One in nine young Americans ages 16-24 are considered "disconnected youth": they are neither in school nor working. In partnership with employers, Urban Alliance prepares them for upwardly mobile careers through professional training, paid internships, and supportive adult relationships. After completing a workforce readiness bootcamp, youth report to their internships, where they apply, practice, and reinforce skills learned in training. They attend ongoing professional development workshops that are led by youth development professionals and include peer learning and self-reflection. Interns are matched with a jobsite mentor and a Program Coordinator who provide guidance and support. Each year, 100% of youth who complete the flagship program graduate from high school with concrete plans for the future: college, continued training, or a job; 90% are accepted into college; and 85% remain connected to self-sufficient pathways one-year after completing the program. This is an alliance that deserves your support.

COVID-19 Update: On March 23rd, Urban Alliance launched the Student Support Fund to ensure interns and their families continued to receive a steady paycheck to cover housing, food, and personal essentials. To keep youth earning and learning, it provided access to technology and rolled out an adapted online curriculum: biweekly learning sessions and smaller virtual sessions with their cohorts on alternating weeks. Offline, participants were assigned tasks to promote mastery of skills. Remote programming continues through the fall with preparations in place for a transition to in-person or hybrid learning as conditions require.

Headquarters: DC-Ward 2

Where They Operate: DC-Citywide

Age Groups Served: Youth (5-11); Pre-teen/teen (12-17)

Ethnic Groups Served: African American; Latino/Hispanic

Population(s) Served: Low- to Moderate-Income Community Members; Students

Schools They Work In: Eastern; Wilson; Washington Math & Science; Friendship Edison; Bell Multicultural; Ballou; Dunbar; McKinley; Woodson; Spingarn; Booker T. Washington; Rock Creek Academy; Cardozo; Maya Angelou; Roosevelt; Woodson Business & Finance; Young America ; Anacostia

Awards & Recognition

• Urban Alliance’s Executive Director, Veronica Nolan, has been recently selected as the 2009 Women Who Mean Business Washington Business Award. Veronica was recognized for being an established business leader with a strong record of innovation for her field, outstanding performance for her business, and a clear track record of meaningful community involvement.

• Urban Alliance was selected to be the first group of non-profits to participate in the Corporate Executive Board and Service Corps Pro Bono Volunteer Corps from February 2008-July 2009. Seven volunteers re-designed our logo and website (see Urban Alliance website and log re-design PowerPoint presentation in Attachment section).

• Urban Alliance’s Executive Director, Veronica Nolan, was awarded the 2008 Exponent Award, the most prestigious award in the DC area for non-profit leaders, who are acknowledged for their visionary leadership.

• Urban Alliance was selected as one of three finalists for the 2008 Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management. Urban Alliance was singled out for its excellence in fiscal management, organizational development, people development, planning, resource development, risk management, and technology.

• Urban Alliance was selected to as a recipient for the Taproot Foundation Service Grant in April 2008 to strengthen our communications and messaging. Urban Alliance is proud to be a member of the first non-profits from the DC area to be selected for the Taproot Foundation Service Grant.

• The World Bank selected Urban Alliance to participate as one of four DC nonprofits in a study conducted by the Urban Institute to analyze and articulate long-term impact.

• Urban Alliance was featured as one of the best charities to give in the Washington DC metropolitan area in the Washingtonian’s December 2008 issue.

Press

  • Teens Urge D.C. Leaders To Fund Youth Programming
    Tue Mar 24 2009  
    As a member of DC Alliance of Youth Advocates (DCAYA), Urban Alliance, alongside other youth-serving organizations such as Latin American Youth Center, Martha's Table, and Metro
    TeenAIDS, participated in the First Annual Youth Advocacy Day. "About 100 teenagers gathered outside the Wilson Building today, they urged DC leaders to make youth a priority even as the District considers major budget cuts"
    connect here

Budget (FY2022)

  • The current budget for Urban Alliance is: $3 million or higher
  • $1 million to $3 million
  • $500k to $1 million
  • Less than $500k

Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to $3 million. This graphic indicates the budget range of the organization featured here. If you see an organizational budget above the $3 million mark, that is because the featured charity has grown in size since it first appeared in the Catalogue. We proudly present on our website the work of these "growth" charities.

About Spur Local

Each year 150+ community advocates review applicants on the basis of governance, equity, and impact. Each featured nonprofit has been successfully site visited and its financials given the thumbs up. Spur Local charges no fees and raises funds separately to support its work. Since 2003, it has raised over $57 million for nonprofits across the Greater Washington region.

Spur Local looks to friends like you to keep our services independent and entirely free of charge. Consider a small contribution to Spur Local to cap off your gift and help the causes you care about get the full support they deserve!

If you like Urban Alliance you might also like