Budo Accelerator

Budo Accelerator transforms the lives of underserved youth through martial arts, leadership development, and career readiness. Our unique model combines martial arts training with a UC Irvine-accredited curriculum, professional mentorship, and essential mental health support. Our mission is to equip young people facing social, academic, and economic barriers with the tools, confidence, and opportunities needed to thrive in school, careers, and life.

Budo Accelerator is a youth development nonprofit founded in 2019 and based in Irvine, California. We serve 260+ first-generation and low-income students annually through our Martial Arts and Leadership program, which integrates weekly martial arts training in Aikido, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Filipino Kali with our leadership curriculum – accredited through UC Irvine, professional mentorship, and mental wellness support.

Our programs run year-round at our Irvine dojo and partner sites including UC Irvine, Project Hope Alliance, TGR Learning Lab, and Simon Scholars. We serve students ages 13-22 from under-resourced backgrounds across Orange County; 60% are female and 90%+ are first-generation and/or low-income. Cohorts are consistently full and we maintain a waitlist.

Key outcomes across 5+ years and 1,000+ students:

95% of our first-generation college students graduate — more than double the 45% national average
90% of students report improved mental health and emotional regulation
100% of eligible college students are matched with professional mentors and earn UC-transferable academic credit
90% leave with strong career knowledge and readiness

Our reach has been limited by the mat space of our Irvine facility. In 2026 we are addressing that with the Budo Scholar Platform, which moves the program from a local, site-based model to a decentralized one. Budo pays monthly dues for under-resourced Scholars to train at martial arts academies in their own neighborhoods, and delivers the leadership curriculum, mentorship, and mental wellness program through a digital platform. Our first cohort of approximately 60 UC Irvine students begins in fall 2026, with the first funded Scholar seats placed at partner academies in November. The three-year goal is 700 students across five metro areas.

Our Program Impact:

- Graduation rate: 95% of our first-gen college students complete their degree vs. the national average of 45%.
- 90% of students leave with good or great career knowledge.
- 80% of our high school students see improvements in communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills.
- 100% of our college students connect with professional mentors.
- Preliminary results of a study run by UCI’s Stress Health and Emotion Lab shows our students experience a decrease in loneliness and depression and an increase in self-efficacy and mastery.

“This program has taught me more about leadership than I’ve ever learned in my life, including inclusivity, communication, teamwork, adaptability, and perseverance.”
–Vanessa L.

Program outcomes are evaluated through a combination of external and internal assessments conducted throughout the year. Hello Insight administers pre- and post-program surveys measuring workforce readiness, independence, and self-sufficiency for each student cohort. Internally, staff track participation rates, academic credit completion, mentorship engagement, and student progress quarterly. We maintain an established research relationship with UC Irvine's Stress, Health, and Emotion Lab, which has previously documented gains in student well-being, and we are continuing to develop this work as the lab assigns new researchers to the project. All findings are reviewed by leadership semi-annually and used to refine program delivery.

Scholars on the Budo Scholar Platform are evaluated on the same instruments, with quarterly counselor check-ins, plus two platform-specific measures: module and phase completion across the year, and whether Scholars remain in training at twelve months.

Budo Scholar Platform: Founding Scholar seats: $150,000. Fifty scholarships at $100 per month. $65 per month is paid directly to the Scholar's local martial arts academy for training; $35 delivers the digital curriculum, mentorship, and platform.

Partner Martial Arts Academies: Academies willing to host funded Scholars. Partner academies receive monthly dues for each enrolled Scholar and confirm attendance monthly.

Orange County, CA

We’re doing something a little different in the realm of youth development and education, but it's working. We’re boosting mental health, increasing social mobility, and building strong leaders. Our students love our programs and we’ve been able to partner with leading educational institutions and other nonprofits serving underprivileged youth in Orange County.

We want to drive innovation in education by using the martial arts as a new platform for developing essential skills and mental health. And we’re serious about creating social impact at scale. We have the vision, the team, programs and results to bring our program to students across the nation. In 2026 we are extending the program nationally through the Budo Scholar Platform, which pays for students to train at academies in their own neighborhoods and delivers our curriculum digitally. The first cohort begins this fall. We hope you’ll consider joining us!

As the former CEO of The Nature Conservancy (the world's largest environmental nonprofit), I have a great deal of experience in the nonprofit world and have seen many nonprofits. With that perspective, I'm incredibly enthusiastic about Budo Accelerator's mission and have complete confidence in the team's ability to make a real impact in the lives of many young people. I'm fully committed to supporting Budo Accelerator's growth and hope you'll join me as a supporter and partner of this very special organization.