Excellence Project

What Excellence Project does

The Excellence Project, formally the Excellence & Advancement Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 by Courtney Robinson, Ph.D. in Austin, Texas to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. The organization serves youth ages 13-24 involved in the school discipline and criminal legal systems, along with their families, primarily through referrals from schools, courts, and juvenile probation departments in Central Texas. Its service model is organized around three interconnected pathways — Intervention, Prevention, and Advocacy — combining direct case support, prevention programming, and systemic policy reform.

The organization's core programs include the Spark Change Project (a girls and non-binary youth activist empowerment program launched in 2021 and expanded in 2023 in partnership with Girls Empowerment Network), the Awesome Activist Leadership Camp (a weeklong advocacy training), and the Travis County Transformation Project (a pre-arrest restorative justice alternative to juvenile detention for youth ages 15-16 involved in family violence). A forthcoming Excellence Resource Center is planned as a one-stop hub consolidating services for youth and families in a single location to address Central Texas transportation barriers. The organization has served hundreds of children since its founding.

There is no proprietary technology component; the Excellence Project is a community-based social services nonprofit rather than a technology company. Revenue is generated through a mix of individual donations (monthly recurring, one-time, and project-specific), program fees ($250/child for camp, $500/girl for Spark Change Project, $7,000/family for the Travis County Transformation Project), and event sponsorships. Service delivery depends on a dense partner ecosystem — Austin Area Urban League, University of Texas at Austin, Huston-Tillotson University, LifeWorks, Amala Foundation, Girls Empowerment Network, and the Break the Pipeline Partners coalition — which supplies venues, referral pipelines, restorative justice capacity, and policy advocacy reach.

Name

Excellence Project

Legal name

Excellence & Advancement Foundation

Website

https://excellenceproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Excellence Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Austin, Texas that delivers intervention, prevention, and advocacy programs — including the Spark Change Project, Travis County Transformation Project, and Awesome Activist Leadership Camp — to youth ages 13-24 involved in school discipline or criminal legal systems and their families, with revenue from donations, program fees, and event sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Justice Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Court/Community School Programs (Diversion, Probation-Linked, Community Day Schools) (EDAJAEAI), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth justice programs
• Juvenile diversion services
• Restorative justice
• School-to-prison prevention
• Community youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts monthly recurring donations, one-time gifts, and project-specific contributions from individual donors to fund programs and operations.
2. Program Fees: Fees charged for specific programs: Awesome Activist Leadership Camp $250/child, Spark Change Project $500/girl, Travis County Transformation Project $7000/family. Events also include sponsorship opportunities such as Healing in the Village event sponsorship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Excellence Project is a nonprofit social services organization that provides prevention and intervention programs for youth ages 13-24 involved in or at risk of school discipline and criminal legal systems in Central Texas. Core offerings include the Spark Change Project (activist empowerment for girls), Awesome Activist Leadership Camp (weeklong advocacy training), and the Travis County Transformation Project (restorative justice alternative to juvenile detention), coordinated through a planned one-stop resource center model.

Product overview

The Excellence Project is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of youth development programs organized around three pathways: Intervention, Prevention, and Advocacy. The core programs include the Spark Change Project (activist empowerment for girls), Awesome Activist Leadership Camp (weeklong advocacy training), and Travis County Transformation Project (restorative justice alternative to juvenile detention). Additional offerings include student check-in programs, parenting support, community healing events, and a forthcoming Excellence Resource Center. Since 2014, the organization has served hundreds of children and operates from a one-stop resource model designed to break the school-to-prison pipeline.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spark Change Project (SCP) An empowerment program for girls and non-binary youth (grades 6-12) that trains the next generation of young activists. Participants gain part-time work experience, develop their own activist voices, and mobilize peers to build a policy agenda through a dedicated Spark Change Day of advocacy held at the Texas State Capitol.
• Awesome Activist Leadership Camp (AALC) A weeklong summer experience designed to teach youth how to level up in advocacy, activism, and achievement. Participants engage with community leaders, take part in leadership activities, and apply their skills to service-learning projects across Austin.
• Travis County Transformation Project (TCTP) A pre-arrest, community-based pilot program for youth ages 15-16 involved with family violence. An alternative to juvenile detention using restorative justice practices to repair harm, restore connection to community, and prevent future violence. Includes a 14-day cool down period at LifeWorks Youth Shelter and 10-week in-person restorative justice meetings facilitated by Amala Foundation.
• Excellence Resource Center A forthcoming one-stop hub for youth ages 13-24 who are involved in the school discipline or criminal legal systems, along with their families. Designed to provide coordinated support through community partnerships in a single location, removing transportation barriers common in Central Texas.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served hundreds of children since 2014
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Austin Area Urban LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Spark Change Project events and advocacy days. Collaboration on empowering Black and Brown girls to develop policy agendas and testify to local policymakers.
• University of Texas at AustincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner with board member Morgan Craven, J.D. affiliated through her work as Professor. Collaboration on research and policy advocacy.
• Huston-Tillotson UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Parenting with Purpose program sessions and Healing in the Village events. Located at same address as headquarters. Collaboration with Programs Director Danielle Williams.
• LifeWorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Travis County Transformation Project providing up to 14-day cool down period at Youth Shelter in Central Austin. Youth receive bed, basic supplies, meals, rides to school, daily counseling, and case manager.
• Girls Empowerment NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Spark Change Project which began as partnership between Excellence Project and GIRLS empowerment network in 2023.
• Break the Pipeline PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition/network of partners working collectively to break the school-to-prison pipeline.
• Texas Department of Family and Protective ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration mentioned in Programs Director Danielle Williams background regarding work to dismantle school-to-prison pipeline.
• Amala FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Restorative Justice facilitators for Travis County Transformation Project 10-week in-person meetings designed to address root causes of violence, process trauma, and repair harm.
• Texas Community EngagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization listed in partners section.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit that places site coordinators in K-12 schools to deliver wraparound supports (attendance, behavior, social services, mental health) for at-risk students — directly analogous to the prevention/intervention model Excellence Project applies to youth in the school discipline and criminal-legal systems.
• IDRA (Intercultural Development Research Association): National education policy and research nonprofit focused on equitable schooling for all students. IDRA is the primary employer of Excellence Project board member Morgan Craven and shares Excellence Project's focus on disrupting school discipline disparities and protecting vulnerable students.
• Texas Appleseed: Texas-based public-interest advocacy organization that housed the School-to-Prison Pipeline Project, the same systemic issue Excellence Project addresses. Board member Morgan Craven, J.D. served as director of that project, making it the closest programmatic and policy peer in the Austin/Texas ecosystem.
• Amala Foundation: Austin-based nonprofit providing restorative-justice and youth development programming. Amala supplies the restorative-justice facilitators for Excellence Project's Travis County Transformation Project, making it a co-delivery partner on the same intervention model.

Broad incumbents

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth-mentoring nonprofit serving at-risk youth who face adversity, including those impacted by the criminal-legal system. Operates a national chapter-based mentoring model at vastly larger scale, but addresses overlapping youth-development outcomes for vulnerable children.
• Juvenile Law Center: National nonprofit legal organization advocating for the rights of youth in the child welfare and justice systems. Shares Excellence Project's intervention-and-advocacy orientation but operates through impact litigation and policy work rather than direct community service.
• Vera Institute of Justice: National criminal-justice research and reform organization running juvenile-justice initiatives (e.g., the Restoring Promise program addressing youth incarceration). Operates much larger and national scope but works the same criminal-legal-system transformation space as Excellence Project.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Large national youth-development nonprofit providing afterschool programs, mentoring, and prevention services to at-risk youth across the U.S. Comparable in mission and population (school-age youth in vulnerable circumstances) but operates a vastly broader chapter-based delivery model.
• National Juvenile Justice Network: National advocacy network of state and local juvenile justice reform organizations. Operates at the broader policy and coalition level rather than direct service, but advances the same juvenile-detention-diversion and racial-justice objectives as Excellence Project.
• The Sentencing Project: National research and advocacy organization focused on reducing incarceration and addressing racial disparities in the criminal-legal system. Operates at the national policy and research layer rather than direct service, but shares Excellence Project's criminal-justice-reform goals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/excellenceadvancement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/excellence-and-advancement-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/excellenceadvancement

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 Excellence Project