Math Corps, Wayne State University

What Math Corps, Wayne State University does

Math Corps is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit (EIN 82-4958844) founded in 1992 at Wayne State University in Detroit that runs tuition-free summer math enrichment programs for middle and high school students, complemented by year-round Super Saturdays weekend sessions and an active alumni network. Its core offering is a six-week Summer Camp that combines intensive daily math instruction with a near-peer mentoring model — high school students serve as Teaching Assistants and Program Assistants, while college students serve as College Assistants and Instructors — under the operational leadership of founder Professor Kahn. The organization's "technology" is primarily human and pedagogical rather than software-based: a WordPress website (built pro bono by volunteer and former College Instructor Alex Manor), a virtual summer camp delivery system assembled during COVID-2020 from tablets, cellular hotspots, and video conferencing tools, a long-running student journaling practice with an archive spanning nearly 30 years (now being digitized with University of Michigan Ginsberg Center support), and codified camp traditions such as the "Joke of the Week." There is no proprietary software product, API, or AI capability disclosed.

Math Corps makes money exclusively through charitable contributions, not participant fees. Its revenue streams include individual donations collected via Stripe (one-time and recurring, framed as the most flexible form of support), corporate and institutional sponsorships from a broad base (GM, DTE, PNC Foundation, Detroit Tigers, Piston Group, Mondelez, Henkel, Huntington, Gardner-White, City of Detroit, etc.), federal and state grants (NSF, MDE, M-LSA, M-Math), and in-kind donations including pro bono services (e.g., Doner for brand work). Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: growth comes through host partnerships with universities that provide physical sites and academic credibility, grassroots outreach and family referrals for student recruitment, interview-based selection of high school TAs, and annual visibility events such as Capitol Day in Lansing, the National Youth Leadership Institute, the America's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and a Congressional hearing on summer learning.

The organization operates across at least nine U.S. sites — Detroit, Dearborn, Flint, Pontiac, Ypsilanti, and Ann Arbor (Michigan); Cleveland (Ohio, Cleveland State University); St. Paul (Minnesota, Macalester College); and New Brunswick (New Jersey, Rutgers University) — with historical/affiliate presence in Philadelphia and Utica. Leadership includes Professor Kahn (founder/director), Laura Richardson (Chief Advancement Officer), Mobashira Farooqi (National Expansion Manager), and Paige Scholten (National Program Support Coordinator); the Board of Directors added Moses Shepherd in October 2023 and Laura Khoury in October 2024. The company is private (not publicly traded), employs 11-50 staff, and is governed as a typical U.S. non-profit with no equity investors or parent company, though it maintains a programmatic affiliation with Wayne State University as its institutional origin.

Name

Math Corps, Wayne State University

Legal name

Math Corps National

Website

https://mathcorps.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth STEM Education Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Problem-Solving & Enrichment Classes (Non-competition) (EDAMAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Math Circles & Mathematical Communities (EDAMAEAC), Contest Prep Bootcamps & Intensive Workshops (EDAMAEAE)

Keywords

• Math enrichment programs
• Youth STEM education
• Summer learning camps
• Near-peer mentoring
• College access services

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual donations and Stripe online giving: Math Corps is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit (EIN 82-4958844) that solicits donations via its website using Stripe, including one-time and recurring gifts; donations are explicitly framed as the most flexible form of support.
2. Corporate and institutional sponsorships: Sustained support from a broad base of corporate, civic, and foundation supporters displayed on the site (e.g., GM, DTE, PNC Foundation, Detroit Tigers, Piston Group, Mondelez, Henkel, Huntington, Gardner-White, Diversified, City of Detroit, CFSEM, David and Inez Myers Foundation, UWSEM, Wayne Metro, NSF, MDE, M-LSA, M-Math, OUCU, Summer Discovery, Eagles, Connect, Elizabeth).
3. In-kind donations of equipment and services: During the pandemic Math Corps explicitly sought cash, tablets, and cellular hotspots as in-kind donations to support virtual delivery. Pro bono professional services have also been provided (e.g., Doner advertising agency for brand work; volunteer website build by Alex Manor).
4. Government and foundation grants: Program is sustained in part by federal/state grants and foundation funding (e.g., National Science Foundation logo listed as supporter; the program has been featured in NSF-linked STEM For All Video Showcase and recognized in a Congressional hearing on summer learning).

Go-to-market motion3 records

Core offering

Math Corps is a tuition-free charitable non-profit that delivers a six-week summer math enrichment camp for middle and high school students, combining intensive daily math instruction with near-peer mentoring by high school Teaching Assistants, college Program Assistants, and College Instructors. The core program is supplemented by year-round Super Saturdays weekend sessions and an Alumni Network that re-engages former participants as staff, donors, and advocates. The organization operates across multiple U.S. university sites and is sustained by donations, sponsorships, and grants.

Product overview

Math Corps is a single integrated educational program — not a modular software platform — operated by a 501(c)(c)3 non-profit headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, with origins at Wayne State University. Its core offering is the six-week Summer Camp, which combines intensive daily math instruction with near-peer mentoring, complemented by the Super Saturdays weekend program for year-round engagement. The program operates across multiple U.S. locations (Detroit, Dearborn, Flint, Pontiac, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Cleveland, St. Paul, New Brunswick), with a dedicated alumni network sustaining long-term community ties. There is no separate software product or platform; the "products" listed above are the program experiences themselves.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Camp A six-week summer program combining intensive daily math instruction with near-peer mentoring by high school Teaching Assistants and college College Instructors, serving middle school students across multiple U.S. university sites, tuition-free.
• Super Saturdays Weekend sessions designed to sharpen math skills and strengthen the Math Corps community, offered as a year-round complement to the Summer Camp.
• Math Corps Alum Network An alumni engagement initiative reconnecting former campers, Teaching Assistants, College Assistants, College Instructors, and Site/Program Coordinators as part of the Math Corps program family.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mathnasium: Large franchise math tutoring network serving K-12 students globally with centers across the U.S. — addresses the same supplemental-math-learning need but as a paid retail service at much larger scale.
• Kumon: Global franchise math and reading enrichment program with thousands of centers — comparable supplemental-math-learning category and target demographic, though it operates at vastly larger scale with a standardized workbook model.
• National Math and Science Initiative: Large non-profit focused on STEM education improvement in U.S. schools, including teacher training and student programs — comparable mission of expanding STEM access, but operates at national-policy scale rather than as a direct community program.

Direct peers

• Art of Problem Solving: Math enrichment and competition-prep company offering textbooks, online classes, and a community forum — directly comparable in audience (mathematically motivated K-12 students) and enrichment/competition focus.
• BEAM (Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics): Non-profit math enrichment program serving low-income and underrepresented middle and high school students with summer programs, mentoring, and community — closely aligned with Math Corps' mission, target demographic, and near-peer mentoring model.
• Russian School of Mathematics: Private K-12 math enrichment franchise offering rigorous problem-solving classes and competition preparation — comparable enrichment curriculum and community-building pedagogy, though delivered as a paid for-profit service rather than a free non-profit.
• Breakthrough Collaborative: Non-profit network of tuition-free summer enrichment programs for middle-school students from under-resourced communities, hosted at universities — closely analogous host-university model, near-peer TA staffing, and equity-focused mission.

Others

• Summer Discovery: Private pre-college summer enrichment program provider listed as a Math Corps supporter — adjacent in summer-enrichment category but serves higher-income, paid-camp customers with broader academic programming.
• MATHCOUNTS Foundation: Non-profit administering middle-school math competitions and enrichment programs — Math Corps students likely participate in MATHCOUNTS events; complementary ecosystem player in math enrichment rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Detroit-area youth STEM non-profits (e.g., Black River Scholars, Detroit Prep partners): Other Detroit-anchored non-profits serving underrepresented youth with STEM or academic enrichment — regionally comparable mission and demographic, though often narrower in scope and less math-specific than Math Corps.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/mathcorps
• Xx.com/mathcorps1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/math-corps

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 Math Corps, Wayne State University