History and Mission

The Youth Policy Institute (YPI) provides education, training and technology services to lift low-income families out of poverty. Since 2001, YPI has accomplished this by serving families in Los Angeles at 95 program sites throughout the city. YPI has an annual budget of $34 million (including affiliated charter schools) and offers families education and training resources in the areas of afterschool, charter and pilot schools, job training, summer jobs for youth, physical education, adult education, computer literacy, holistic family services, case management, parenting, tutoring, and college preparation. YPI also supports efforts to boost the capacity and effectiveness of small grassroots nonprofits that provide essential services for youth. Each year, YPI helps more than 30,000 youth and adults through these programs.

The Youth Policy Institute developed from the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Fund and incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit agency in 1983. Originally headquartered in Washington, D.C., YPI began operating in California in 1996. In addition to serving the Los Angeles community, YPI has implemented technology, education, and workforce grants in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Albuquerque, and the Washington, D.C. area.