cdss esl.org

What cdss esl.org does

CDSS-ESL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in East St. Louis, Illinois, serving families, youth, and Black communities across Southern Illinois. Founded by Stephanie Taylor, the organization operates four primary program lines: a Parent Mentor Program that bridges schools and families, the Prestige Professional Apprenticeship for workforce development, the Miss Illinois Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant, and the Juneteenth Motorcade & Festival. It also conducts reparative justice advocacy through the African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission (ADCRC), where the founder holds a Vice Chair appointment from Governor JB Pritzker.

Programs are delivered free to community participants, and there is no proprietary technology platform; community engagement runs through the website (cdss esl.org) and basic forms tools. The revenue model is philanthropic: donations from individuals, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and event-driven fundraising. Geographic footprint is regional (Southern Illinois), with programming activity reported in East St. Louis, Belleville, and Cahokia Heights.

The organization is positioned as a community-based human services and cultural programming entity, not a technology or commercial venture. Its competitive differentiation rests on grassroots community trust, founder-led leadership with multiple state-level appointments (ADCRC Vice Chair, Illinois Climate Advisory Council, Indivisible Illinois Treasurer), and designation as the official National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) Illinois chapter operating under the DBA Illinois Juneteenth Committee.

Name

cdss esl.org

Legal name

Community Development Sustainable Solutions–East St. Louis

Website

https://cdss-esl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CDSS-ESL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in East St. Louis delivering parent mentorship, workforce apprenticeship, Juneteenth cultural programming, and reparative justice advocacy to families, youth, and Black communities across Southern Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAOAG

Workforce Reentry Programs (Justice-Involved)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Workforce Development Initiatives

Keywords

• Community development services
• Nonprofit education programs
• Workforce development apprenticeships
• Cultural heritage programming
• Reparative justice advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

East Saint Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CDSS-ESL relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors to fund its programs in education, empowerment, cultural preservation, and reparative justice.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CDSS-ESL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers community-based education, workforce development, cultural preservation, and reparative justice programs in Southern Illinois. Its core offerings include the Parent Mentor Program (training parents as school mentors), the Prestige Professional Apprenticeship pipeline (workforce development for careers in education and administration), and Juneteenth cultural initiatives including the Miss Illinois Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant and the annual Motorcade & Festival. Programs are provided free of charge to community members.

Product overview

CDSS-ESL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as a single, unified community development organization rather than a platform-based product. The organization delivers social impact programs focused on education, empowerment, cultural preservation, and reparative justice through multiple interconnected programs: the Parent Mentor Program (which trains and supports parent mentors in neighborhood schools), the Prestige Professional Apprenticeship Pipeline (workforce development for careers in education and administration), the Illinois Juneteenth Committee (statewide Juneteenth cultural initiatives), the Miss Illinois Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant, and Juneteenth celebrations including the annual Motorcade & Festival. These programs work together to build capacity in families, schools, and communities through grassroots leadership and community partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Passage of Juneteenth legislation in Illinois
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• African Descent Citizens Reparations Commission (ADCRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDSS-ESL and its founder Stephanie Taylor directly support the ADCRC, which was established by Illinois legislation. Stephanie Taylor serves as Vice Chair, appointed by Governor JB Pritzker. CDSS-ESL hosts public hearings to gather community testimony for reparative justice efforts.
• Illinois Juneteenth Committee (NJOF Illinois Chapter)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDSS-ESL serves as the DBA and organizational backbone for the Illinois Juneteenth Committee, which is the official Illinois chapter of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF). This partnership coordinates statewide Juneteenth initiatives including the Miss Illinois Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant.
• Indivisible IllinoissecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerStephanie Taylor serves as Treasurer and Executive Board Member of Indivisible Illinois, a statewide progressive advocacy organization. This partnership provides organizational connections for policy advocacy work.
• NAACPsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDSS-ESL has received Community Service Award from NAACP for leadership in Juneteenth legislation. Stephanie Taylor is a Lifetime Member, providing organizational credibility and potential advocacy collaboration.
• Illinois Climate Advisory CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStephanie Taylor serves as a member of the Illinois Climate Advisory Council under the Office of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, representing community perspectives on climate and environmental justice.
• Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWIC Belleville Campus serves as venue for ADCRC Public Hearing events. Partnership provides access to facilities for community gathering and testimony sessions.
• Neighborhood SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDSS-ESL partners with local neighborhood schools to deliver the Parent Mentor Program, training parents to serve as mentors and building connections between families, teachers, and students.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Juneteenth Observance Foundation: National organization of which CDSS-ESL's Illinois Juneteenth Committee is the official state chapter. Direct peer in coordinating Juneteenth observance, scholarship pageants, and cultural programming nationwide — operates the parent brand under which CDSS-ESL's statewide initiatives roll up.

Broad incumbents

• NAACP: National civil rights organization focused on racial justice, community organizing, and advocacy. CDSS-ESL's founder is a Lifetime NAACP Member and received the NAACP Community Service Award, with closely overlapping mission in Black community empowerment, reparative justice, and Juneteenth observance.
• National Urban League: National community development nonprofit delivering workforce, education, and economic empowerment programs in urban Black communities. Closest large-scope analog to CDSS-ESL's integrated education + workforce + community-empowerment model, though operating at significantly larger national scale with affiliate offices.
• Indivisible: National progressive advocacy network where CDSS-ESL's founder serves as Treasurer of the Illinois state affiliate. Comparable in progressive community organizing and policy advocacy, though operating at federal-policy scale rather than local community programming.
• National Council of Negro Women: National organization advancing Black women's leadership, family engagement, scholarship support, and civic participation. Closely comparable to CDSS-ESL's parent-engagement programming and the Miss Illinois Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant's focus on uplifting young Black women.
• United Way: National community-impact nonprofit funding and coordinating local health, education, and economic-mobility programs through regional affiliates. Comparable integrated community-development scope and regional-affiliate model to CDSS-ESL's Southern Illinois footprint, though at much larger fundraising and grantmaking scale.

Others

• Equal Justice Initiative: Nonprofit focused on racial justice, mass incarceration, and community reconciliation through legal advocacy and heritage preservation. Directly aligned with CDSS-ESL's reparative-justice advocacy and Black-heritage programming, though at much larger national scale and with a litigation-heavy execution model.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit delivering mentorship, education support, and career-pathway programs through local affiliates. Comparable delivery model to CDSS-ESL's Parent Mentor Program and Prestige Professional Apprenticeship in serving youth and families through community-based chapter infrastructure.
• National Action Network: National civil rights organization focused on racial and economic justice through grassroots organizing and policy advocacy. Closely comparable reparative-justice-adjacent advocacy work and Black-community empowerment mission to CDSS-ESL's ADCRC partnership and Juneteenth programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-development-sustainable-solutions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about cdss esl.org