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. 

Founded in 2019, our programs run year-round for students ages 13-22 from under-resourced backgrounds; 60% are female and 90%+ are first-generation and/or low-income. We serve over 260 high school and college students each year. Our cohorts are consistently full and we maintain a waitlist. 

Our fall cohort begins the week after Giving Day. Every student who walks in gets a uniform, a ride if they need one, and the supplies to train for the year. No student is ever turned away for inability to pay. 

Only $75 outfits a student for their full program year. In this way, each student wears the same uniform, everyone starts at the same level, all markers of socio-economic status are removed, and everyone on the mat becomes an equal.

We run programs at our Irvine dojo and with partners including UC Irvine, Project Hope Alliance, Simon Scholars, the Irvine Public Schools Foundation, and the Tiger Woods Foundation's TGR Learning Lab.