Youth Mentorship and Entrepreneurship Nonprofit
We Don't Lecture Kids.We Activate Them.
The Co-Op Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit creating mentorship and entrepreneurship programs for young people ages 8 to 25, inside schools across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia and online for students anywhere.
Community Work Since 2006 · Nonprofit Since 2020
Who We Are
Mission First.Every Time.
Our Mission: To Create Opportunities to Educate and Empower the Youth through Mentorship and Entrepreneurship.
Our Vision: To establish a space where young individuals have equal access to opportunities, enabling them to get a head start in life.
Who We Serve: Young people ages 8 to 25, elementary school through young adult.
What We Do
Three Pillars.One Pathway.
Every program moves a young person forward: a stronger mindset, a mentor in their corner, and real experience running something of their own.
Project Mindset · Camp Show Up
Mindset
We help students build confidence, manage emotions, and show up every day. Our social emotional programs improve attendance, reduce conflict, and change how kids see themselves.
Project Pathway · The Tribe Project
Mentorship
Every student gets real guidance from people who look like them and believe in them. We connect youth with mentors, professionals, and pathways to college, careers, and the trades.
Project LaunchPad · The Pitti Uomo Project
Entrepreneurship
Students don't just learn business, they run one. From designing and selling their own T shirt brands to traveling abroad for fashion, our youth turn ideas into income.
Our Programs
Four Programs.Every Grade Covered.
Every program blends mentorship, project based learning, social emotional learning, and financial literacy. Pick the one that fits your students, from elementary school through young adults.
Mentorship and SEL
Project Mindset
Students learn to master their mouth, mind, mood, and money, and they show up ready to learn.
Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy
Project LaunchPad
Students design, produce, and sell their own T shirt brand, learning how money works while running a real business.
Attendance · Grades 2 to 5
Camp Show Up
A camp style program that makes elementary students want to come to school.
Careers and Trades
Project Pathway
Connects high schoolers and young adults to the trades, college, apprenticeships, and their own business.
Results, Not Promises
The NumbersSpeak for Us.
Every figure comes from a real cohort. We keep school names private to protect our students.
Inside Our Programs
Real Kids.Real Work.
The DMV Project
$10,000 Opens a DoorFor 25 Students.
Schools across the DMV want our programs. Many don't have the budget. The DMV Project closes that gap.
Every $10,000 funds one location for 16 weeks: mentorship, entrepreneurship, materials, and a final student showcase. Give $25, give $400, or fund a whole site with your name on it.
Co-Op Enterprises · NexGen Studios
The Next GenerationMeans Business.
Our student run businesses take real clients. You get great work. Young people get real experience and real income.
Social Media · $500 a month
NexGen Agency
Student run social media for small businesses: content, editing, posting, and engagement.
Custom Apparel
Hustle and Print
A 100% youth operated print shop for custom T shirts and merch.
Custom Apps
NexGen Apps
A youth led app studio building custom web apps for businesses and organizations.
Why We Do This
It is easier to build up a child then it is to repair an adult.
I know what it's like to not have an opportunity. And I know what it's like to get one without being in the right headspace to handle it. So I teach young people now what I learned later in life: how to control your own fate. That's The Co-Op Project.
Gary Leon, Founder and Executive Director
For Schools and Community Sites
One Price.Everything Included.
We bring the instructor, curriculum, materials, and a final student showcase. You bring the students and the space. Approved vendor in PGCPS, MCPS, FCPS, ACPS, AACPS, and HCPSS.
Our Partners
Community,Not Competition.
We build with schools, agencies, businesses, and other nonprofits, because we all want the same thing for our kids.
Two Ways to Change a Kid's Year
Pick YourMove.
Bring a program to your school, or fund a location for students whose school can't cover it.
From the Blog
View all-
Community Con 2026: What Happens When a Communi...
Panels, a small business market, a student college grant on stage, and a whole community in one parking lot. Here's what happened at Community Con 2026, and how you can...
Community Con 2026: What Happens When a Communi...
Panels, a small business market, a student college grant on stage, and a whole community in one parking lot. Here's what happened at Community Con 2026, and how you can...
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From No Degree to Presenter Energy: My Experien...
A few months back, someone slid into my inbox with a link to the KIPP Black Educators Conference, telling me I should apply to be a presenter. I’m not going...
From No Degree to Presenter Energy: My Experien...
A few months back, someone slid into my inbox with a link to the KIPP Black Educators Conference, telling me I should apply to be a presenter. I’m not going...
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LABELS
In our Project Mindset program, the first month is all about the pillar: Master Your Mouth. I was teaching these young boys the importance of not only the words they...
LABELS
In our Project Mindset program, the first month is all about the pillar: Master Your Mouth. I was teaching these young boys the importance of not only the words they...
