Budo Accelerator
Character is trained, not taught.
Budo Accelerator is a nonprofit in Irvine, California. For five years we have run martial arts-based leadership programs for high school and college students, with full scholarships for students who need them. Budo Scholar, our year-round program for young martial artists anywhere in the country, opens in early 2027.
Our main program
Budo Scholar: a year-round leadership program for young martial artists.
Students keep training at their own school, in whatever art they already practice. Students who do not train yet can use our guide to finding a school near them. Alongside their training they complete a 50‑module curriculum, developed through our accredited program at UC Irvine, with one idea each week to try on the mat and in daily life, and a national community of other young martial artists to talk it through with.
Students and parents
Join as a Budo Scholar
What a week looks like, the community, scholarships, and how to join the list for the first national cohort.
How the program works →Martial arts schools
Partner with us
What a partnership involves, what your school receives, and how scholarships get funded for students in your own community.
Learn more →Supporters
Fund a student
A scholarship covers one student for a full year: their martial arts school and the program.
Fund a student →Who we are
Five years of turning training into leadership.
Martial arts training already teaches what leadership asks for: composure under pressure, respect for the people across from you, showing up when it is hard, and getting back up. Budo Accelerator pairs that training with leadership development, mentorship, and a community of peers, so that what a student builds on the mat carries into school, work, and the rest of their life. The program is developed by experts in martial arts, education, and psychology.
Alongside Budo Scholar, our national program launching in early 2027, we run in-person programs in Orange County, California, at Ikazuchi Dojo in Irvine and at partner sites across the county. Martial Arts and Leadership, our flagship course, runs through our accredited program at UC Irvine. We serve communities in need, and many of our students are, or will be, the first in their families to go to college.
Our partners
Proven
Results we can measure, now going national.
More than 1,000 students have come through our programs in Southern California since 2021.
reported leaving the program with good or great career knowledge and skills.
demonstrated gains in at least one applied leadership capacity.
demonstrated gains in at least one adaptive mindset capacity.
Outcomes measured by Hello Insight, an independent youth development evaluation platform.
Students
In their own words
“This program gave me the confidence and the skills to speak up and share my ideas effectively. That changed how I lead, and it’s a big part of why I’ve been able to solve hard problems with our rocket team.”
JesusBJJ · Computer Engineering, UC IrvinePropulsion Lead, UCI Rocket Project · Former Intern, NSWC
“I met the head of my studio at a Budo speaker event, and that connection led to my internship and then my full-time job. The program didn’t just teach me leadership; it opened the door to my career.”
ChiAikido · Game & Interactive Media Design, UC Irvine (’24)Producer, Take-Two Interactive
“The martial arts and leadership training gave me learning strategies I use off the mat, and I’m grateful for the lasting professional and personal connections I’ve made along the way.”
KathleenKali · BJJ · Biomedical Engineering, UC Irvine · Regents ScholarR&D Engineering Intern, UniWearables (Berlin)
“This program has been a defining experience in both my college years and in my life as a whole.”
VincentBJJ · Aikido · Business Information Management, UC Irvine (’26)Solutions Intern, Cloudflare
“I’ve learned valuable leadership skills that I will apply at graduate school, in my career, and beyond. I will always cherish the connections and friendships I’ve made here.”
VyBJJ · Aikido · Grad Student, Midwestern University College of Dental MedicineForged on the mat. Proven off it.
Budo Accelerator is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Irvine, California.