named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Annual College Scholarship
Scholarship program exclusively for graduates of the Embrace Her Legacy Academy, supporting educational advancement.
Embrace Her Legacy Academy: NYC Summer Institute
Two-week summer enrichment program for young women aged 14–21 focusing on personal development, leadership, confidence-building, and career readiness through workshops, mentorship, and experiential learning.
Legend Meet Ups
Ongoing enrichment events and networking opportunities for program alumni throughout the year.
activities · 10 groups
What they do
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College Access and Success Support 1 activity
- College and career readiness advisory programImplements a fee-based college and career readiness advisory program for high school students in the New York City and tri-state area, delivered at a cost of $24,999 per semester or school year. The program focuses on building self-worth, reducing anxiety, clarifying personal purpose, and developing academic and life skills.
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Local High School Scholarship Programs 1 activity
- College scholarship awards for program graduatesAwards $2,500 college scholarships exclusively to graduates of the Embrace Her Legacy Academy for the Fall 2026 semester, with multiple recipients recognized annually since at least 2022.
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Women's Leadership & Career Advancement Networks 1 activity
- EHL Live MastHERclass signature eventOrganizes EHL Live MastHERclass, a signature annual event that convenes women, girls, and community leaders around themes of legacy, leadership, and generational impact.
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Girls' Mentorship and Leadership Development 1 activity
- Embrace Her Legacy Academy personal development programOperates a multi-week personal development program for millennial women and Gen Z girls, focused on self-empowerment, legacy-building, and overcoming challenges. The program includes weekly interactive sessions integrating emotional wellness, confidence building, personal development, and practical life skills, culminating in a vision board capstone project.
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Women's Empowerment and Leadership Development 1 activity
- Global outreach through workshops and digital programmingHas impacted over 15,000 women and girls globally across more than 35 countries through workshops, social media, and podcast programming, with 2,500 reached in the NYC and tri-state area.
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Published Narrative Projects 1 activity
- Publication of empowerment resourcesAuthored and published the book "Take the Limits Off Your Legacy: A Woman’s Guide to Unlock Purpose and Vision" and an e-book titled "Letting You, EmpowHer U: Inspirational Messages from College Students Just Like You," along with providing a Personal Mission Statement worksheet to support individuals in defining their core values and aspirations.
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Mentorship and Professional Development Programs 1 activity
- Semester-long coaching program for collegiate and graduate studentsOffers a semester-long coaching program focused on personal and leadership development for collegiate and graduate-level students.
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Digital Communications and Content Management 1 activity
- Social media and branding strategy services for nonprofitsProvides strategic social-media marketing and branding strategy planning to nonprofit organizations serving women, girls, and youth development.
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Volunteer Engagement and Capacity Support 1 activity
- Volunteer engagement and community mobilizationEngages a community of women and men as volunteers to support organizational programs and offers opportunities for individuals to participate in or financially support its initiatives.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Keynote speaking and workshop engagementsDelivers over 100 speaking engagements and keynote speeches at youth leadership conferences, schools, churches, and youth conferences, including the Live Smart Series and Fordham’s Entrepreneurship Conference, with founder Maria I. Melendez having spoken at dozens of national and international stages, including a TEDx Talk titled “A Time to Heal.”
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financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$18K
Contributions & grants$17K96%
Program service revenue$6884%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$16K
Program expenses60%
Admin / overhead40%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$4K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$3K
Cash$3K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$3K
Liquid reserves2.0 mo
5 years on record · 2021–2025 · YoY revenue -23.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Melendez | CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors | 40 | $4K |
board members · 5
- Cherie Samuels — Board Member
- Dionne Williams — Board Member
- Jasmine Equilin — Board Member
- Lindsey Kendrick — Board of Directors, Treasurer
- Tania Brown — Board Member
relationships · 19
Who they work with
- Abercrombie & Fitch / Aerie Partner — Brand partner that has collaborated with Embrace Her Legacy on outreach or events.
- Camarena Adelante Foundation Funder — Provides foundation support for Embrace Her Legacy programs.
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated Partner — Jasmine Esquilin is a proud member, indicating organizational affiliation focused on addressing structural inequities among women and youth.
- Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Partner — Partnered with Embrace Her Legacy for workshops or training initiatives.
- Finding the Fabulous Inc. Partner — Collaborated on "The Revolution" tri-state leadership conference for teen girls, where Embrace Her Legacy delivered keynote programming.
- Finding the Fabulous Inc. Partner — Collaborates on “The Revolution” tri-state leadership conference for teen girls.
- Fordham University Partner — Collaborates on entrepreneurship and youth leadership programming including the Entrepreneurship Conference.
- Fordham University Partner — Engaged Embrace Her Legacy for workshops or speaking engagements.
- Founder, CEO, and current Board Chair Partner — Co-Board Chair will serve alongside the Founder, CEO, and current Board Chair to lead organizational growth and governance.
- Hofstra University Partner — Hosted Embrace Her Legacy workshops for students, with institutional leadership providing testimonials about program impact.
- Hofstra University Partner — Hosts Embrace Her Legacy workshops and speaker events for students.
- Laura B. Volger Foundation Funder — Provides foundation support for Embrace Her Legacy programs.
- Lush Cosmetics Partner — Brand partner that has supported Embrace Her Legacy initiatives.
- Maria I. Melendez Partner — Founder and lead instructor who personally mentors students and leads program curriculum.
- New York University Partner — Hosted Embrace Her Legacy workshops or speaking events.
- The Business Daycare Partner — Organization co-led by Maria I. Melendez, providing brand marketing services to entrepreneurs and nonprofits.
- The Opportunity Network Partner — Partners on youth development programs; Embrace Her Legacy delivers empowerment events for Opp Net Fellows.
- Zeffy Partner — Uses Zeffy's platform for ticketing events including the Legends Reunion and Class of 2026 Celebration.
- hello@embraceherlegacy.com Partner — Contact point for schools interested in partnering with Embrace Her Legacy to deliver the EHL Academy program.
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.
- Experiential Learning with Action-Oriented Coachingmethodology: experiential_learning_and_coachingBy combining journaling, storytelling, affirmations, and coaching with actionable follow-up steps, the organization turns personal development into measurable growth, because experiential practices followed by concrete actions reinforce lasting behavioral change.
- Holistic Empowerment Through Identity and Narrative Transformationmethodology: narrative_transformationBy integrating emotional wellness, faith, authenticity, and lived experience into programming, the organization helps women and girls reframe trauma and decouple self-worth from external outcomes, because holistic identity reconstruction enables lasting behavioral change and purpose-driven leadership.
- Peer and Community-Based Support for Sustained Engagementmethodology: peer_support_networkBy leveraging peer-shared experiences and volunteer collectives, the organization deepens engagement and continuity of support, because relatable narratives and community belonging increase motivation and accountability in personal development journeys.
- Strengths-Based, Purpose-Driven Personal Developmentmethodology: strengths_based_developmentBy focusing on self-awareness, personal values, and strengths, the organization fosters resilience and goal achievement in education, career, and life, because building from inherent strengths empowers sustainable transformation and legacy-building.