College Mentors for Kids

What College Mentors for Kids does

College Mentors for Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, that operates a national one-on-one mentoring program pairing elementary school children (grades 1-6) with college student mentors for weekly on-campus enrichment activities. Founded in 1996 and registered as a nonprofit in 1997, the organization delivers its program through 29 student-run chapters hosted at universities across 8 states (Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia), serving 2,150 children through the volunteer efforts of 2,500 trained college student leaders who collectively contribute over 90,000 hours of mentoring annually. The program is free for both children and mentors, with activities focused on higher education exposure, career exploration, culture and diversity, and community service.

The organization's technology footprint is intentionally light: a member portal for mentor applications and training, a partner portal for corporate and foundation engagement, and a third-party Qgiv fundraising widget. There is no proprietary technology platform, no mobile app, and no AI/ML component. Distribution is community-led through university partnerships, school relationships (over 100 partner elementary schools), and word-of-mouth referrals to families and prospective mentors.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable channels: individual donations (including a $30/day-of-mentoring framing), corporate and foundation grants (named partners include Corteva Agriscience, Grifols, Eli Lilly, Toyota, Walmart, Fifth Third, CenterPoint Energy, Lumina Foundation, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, and Ball Brothers Foundation), event sponsorships, and chapter-level fundraising by college student volunteers (covering approximately 20% of program costs). The organization is governed by an independent board, led by Interim CEO Erin Cosler (appointed June 2025 following Shelley Hunter's 10-year tenure), and is currently running a "Cheers to 30 Years" anniversary campaign.

Name

College Mentors for Kids

Legal name

College Mentors for Kids

Website

https://collegementors.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

College Mentors for Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating 29 campus-based chapters across 8 states, pairing 2,150 elementary school children with 2,500 trained college student mentors through weekly on-campus enrichment activities focused on higher education exposure. The Indianapolis-headquartered organization is funded by individual, corporate, and foundation donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring programs
• Elementary school enrichment
• College student volunteering
• Campus-based mentoring
• Nonprofit youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals supporting the mentoring program; monthly giving program available; one-time and recurring gift options; $30 supports a day of mentoring
2. Corporate and Foundation Partnerships: Chapter sponsorship opportunities for corporations and foundations; customizable sponsorship at individual chapters across 10 states; corporate partners include major companies and foundations
3. College Student Fundraising: College student volunteers help fundraise to support the program; approximately 20% of program cost covered by college student fundraising efforts; students fundraise through various activities and events
4. Event Sponsorships: Sponsorship opportunities for annual events including National Conference and Cheers to 30 Years celebration event

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

College Mentors for Kids operates a national one-on-one mentoring program that pairs elementary school children in grades 1-6 with college student mentors for weekly on-campus enrichment activities focused on higher education exposure, career exploration, culture and diversity, and community service. The program is delivered through 29 student-run campus chapters across 8 states and is provided free of charge to participants, with operational costs covered by donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and college student volunteer fundraising.

Product overview

College Mentors for Kids is a non-profit mentoring organization offering a single core program—the College Mentors for Kids Mentoring Program—that pairs elementary school children with college student mentors for weekly on-campus activities. The organization operates web-based platforms including the Member Portal for mentor management and training, and the Partner Portal for corporate partner engagement. Supplementary offerings include the Qgiv fundraising platform for chapter donations, customizable chapter sponsorship opportunities for corporate partners, and the Cheers to 30 Years anniversary campaign. The organization does not operate a traditional SaaS product; rather, it delivers its mentoring services through campus-based chapters supported by these digital tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College Mentors for Kids Mentoring Program National one-on-one mentoring program pairing elementary school children (grades 1-6) with college student mentors for weekly on-campus activities focused on higher education awareness, career exploration, culture and diversity, and community service; delivered through 29 student-run campus chapters across 8 U.S. states; free for participants.
• Chapter Sponsorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% of little buddies reported seeing more positive qualities about themselves after participating
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered presenting sponsor, minor and core.

• Corteva Agrisciencepresenting sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the annual National Conference; invested in college student leader development
• Grifolspresenting sponsorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the annual National Conference
• Purdue University College of EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner supporting program development
• 29 Universities and CollegescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost campus chapters including Indiana University, Purdue, Butler, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and 24 others
• Partner Elementary SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 100 elementary schools partnered across 8 states to refer children to the program

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• iMentor: Runs college-student-to-high-school-student mentoring programs that pair students with virtual mentors for college access. Directly comparable in its use of college students as mentors and its focus on higher-education exposure, though it targets older students and uses a virtual pairing model.
• TeamMates Mentoring Program: Nebraska-based school-based mentoring program founded by a former football coach that pairs caring adults with students for one-on-one mentoring. Directly comparable in its one-on-one youth mentoring model and school-based delivery, though it relies on adult volunteers rather than college students.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: The largest youth mentoring nonprofit in the U.S., pairing adult volunteers with youth for one-on-one relationships. Directly comparable to College Mentors for Kids in mission, beneficiary population (school-age children), and one-on-one mentoring model, though it relies on adult volunteers rather than college students.
• After-School All-Stars: Provides comprehensive after-school programs to middle school youth in underserved communities, including academic support, enrichment, and mentoring. Directly comparable in its after-school enrichment mission and youth development focus, though it primarily serves older students in school-based settings.
• MENTOR (National Mentoring Partnership): The umbrella organization for the youth mentoring field in the U.S., advancing mentoring quality, advocacy, and research. Directly comparable as it sits in the same mission space and serves mentoring programs like College Mentors for Kids as the constituency it supports.
• Let's Get Ready: Mobilizes college student volunteers to provide college access coaching, SAT prep, and application support to high school students from low-income communities. Directly comparable in its use of college students as the primary volunteer workforce and its college-access mission.
• Minds Matter: Pairs high school students from low-income backgrounds with college student and adult mentors for college prep and access. Directly comparable in its college-student-led mentoring model and its mission of expanding higher-education access for underserved youth.

Broad incumbents

• City Year: AmeriCorps-affiliated program that places young adults in schools to support student attendance, behavior, and academic performance. Broadly comparable in its near-peer youth mentoring/advisor model and its school-based delivery, though it uses paid AmeriCorps members rather than volunteer college students.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: The largest youth development nonprofit in the U.S., serving school-age children through after-school programming, mentoring, and academic enrichment. Broadly comparable in target population and youth development mission, though it operates fixed-site club facilities rather than campus-based chapters.
• 4-H: The largest youth development organization in the U.S., delivering mentoring, STEM, civic engagement, and leadership programs through clubs and camps. Broadly comparable in its youth development mission and reliance on volunteer mentors, though it operates a much broader and longer-established program portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CollegeMentors
• Facebookfacebook.com/CollegeMentorsforKidsNationalOffice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-mentors-for-kids-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/college_mentors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 College Mentors for Kids