What Accelerate does

Accelerate: The National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Tennessee and headquartered in Nashville, founded in 2022 as a spin-off from Instruction Partners. The organization serves as an intermediary between education research, policy, and practice, focused on scaling high-dosage tutoring and personalized learning interventions across U.S. K-12 public schools. Its core offerings are programmatic rather than commercial: the State Implementation Fund (SIF) provides multi-year grants up to $3 million to state education agencies; the Call for Effective Technology (CET) funds $150K-$250K grants for AI-powered educational tools; standard Learning Grants provide up to $200K for tutoring and classroom technology implementations; the Knowledge Hub distributes research, policy, and implementation resources; and a Community of Practice convenes 50+ grantee organizations annually. Technical assets include the open-source Data Alignment and Tutoring Assessment Standard (DATAS) adopted by 26 organizations serving 700,000+ students, a Cost Analysis Tool, and the High-Dosage Tutoring Data Toolkit co-developed with five state agencies.

Accelerate's business model is philanthropic grantmaking rather than commercial revenue generation. The organization is funded primarily by foundation grants—the Walton Family Foundation committed $40 million for SIF in 2024, with additional support from the Overdeck Family Foundation and Annenberg Foundation—and federal grants, including a $13.8 million U.S. Department of Education EIR award in 2026. Through its partner network, Accelerate has leveraged over $430 million of federal and state public funding for proven personalized learning interventions, reaching 500,000+ students across 29 states since 2022. Its customer segments are state education agencies, K-12 school districts, tutoring providers, edtech organizations, and education researchers—with state agencies as the primary segment for SIF. The leadership team is composed largely of former state education chiefs, superintendents, and senior officials, led by CEO Kevin Huffman (former Tennessee Commissioner of Education) and President Dr. T. Nakia Towns (former Deputy Superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools). The organization does not sell software products; its primary technology is data interoperability standards (DATAS), evaluation infrastructure, and policy toolkits distributed free of charge.

Name

Accelerate

Legal name

Accelerate: The National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning

Website

https://accelerate.us/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Accelerate is a national nonprofit that funds, evaluates, and provides implementation support for high-dosage tutoring and personalized learning programs across U.S. K-12 public schools, serving state education agencies, school districts, tutoring providers, and edtech organizations in 29 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software (EDAJAMAE), Learning Data Infrastructure & Interoperability (LRS, xAPI/LTI/OneRoster, Data Pipelines) (EDAFAFAJ), Adaptive/Personalized Curriculum & Intelligent Courseware (EDAFACAE)

Keywords

• Education grantmaking
• Tutoring research
• Policy advocacy
• Nonprofit education services
• Implementation support

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: Accelerate is a nonprofit organization primarily funded through philanthropic grants. Major funders include the Walton Family Foundation ($40 million initial investment for State Implementation Fund), Overdeck Family Foundation (supporting tutoring toolkit development), and other education-focused foundations. The organization does not generate commercial revenue.
2. Federal Grant Awards: Accelerate has been awarded federal grants including $13.8 million from the U.S. Department of Education's Education Innovation and Research program in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education. These grants support state-led literacy research and tutoring programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Accelerate is a national nonprofit that funds, researches, and supports the implementation of evidence-based K-12 tutoring and personalized learning interventions. It distributes competitive grants (State Implementation Fund, Learning Grants, Call for Effective Technology), commissions rigorous research with partner institutions, publishes policy and implementation resources through its Knowledge Hub, and convenes a Community of Practice of 50+ organizations to share best practices and build the evidence base for high-impact tutoring at scale.

Product overview

Accelerate is a national nonprofit organization that operates as a grantmaking and research institution rather than a product company. Its offerings consist of competitive grant programs (State Implementation Fund, Call for Effective Technology, Learning Grants), a Knowledge Hub containing research and policy resources, a Community of Practice network, a Partners Hub directory, and various research tools including a Cost Analysis Tool and High-Dosage Tutoring Data Toolkit. The organization does not offer a unified software product but provides programmatic resources, funding opportunities, and research services designed to help states scale evidence-based education strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State Implementation Fund (SIF) Multi-year grantmaking and implementation support initiative helping state education leaders turn evidence-based policy into measurable improvements in schools and classrooms. Provides funding, expert partnerships, and hands-on implementation support.
• Call for Effective Technology (CET) Competitive grant program that identifies and supports the development, implementation, and evaluation of promising AI-powered and educational technology tools for personalized learning in public schools. Grants of $150,000-$250,000 per project.
• Learning Grants Standard competitive grant program funding organizations scaling evidence-based tutoring and classroom technology interventions. Grants up to $200,000 per project, deployed during the school year.
• Knowledge Hub Online platform connecting users to Accelerate's research, policy guidance, implementation resources, and Community of Practice, providing states and educators with tools and support needed to scale evidence-based strategies.
• Community of Practice Network of 50+ organizations from Accelerate's grant cohorts that convenes through regular virtual meetings and an annual in-person gathering to foster collaboration, share research, and provide implementation support for high-impact tutoring.
• Research Program Research division supporting the design and implementation of rigorous research and evaluation of educational interventions, working with partners to understand what works, for whom, and in what school settings. Includes 30+ randomized control trials and dozens of quasi-experimental designs.
• Cost Analysis Tool Open-access ingredients-method cost analysis tool for tutoring programs that captures all resources required (personnel, facilities, materials) and assigns them value. Available in Excel and Google Sheets versions with tutorial videos.
• High-Dosage Tutoring Data Toolkit Collaborative toolkit developed with state departments of education in Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, and Ohio, providing data collection strategies, tools, and best practices for monitoring, measuring, and improving high-dosage tutoring implementation.
• State Field Guide Comprehensive resource for state leaders designing and implementing a statewide high-dosage tutoring program, providing guidance on program design, implementation quality, and accountability.
• Policy Resources Policy guidance and advocacy resources including federal and state policy frameworks, model state policies for high-dosage tutoring, outcomes-based contracting guidance, and coalition partnerships to advance education reform.
• Partners Hub Directory showcasing Accelerate's collaborative network of research institutions, funders, and implementation partners that work together to build evidence and scale proven strategies that improve student outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• High-dosage tutoring produces averaging one-third of a grade level improvement in student learning
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Harvard Strategic Data ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2026Multi-year collaboration to develop the High-Dosage Tutoring Data Toolkit with state departments of education in Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, and Ohio. Joint initiative providing data collection strategies, tools, and best practices for monitoring tutoring implementation.
• MathematicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting program evaluations and synthesis of findings from the Call to Effective Action program across 29 states.
• Abt GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner organization listed in Accelerate's partner ecosystem.
• WestEdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting randomized controlled trial evaluation of Air Tutors' high dosage math tutoring program.
• Education Commission of the StatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on state tutoring fellowship and policy initiatives. ECS is a partner in advancing Accelerate's policy goals.
• Arkansas Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStates Leading Recovery grantee implementing reading tutoring for K-5 students. State has comprehensive legislation supporting student literacy and statewide tutoring efforts.
• RAND CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvaluation partner working with states through SIF to track progress and demonstrate measurable improvements in student outcomes.
• Oklahoma State Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in $13.8 million EIR award from U.S. Department of Education for state-led literacy research. Part of Accelerate's expanding state partnerships.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Instruction Partners: Originally the parent organization from which Accelerate spun off in 2022; co-founder Luke Kohlmoos led Instruction Partners before Accelerate. Both organizations operate in K-12 instructional improvement, with shared history in Tennessee education reform and overlapping funder networks (e.g., Walton Family Foundation).
• City Fund: Philanthropic nonprofit focused on improving urban K-12 education through city-level systems change. Accelerate CEO Kevin Huffman was a City Fund partner before founding Accelerate; both organizations operate at the intersection of philanthropy, research, and large-scale systems reform in education.
• SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education): Tennessee-based nonprofit advocating for K-12 education improvement through state policy and practice. Accelerate Managing Director of Finance Rick Zadd was previously SCORE's VP of Finance and Operations; both organizations focus on evidence-based state education reform with shared Tennessee roots.
• Education Commission of the States: Interstate education policy compact that helps state leaders shape education policy. ECS is a named Accelerate partner in tutoring fellowships and policy initiatives, and both organizations occupy the same niche of advising state education agencies on evidence-based K-12 reform.
• TNTP: National nonprofit focused on teacher effectiveness and K-12 system improvement. TNTP conducts rigorous research on instructional practice and partners with districts — directly comparable to Accelerate's evidence-generation and district-support model, though TNTP's emphasis is on teaching rather than tutoring.
• Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit driving education and workforce transformation. Accelerate Managing Director of Research Tia Kim came from JFF; both organizations design and evaluate interventions, publish evidence, and influence federal and state policy on student outcomes.
• America Achieves: Nonprofit focused on accelerating K-12 and postsecondary achievement, led by CEO Jon Schnur (who serves on Accelerate's board). Both organizations occupy the same convening role between education research, policy, and practice at the national level.
• NewSchools Venture Fund: Philanthropic venture fund that funds and supports education entrepreneurs. While NewSchools is more venture-style and Accelerate is more grantmaking-focused, both organizations back innovative K-12 education solutions and convene funders around evidence-based practice.

Broad incumbents

• Aspen Institute Education & Society Program: Major education policy think tank within the Aspen Institute, led by Executive Director Dr. Janice K. Jackson (Accelerate Board Chair). Both organizations produce evidence-based K-12 education policy guidance and convene senior education leaders, though Aspen operates at a broader thematic scale.
• RAND Corporation Education Division: Research institution conducting rigorous K-12 education evaluations. RAND is a named Accelerate evaluation partner for SIF state tracking; both organizations produce RCT and quasi-experimental evidence that informs state and federal K-12 policy, though RAND operates across all of education while Accelerate focuses on tutoring.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Accelerate_US

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments111 records

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Frequently asked questions about Accelerate