Shift_ed
Shift_ed is a Greensboro, NC non-profit delivering cradle-to-career support—tutoring, career exploration, college advising, and last-dollar scholarships—to over 68,000 Guilford County Schools students from kindergarten through college graduation, funded primarily by grants and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersGreensboro, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Shift_ed does
Shift_ed is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit education backbone organization headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, delivering cradle-to-career support to more than 68,000 students across all 121 schools in Guilford County Schools. Founded in 2013 as the local chapter of Say Yes to Education and rebranded to shift_ed in 2022, the organization coordinates an integrated portfolio of programs spanning kindergarten readiness, high-dosage literacy tutoring (grades 2–5), middle-school career exploration, high-school college advising, last-dollar scholarships, and post-secondary alumni engagement. Its core technology stack centers on the your_path Career Accelerator—a virtual platform available on iOS, Android, and web that connects students to 18 career pathways via videos, podcasts, and mentor content, with aptitude-based matching powered by YouScience. Physical program infrastructure includes the Mobile Innovation Lab, a makerspace-on-wheels equipped with laser cutters, 3D printers, CNC routers, and robotics kits that visited 58 sites in 2024–2025, and two Teacher Supply Warehouse locations (Greensboro and High Point) providing free classroom supplies to GCS educators.
The organization operates a community-based go-to-market model with three intertwined motions: school-based direct delivery via the formal GCS partnership, event-driven engagement (World of Work, resource fairs, HBCU fairs, Accelerating Impact Luncheon), and channel-partner activation across 60+ community organizations including Cisco, Cone Health, SEO Scholars USA, StriveTogether, multiple HBCUs, the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, and Action Greensboro. All student-facing services are provided free of charge, eliminating any per-user pricing layer. Revenue is generated entirely through institutional grants (notably an $8M Cisco grant in May 2023), individual and corporate donations, and endowment-funded scholarships; founding community commitments in 2013 totaled over $25 million. The 2024 ARCI (Aligning Resources for Collective ImpACT) initiative formalized shift_ed's role as the county's collective-impact convener, signaling continued investment in ecosystem coordination rather than program-by-program operation.
Shift_ed firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Shift_ed
- Legal name
- shift_ed
- Website
- https://shift-ed.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Shift_ed is a Greensboro, NC non-profit delivering cradle-to-career support—tutoring, career exploration, college advising, and last-dollar scholarships—to over 68,000 Guilford County Schools students from kindergarten through college graduation, funded primarily by grants and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Shift_ed industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Nonprofit Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN), Functional Life Skills & Transition-to-Adulthood Curriculum (ADL, Vocational, Community) (EDAGAMAJ)
Keywords
Where Shift_ed is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Greensboro
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Shift_ed business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Grant Funding: Primary revenue stream from institutional grants. Shift_ed received an $8 million grant from Cisco to expand programs in Guilford County. Additional grants from foundations and corporate partners support specific initiatives.
- Individual and Corporate Donations: Charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and community foundations. The organization doubles the value of every dollar donated through wholesale purchasing for the Teacher Supply Warehouse.
- Scholarship Program: The shift_ed Scholarship covers last-dollar tuition costs at NC public colleges and universities and partnered private NC institutions for Guilford County graduates. Funded through endowment and community contributions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Free programs for K-12 students and families |
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Free classroom supplies for GCS educators |
| Other | Annual | Last-dollar scholarship for NC colleges |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Shift_ed product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Shift_ed is a non-profit education organization that delivers cradle-to-career support programs for Guilford County (North Carolina) students from kindergarten through college graduation. Programs include high-dosage literacy tutoring, career exploration via the your_path Career Accelerator, college advising and planning workshops, the SEO Scholars NC college-readiness program, last-dollar tuition scholarships, the Mobile Innovation Lab STEAM experience, and the Teacher Supply Warehouse for educators. All programs are delivered free of charge to students, families, and educators through partnerships with Guilford County Schools, Cisco, Cone Health, and 60+ community organizations.
Product overview
shift_ed is an education-based nonprofit offering a comprehensive cradle-to-career ecosystem of programs serving students from kindergarten through college graduation. The portfolio includes direct student support programs (Tutoring, 1:1 College Advising, College Planning Workshops, SEO Scholars NC, shift_ed Scholarship), career exploration initiatives (your_path Career Accelerator, World of Work, YouScience Aptitude Assessment, Mobile Innovation Lab, Cisco Networking Academy), community engagement programs (Resource Fairs, School Readiness, Teacher Supply Warehouse, Build SMART Schools, The Mobility Project 2040, Guilford Guarantee), and alumni support (Shifters Alumni Association). These programs work collaboratively to remove barriers and provide individualized support from elementary school through career.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- High-Dosage Literacy Tutoring
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% of tutoring students showed measurable reading fluency growth
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Shift_ed
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Shift_ed technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Shift_ed partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Guilford County SchoolscorePrimary school district partner since 2013. Shift_ed operates within all 121 GCS schools serving 68,000+ students. GCS provides facilities, student access, and collaborative program delivery.
- StriveTogether Cradle to Career NetworkcoreShift_ed is a member of this national movement working to put millions of young people on a path to economic mobility. Provides evidence-based methodology and collective impact framework.
- SEO Scholars USAcorePartnership with national SEO Scholars program to operate SEO Scholars NC - the first program of its kind in North Carolina. Provides intensive college-readiness support from 9th grade through college graduation.
- Cone HealthflagshipFounding partner of your_path Career Accelerator. Healthcare system's involvement supports career pathway exploration in healthcare and human services fields.
- The ForgecorePartnership to operate the Mobile Innovation Lab - a makerspace-on-wheels bringing hands-on STEAM learning to students. The Forge provides expertise in makerspace programming and equipment.
- Guilford Education AlliancecoreFounding partner from 2013 origin. Collaborates on education initiatives and originally helped establish Say Yes to Education chapter in Guilford County.
- Guilford CollegeminorHigher education partner providing tutors for the high-dosage literacy tutoring program serving elementary students.
- UNC GreensborominorHigher education partner contributing tutors for literacy tutoring program.
- Bennett CollegeminorHistorically Black college contributing tutors to shift_ed's literacy tutoring program.
- North Carolina A&T State UniversityminorHBCU providing tutors for literacy tutoring and involved in community engagement initiatives.
- High Point UniversityminorHigher education partner contributing tutors to the literacy tutoring program.
- Guilford Technical Community CollegeminorPartner in college access programming including One-Stop Pop-Up College Prep events and scholarship support.
- Greensboro CollegeminorHigher education partner providing tutors for literacy tutoring program.
- College for North Carolina (CFNC)minorCollaborates on college planning workshops and FAFSA assistance, helping students navigate higher education options.
- Huntington Learning CenterminorPartner for SAT/ACT preparation programming, providing test-taking strategies and college entrance exam support.
- Action GreensboroflagshipCommunity partner in Build SMART Schools initiative and education advocacy. Collaborates on annual Pre-K to 12 Public Education Report.
- Ready for School, Ready for LifeminorCommunity partner providing resources for kindergarten readiness including backpack distribution at GCS elementary schools.
- Guilford County Partnership for ChildrenminorCommunity partner contributing to Mobility Project 2040 teams and kindergarten readiness initiatives.
- Guilford Apprenticeship PartnersminorWorkforce Pathways Team member collaborating on career exploration and apprenticeship opportunities for students.
- YouSciencecorePowers aptitude assessments and career pathway matching in your_path Career Accelerator and YouScience Brightpath programs. Technology cuts through bias to match students with careers.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Shift_ed competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Communities In Schools: National nonprofit that places site coordinators inside K-12 schools to deliver integrated student supports (attendance, behavior, coursework, college/career readiness). Closely comparable to Shift_ed's school-embedded, cradle-to-career wraparound model.
- StriveTogether: National cradle-to-career network of which Shift_ed is a member. Both organizations operate as community backbone conveners coordinating cross-sector partners around shared youth outcome metrics.
- Say Yes to Education: National organization offering last-dollar scholarships and wraparound supports to students in partner districts. Shift_ed originated as the Guilford County chapter of Say Yes before locally owning the model in 2018, making the operational model directly comparable.
- College Possible: National nonprofit providing intensive college access coaching for low-income and first-generation high school students. Directly comparable to Shift_ed's SEO Scholars NC and 1:1 college advising model.
- Bottom Line: Nonprofit delivering 1:1 college access and success advising to first-generation students from low-income backgrounds. Closely mirrors Shift_ed's college advising + scholarship continuation model that extends through college graduation.
- SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity): National organization running SEO Scholars, the same program Shift_ed operates locally as SEO Scholars NC. Direct programmatic partnership and shared curriculum make this a close operational peer.
Regional players
- United Way of Greater Greensboro: Regional community backbone organization operating in the same Greensboro geography with a similar funder convening and collective-impact role, but with broader human-services scope beyond education.
Others
- Guilford Education Alliance: Founding partner of Shift_ed's predecessor and operator of the Teacher Supply Warehouse. Operates in the same education support ecosystem with overlapping district relationships but a narrower advocacy and resource focus.
- Action Greensboro: Local community and economic development partner that co-leads the Build SMART Schools initiative with Shift_ed. Comparable as a regional civic backbone but with broader economic-development scope beyond education.
Broad incumbents
- Year Up: Larger national workforce development nonprofit serving young adults with technical training and corporate internships. Comparable on the workforce/career pathways component but serves an older population and operates at significantly larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Shift_ed social profiles
Digital presenceShift_ed financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Shift_ed leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Shift_ed funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Shift_ed M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Shift_ed
What does Shift_ed do?
Shift_ed is a non-profit education organization that delivers cradle-to-career support programs for Guilford County (North Carolina) students from kindergarten through college graduation. Programs include high-dosage literacy tutoring, career exploration via the your_path Career Accelerator, college advising and planning workshops, the SEO Scholars NC college-readiness program, last-dollar tuition scholarships, the Mobile Innovation Lab STEAM experience, and the Teacher Supply Warehouse for educators. All programs are delivered free of charge to students, families, and educators through partnerships with Guilford County Schools, Cisco, Cone Health, and 60+ community organizations.
Is Shift_ed a public or private company?
Shift_ed is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Shift_ed founded?
Shift_ed was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Shift_ed based?
Shift_ed is headquartered in Greensboro, United States, in the North America region.
How does Shift_ed make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Grant Funding is the primary driver. The others are individual and Corporate Donations and scholarship Program.
Who are Shift_ed's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Communities In Schools, StriveTogether, Say Yes to Education, College Possible, Bottom Line and SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity). United Way of Greater Greensboro is listed as a regional player. Others are Guilford Education Alliance and Action Greensboro. Year Up is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Shift_ed have an API?
No public API is recorded for Shift_ed.
What industry is Shift_ed in?
Shift_ed's product category is Education Nonprofit Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAKANAF, Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction), with a secondary code of EDAAAFAN, Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.