Palo Alto, CA

YOUTH COMMUNITY SERVICE INC

EIN 20-8099150

Education & Youth Development Youth Mentoring & Leadership Children & youth

Mission

YCS elevates youth voices to raise community connection and equity through service.

IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity Contributions are tax-deductible

Claim this page Visit www.youthcommunityservice.org

About YOUTH COMMUNITY SERVICE INC

Youth Community Service (YCS) is a Palo Alto–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1990 as a collaboration between the cities of Palo Alto and East Palo Alto and the local school districts. It runs a service-learning model and youth leadership programs that connect students with community partners across the Ravenswood, Sequoia, and Palo Alto school districts.

YCS operates a suite of programs including school-based service clubs, the Youth Connect peer leadership and mental-health peer-support work, a Summer of Service program, and a public Do Service platform that lists volunteer opportunities for youth. The organization emphasizes youth voice, civic engagement, and equity while supporting students to design and lead community projects.

In the last two to three years YCS has been active in school-based service days, civic engagement drives, MLK Day and Cesar Chavez Day events, and local cultural celebrations; it was honored with a California Teachers’ Association State Gold Awards certificate of merit (2024) and was featured as a grantee spotlight by a local community fund in 2026.

Notable achievements

30+ years of sustained service

Founded in 1990 as a city–school district partnership, YCS has maintained a continuous service-learning model and youth leadership pipeline serving students across multiple Peninsula school districts for more than three decades.

CTA State Gold Awards — Certificate of Merit (2024)

Recognized by the California Teachers’ Association with a certificate of merit in the 2024 State Gold Awards competition for the organization’s work with local schools.

Large-scale student engagement (2024–2025)

Led school-centered service days and community events that mobilized hundreds of students across Palo Alto and East Palo Alto, including district-wide youth service days and MLK Day programming; maintains an active Do Service calendar and recurring Summer of Service activities.

At a glance

Total assets: $264K
Annual revenue: $878K
Tax status: 501(c)(3)Public charity
EIN: 20-8099150
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Website: www.youthcommunityservice.org
On Mahalo since: May 2026

Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.

Recognition

Regularly featured in local media coverage for its youth-led civic and community programs (coverage in regional outlets between 2024–2026).

Grantee spotlight and funding recognition from local community philanthropic partners (including a Palo Alto community fund grantee spotlight in 2026).

Profiled in national nonprofit data sources and charity directories and listed as tax-exempt with EIN 20-8099150, confirming its standing as an operating nonprofit organization.

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