About Uplift
Founded 2014
Started with 12 students
Marcus Williams grew up in the community Uplift now serves. After a career in education policy, he returned home to start an after-school tutoring program with 12 students and a donated classroom.
Today, Uplift works in 8 cities with a team of 45 staff and more than 200 volunteers. The mission has not changed: give every young person the tools to build their own future.
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Every dollar is accounted for. Annual reports and audited financials are published on our website.
See our impact How We Work
Programs built in the community, not for it
We hire from the neighborhoods we serve, run programs out of local community centers, and measure results in numbers we publish.
What guides us
- Meet people where they are, in their own neighborhoods
- Publish audited financials and program outcomes each year
- Keep 92 cents of every dollar in direct programs
- Build long-term paths, not one-time handouts