic enrichment to underserved youth. Comparable as a free, school-and-community-based youth enrichment program.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National nonprofit providing youth development programs, including sports and character-building activities, for underserved youth across the U.S. Closely comparable in mission, free/need-based delivery model, and regional affiliate structure.

Others

• Positive Coaching Alliance: Nonprofit that develops Better Athletes, Better People through resources for youth and high school sports coaches. Comparable as a character-through-sports nonprofit, though focused on coach training rather than direct youth delivery.

Emerging players

• Stephen Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation: Athlete-founded nonprofit focused on child literacy, nutrition, and physical activity. Comparable sports-figure-led nonprofit serving youth with a structured "play" pillar analogous to PlaySmart's mission.
• TGR Foundation (Tiger Woods Foundation): Foundation created by a high-profile athlete to provide youth education and college-access programs. Comparable as a sports-figure-led nonprofit serving youth, though with a stronger academic/STEM focus than PlaySmart.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA (National Office): Large national nonprofit offering youth sports, swimming, and character-building programs at the local branch level. Comparable service offerings (sports, swimming, leadership), but at much greater scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/playsmart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Play Smart