Big Picture Learning

What Big Picture Learning does

Big Picture Learning is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit education organization founded in 1995 by Dennis Littky and Elliot Washor in Providence, Rhode Island. It operates simultaneously as a school design incubator and a network operator, supporting a global ecosystem of 275+ schools, fellows, and learning sites across 27 US states and more than 10 countries including Australia, the Netherlands, Kenya, and Barbados. The organization serves K-12 schools and districts seeking to implement student-centered, interest-driven, project-based learning through its proprietary "10 Distinguishers" framework, which emphasizes personalized pathways, advisory structures, real-world internships, and authentic assessment over standardized testing. BPL delivers its model through direct partnership engagements with schools, ranging from exploratory "Wading In" tier to full "Going All In" adoption with multi-year coaching and onsite support.

The organization's technology stack centers on three proprietary assets: ImBlaze, an internship management platform that enables schools to curate internship opportunities and lets students search and log attendance on mobile devices; Learning Big Picture, an online professional development platform for educators implementing BPL design; and the International Big Picture Learning Credential (IBPLC), an alternative secondary credential warranted by the University of Melbourne that has been accepted for admissions considerations by 12+ Australian universities. Beyond technology, BPL operates a portfolio of fellowship programs (Harbor Freight Fellows, Ashé Leaders, Equity Fellows, Deeper Learning Equity Fellowship) and initiatives (B-Unbound for out-of-school youth, Big Picture Living for wellness, College Unbound for returning adult learners, Native American Initiative). The organization hosts two annual convenings—Big Bang (700+ attendees, scheduled for Dallas July 21-24, 2026) and the BPL Leadership Summit—and operates guided site visits to network schools at $700 per person.

Revenue is diversified across foundation grants (notably Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and American Student Assistance), state-level education contracts (California $10M Secondary School Redesign Pilot), fee-based school coaching and consulting services, platform licensing, and event/conference registration. The organization operates with 11-50 employees, distributed nationally with anchor presences in Providence, RI and New York City (The Hub in The Bronx). Recent strategic activity has centered on scaling IBPLC into US schools and on entering the skilled trades/apprenticeship pipeline through the Bloomberg Philanthropies National Skilled Trades Initiative.

Name

Big Picture Learning

Legal name

Big Picture Learning

Website

https://bigpicture.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Big Picture Learning is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 operating a global network of 275+ schools implementing student-centered, interest-driven learning through the ImBlaze internship platform and IBPLC alternative credential.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Design and Coaching Services

akta.pro primary industry

Career & College Readiness Platforms (Guidance, Planning, Scholarships) (EDAJAMAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Digital Classrooms (EDAJAMAA), STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

Keywords

• Student-centered learning design
• School coaching services
• Internship management platform
• Education professional development
• Alternative credentialing programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grants and Philanthropic Funding: BPL receives significant funding from foundations and donors including Bloomberg Philanthropies, American Student Assistance, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. These grants support program expansion, network development, and specific initiatives like Harbor Freight Fellows and B-Unbound.
2. School Coaching and Consulting Services: BPL provides fee-based services to schools including School Success Studies, coaching engagements, professional development, and school transformation support. Services are priced based on engagement level and duration, with bundled packages for full transformation.
3. Platform Licenses: Schools and organizations license ImBlaze (internship management platform) and Learning Big Picture (professional development platform) as part of their BPL engagement.
4. Guided Experiences and Events: BPL charges $700 per person for Guided Experiences - two-day site visits to BPL network schools where visitors observe the BPL design in action. Additional revenue comes from conference registrations for Big Bang and Leadership Summit events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Big Picture Learning is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs and supports student-centered learning through a global school network. It sells multi-tier coaching and consulting services (Wading In, Building Momentum, Going All In), proprietary technology platforms (ImBlaze for internship management, Learning Big Picture for professional development), and the International Big Picture Learning Credential (IBPLC) for competency-based assessment. Customers are K-12 schools, districts, and education organizations seeking transformation to personalized, interest-driven, real-world learning models.

Product overview

Big Picture Learning is an education nonprofit organization that operates as a platform-plus-network model. Its core offerings include the ImBlaze internship management platform and Learning Big Picture professional development platform, along with credentialing through the International Big Picture Learning Credential (IBPLC). The organization supports a global network of 275+ schools through various service offerings including School Success Studies, coaching, TYBO planning cohorts, and school visits. Additional initiatives include B-Unbound for out-of-school learning, Big Picture Living for health and wellness, and multiple fellowships (Harbor Freight Fellows, Ashé Leaders Fellowship, Equity Fellows, Deeper Learning Equity Fellowship). The organization also runs major events including the Big Bang Conference and BPL Leadership Summit. Big Picture Learning has been transforming education for over 30 years with a 'one student at a time' approach centered on advisory, internships, exhibitions, and real-world learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• B Unbound: Community-based platform connecting young people with supportive adults and peers navigating their way through shared interests.
• ImBlaze
• Big Picture Living
• College Unbound
• Harbor Freight Fellows
• Ashé Leaders Fellowship
• Equity Fellows
• International Big Picture Learning Credential (IBPLC)
• Native American Initiative

Products and services

• ImBlaze
• Learning Big Picture Online professional development platform that serves as a gathering place for educators to access professional development resources for implementing Big Picture Learning's design elements.
• International Big Picture Learning Credential (IBPLC) Capstone secondary credential built on BPL principles that documents learning using diverse sources of evidence including portfolios, teacher narratives, student achievements, and video introductions. Includes psychometric progression level scores on six learning goals. Warranted by the University of Melbourne and accepted by 12+ Australian universities for admissions.
• School Coaching Services Comprehensive, emergent coaching plans including onsite, virtual, and hybrid sessions to help schools adopt one or more of BPL's 10 Distinguishers through engagement tiers ranging from Wading In to Going All In.
• School Success Study One or two day on-site study of a school and community where BPL staff interview students, parents, staff and community stakeholders, analyze data, and review goals to provide a customized report with suggested next steps for student-centered transformation.
• TYBO (The Year Before Opening) Planning Cohort Cohort model of fellowship, mentorship, and guided planning bringing together teams of leaders from cities and districts across the US, pairing them with BPL coaches and principal-mentors from existing schools to ensure successful school launch.
• Guided BPL Experiences Two-day guided site visits to premiere BPL network schools where visitors are immersed in the culture through real-time interactive experiences with leaders, advisors, national BPL staff, and students. Priced at $700 per person including meals and reimbursement for host school staff.
• Big Bang Conference Big Picture Learning's annual conference on student-centered learning, an intergenerational collaboration where over 700 students, educators, leaders, and partners come together as equals to learn from one another.
• BPL Leadership Summit One of two widely attended annual convenings that Big Picture Learning puts on each year, bringing together educators, leaders, and partners from across the network.
• B-Unbound Community-based platform, partnered with Straight Up Impact, that connects young people with supportive adults and peers navigating their way through shared interests, providing real-world, interest-driven learning experiences outside traditional school settings.
• Big Picture Living Health and well-being initiative for BPL schools and beyond, based on the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Six Measures, providing resources for a game-changing approach to wellness.
• Harbor Freight Fellows Fellowship program designed to support youth for whom the trades are the appropriate and chosen post-secondary path to a fulfilling life as a professional and community member.
• Ashé Leaders Fellowship Identifies emerging leaders, deeply develops their capacity, and amplifies their experiences on a national level as they transform systems in their communities.
• Equity Fellows (Deeper Learning Equity Fellowship) Leadership development program co-founded with the Internationals Network for Public Schools that amplifies voices and perspectives under-represented in the Deeper Learning movement, providing leaders with high-level leadership development and networking opportunities.
• College Unbound Postsecondary education program that fills a unique niche for returning adult learners with a Bachelor's Degree program designed around an innovative, personalized curriculum model.
• Native American Initiative Initiative supporting Tribal Sovereignty and Self-Determination by ensuring that every Native student has access to culture and language learning as an integral part of their school experience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduation rate increase from high teens to 83% at alternative schools redesigning with BPL support
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• California Department of EducationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026California's $10 million Secondary School Redesign Pilot selects 14 teams from 56 applicants. BPL is one of the implementing organizations alongside Linked Learning Alliance and CORE Districts, working to reimagine middle and high schools across the state.
• Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of CarpenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPL partnering with the Council on new initiative helping young people access hands-on technical training, paid work-based learning, and direct pathways into registered apprenticeships and skilled trades careers.
• Linked Learning AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in California Secondary School Redesign Pilot implementing career pathways approaches alongside BPL and CORE Districts.
• CORE DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in California Secondary School Redesign Pilot focused on school improvement and student engagement metrics.
• School FoundryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Together We Learn initiative working to scale design principles across alternative schools through coaching, convenings, and peer networks.
• Open Way LearningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-creator of Together We Learn initiative with School Foundry, working to scale BPL-inspired design principles across alternative schools nationally.
• University of MelbourneflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Melbourne warrants the International Big Picture Learning Credential (IBPLC), providing academic validation for the alternative credential. Research institutions in Australia have validated the credential framework.
• Straight Up ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPL partners with Straight Up Impact on B Unbound initiative - a community-based platform connecting young people with supportive adults and peers navigating their way through shared interests.
• Education FirstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPL partnered with Education First and Gates Foundation to create Pursuing Purpose: A Playbook for Meaningful Student Engagement (2026). Young people, including some featured in the playbook, co-created resources for educators and community leaders.
• UCLA/CRESSTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership assessing alignment of IBPLC with external frameworks focusing on college and career readiness and social and emotional learning.
• Internationals Network for Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBPL co-founded the Deeper Learning Equity Fellowship in partnership with Internationals Network, identifying and empowering emerging public education leaders to amplify underrepresented voices in the deeper learning movement.
• Beyond the Box Education (Barbados)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational IBPLC pilot in Barbados phasing out standardized testing in favor of the Big Picture Learning credential.
• Big Picture Learning KenyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational IBPLC pilot adapting the credential to post-secondary youth pathways in Kenya.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EL Education: National K-12 education nonprofit operating a network of schools implementing student-centered, project-based learning with similar distinguishers (advisory, exhibitions, crew). Directly competes with BPL for district partnerships and foundation funding in the deeper learning space.
• New Tech Network: K-12 school network organization that supports project-based learning and student-centered design across member schools. Comparable in mission (transforming K-12 through school design) and operating model (network of partner schools with coaching support).
• Internationals Network for Public Schools: K-12 network serving immigrant and newly arrived students through student-centered, project-based learning. Direct partner with BPL on the Deeper Learning Equity Fellowship and operates a similar network-coaching model for underserved student populations.
• Linked Learning Alliance: National K-12 network organization promoting career-connected learning pathways that integrate academics with real-world application. Direct partner with BPL on California's Secondary School Redesign Pilot; both compete for career pathways funding.
• CORE Districts: California-based coalition of urban school districts focused on school improvement and student engagement metrics. Direct partner with BPL on California's Secondary School Redesign Pilot, working together on state-level education transformation.
• Envision Schools: Bay Area charter school network implementing project-based learning, portfolio assessments, and student exhibitions. Operates a similar school design model with comparable distinguishers to BPL, serving as an alternative for California schools.
• High Tech High: San Diego-based K-12 network known for project-based, student-centered learning with adult-world connections. Overlapping methodology with BPL (personalization, exhibitions, real-world learning) and competes for California district partnerships.

Emerging players

• XQ Institute: Foundation-backed high school redesign initiative funding school transformation through 'Super Schools.' Overlapping mission with BPL on reimagining high school, with substantially larger funding from Emerson Collective.

Broad incumbents

• Jobs for the Future: National nonprofit driving workforce and education transformation, with significant focus on career pathways and youth employment. Comparable in mission around connecting education to economic opportunity, with much larger organizational scale.
• New Schools Venture Fund: Venture philanthropy fund supporting education innovation, including network operators and education entrepreneurs. Comparable as a K-12 education nonprofit funder/incubator with broader portfolio than BPL's direct service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bigpiclearning
• YouTubeyoutube.com/bplearning
• Facebookfacebook.com/bigpicturelearning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bigpicturelearning
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigpiclearning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Picture Learning