named programs · 7 · from sources
What they call their work
Curriculum for Professional Development (CPD)
Training program for youth service professionals to improve engagement with at-risk youth through experiential learning, trauma-informed practices, and relationship-building techniques.
It’s About Us Too
12-month trauma-informed program pairing 60 youth with their guardians to promote intergenerational healing, relational skill-building, financial literacy, and community engagement through weekly Saturday sessions.
LEAP!
Program supporting first-, second-, and third-semester college students on academic probation with workshops in networking, time management, study skills, and professional development to promote graduation.
Step Up Emerging Adults
8-month career-focused mentoring program for young adults aged 18–24 to clarify goals, assess opportunities, and build meaningful connections for long-term success.
Step Up High School
8-month mentoring program supporting high school students through academic and social challenges, including goal-setting, career exploration, and personal projects, with mandatory parent workshops.
Step Up Sweet Teens
8-month mentoring program for girls ages 11–15, providing a safe space to explore gender identity and development through one-on-one relationships with female mentor-coaches who are college graduates or professionals.
Step Up Young Males
8-month one-to-one mentoring program for boys ages 12–15 in single mother households, pairing youth with male mentor-coaches and providing workshops for mothers to strengthen parenting skills and reduce juvenile justice involvement.
activities · 7 groups
What they do
-
Youth Development and Support Services 2 activities
- Recidivism reduction through youth interventionReduces recidivism among at-risk youth through structured programming and the Curriculum for Possibility, with evidence of improved behavioral conduct and reduced reoffending over 25 years.
- Youth development programming for at-risk youthProvides educational and personal development programming to at-risk youth ages 14–24 in underfunded and underserved communities, focusing on building self-awareness, confidence, academic success, and goal achievement. The organization has served over 7,500 families and impacted more than 13,000 individuals through direct services and mentorship.
-
-
Volunteer and Professional Training Programs 1 activity
- Capacity building for youth service professionalsProvides tools, training, and professional development to youth service professionals to increase their effectiveness in supporting at-risk youth, with participants reporting improved competency, confidence, and outcomes in their work.
-
-
Mentorship and Professional Development Programs 1 activity
- Leadership and mentoring training programsTrains volunteers, emerging leaders, and youth through the Breakthrough Foundation's Mentoring Program and the Leadership Training Academy, having trained over 3,000 individuals and served as senior faculty mentoring change agents.
-
-
Child Welfare Professional Training & Capacity Building 1 activity
- Leadership consulting for public agenciesConsults with public agencies such as the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, providing leadership development training for administrators and middle managers.
-
-
Parenting Education and Support Programs 1 activity
- Parent support and skill-building programsOffers guidance and training to parents to strengthen parenting skills, improve family communication, and enhance child outcomes, contributing to better home environments.
-
-
College Access and Success Support 1 activity
- Support for first-generation college access and completionSupports disadvantaged youth in achieving high school and college education, producing hundreds of first-generation college graduates since 1985 through sustained academic and mentoring support.
-
-
Uncategorized 1 activity
- Residential intensive program for youthOffers a 3-day residential intensive program for youth at a cost of $3,800 per participant, designed to foster self-confidence, communication, strong relationships, and academic success using a long-refined curriculum.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$293K
Contributions & grants$284K97%
Program service revenue$8K3%
Investment income$1K0%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$437K
Program expenses83%
Admin / overhead13%
Fundraising4%
Salaries & benefits$186K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$104K
Cash$93K
Investments$0
Liabilities$24K
Net assets$80K
Liquid reserves2.5 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -39.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLAUDETTE FAISON | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $113K |
board members · 14
- ALAN HAINES — TREASURER
- CHASITY RIVERS — DIRECTOR
- CHRISTINA DELLISANTI-MILLER — DIRECTOR
- JIM BOYD — DIRECTOR
- KIRK FRANCIS — DIRECTOR
- LORRENA JOHNSON — DIRECTOR
- LUTHER GARRISON — DIRECTOR
- MAGGIE WEISS — CO-CHAIR
- MATTHEW SCHOEN — CO-CHAIR
- MICHAEL HIRSCHBERG — DIRECTOR
- PAT SWEETING — SECRETARY
- PETER SHANKAR — DIRECTOR
- SANDEEP MANCHANDA — DIRECTOR
- THOMAS THUNDIYIL — DIRECTOR
relationships · 20
Who they work with
- Community Colleges Partner — Works with community colleges to support young adults in educational settings.
- Department of Corrections Partner — Partner agency collaborating with Unlocking Futures to support justice-involved youth.
- Domestic Violence Shelters Partner — Partners with domestic violence shelters to serve affected youth and families.
- Family Shelters Partner — Collaborates with family shelters to serve youth and families in unstable housing.
- Foster Care Agencies Partner — Works with foster care agencies to support youth in the foster system.
- Four Year Colleges Partner — Engages with four-year colleges to support youth in higher education.
- Hunter College School of Social Work Partner — Collaborated with Claudette C’Faison during her consulting work for NYC ACS.
- NYC Administration for Children’s Services Government — Consulted through Hunter College School of Social Work to train leadership and develop management capacity.
- Neighborhood Centers Partner — Collaborates with neighborhood centers to deliver community-based programs.
- Police Precincts Partner — Collaborates with police precincts to support youth involved in or at risk of entering the justice system.
- Probation Departments Partner — Collaborates with Unlocking Futures to support youth under probation supervision.
- Public High Schools Partner — Partnership with public high schools to deliver services to students.
- Public Middle Schools Partner — Partnership with public middle schools to support younger adolescents.
- Teachers Union Partner — Partnership with teachers union to support educators and students.
- Technical Schools Partner — Partners with technical schools to serve youth in vocational education programs.
- Temporary Housing Partner — Works with temporary housing providers to serve youth and families experiencing housing instability.
- Volunteer Coaches Partner — Volunteer Coaches provide one-on-one mentor-coaching to program participants.
- communities Partner — Partners with communities to support youth development and remove barriers to graduation and personal growth.
- families Partner — Partners with families to support youth development and remove barriers to personal growth.
- school staff Partner — Partners with school staff to support youth development and remove barriers to graduation.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Education as Structural and Psychological Interventionmethodology: education-as-interventionBy using education as both a structural pathway and a psychological intervention, the organization disrupts cycles of poverty and systemic exclusion because academic empowerment combined with mindset change produces transformational outcomes in underserved communities.
- Healing-Centered Mentoring with Cognitive Restructuringmethodology: healing_centered-mentoringBy combining trauma-informed cognitive restructuring and healing-centered engagement, the organization improves youth confidence and competence because addressing early trauma and shifting self-perception are foundational to breaking cycles of adversity.
- Intergenerational Empowerment via Each-One-Teach-One Modelmethodology: each-one-teach-oneBy applying an “each-one, teach-one” approach, the organization extends impact beyond direct participants because peer-led knowledge transfer strengthens community ownership and promotes sustainable, intergenerational change.
- Transformational Mentorship through Experiential and Replicable Modelsmethodology: transformational_mentorshipBy training mentors in an evidence-based, experiential curriculum that emphasizes adult-youth partnership and behavioral modeling, the organization creates replicable models of impact because lived experience combined with structured coaching fosters deep engagement and community-wide transformation.