City Year transforms the lives of two distinct sets of constituents — but it doesn’t stop there. Relying on powerful stories to engage them, it also transforms the lives of donors.

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

The organization overall gets 32 percent of its support through government funding — 24 percent from AmeriCorps and 8 percent from other government sources. Another 21 percent comes from foundations. Those monies flow fairly freely so long as the paperwork is in place. But two other large chunks of funding — corporate partnerships and individual giving (24 percent and 16 percent, respectively) rely heavily on City Year’s ability to forge relationships. (The remaining 7 percent comes from in-kind gifts.)