Community Education Coalition

What Community Education Coalition does

The Community Education Coalition (CEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit backbone organization founded in 1997 in Columbus, Indiana, that aligns and integrates the regional community learning system with economic growth across ten Southeast Indiana counties. CEC operates two major physical shared-use facilities — the Columbus Learning Center (opened 2005, the first shared-use higher education facility in Indiana co-locating IUPUC, Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue Polytechnic, and WorkOne) and the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence (opened 2010, a 43,000 sq ft facility housing the Midwest's most extensive metrology lab and designed by Cesar Pelli) — and coordinates three regional EcO Networks (Advanced Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Attainment) that connect residents to credentials and employer-aligned training.

CEC's programmatic portfolio spans career awareness (Dream It. Do It., reaching 188,000+ participants), Latino education outreach (TuFuturo), pathway navigation (The Bridge), early learning (Umoja), civic collaboration training (CivicLab, serving 375+ communities and 20,000+ leaders), and leadership development (Systemness Academy). The organization also partnered with Indiana University to establish the J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program in 2018. CEC operates as a grant-funded backbone organization rather than a product company, with primary capital partners including Lilly Endowment Inc. (~$58M cumulative across three major grants in 2007, 2010, 2012), Lumina Foundation, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, and Cummins Foundation, alongside founding corporate partners Cummins Inc., Arvin Industries, and Irwin Financial.

The organization's competitive positioning rests on its 25-year convening authority among education, business, healthcare, and community leaders, a board comprising representatives from major regional employers (Cummins, Toyota, First Financial Bank), educational institutions, healthcare (Columbus Regional Health), and local government, and the unique physical infrastructure of its shared facilities. Jim Roberts currently serves as President and CEO, succeeding John Burnett.

Name

Community Education Coalition

Legal name

Community Education Coalition

Website

https://educationcoalition.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Education Coalition (CEC) is a 501(c)(3) backbone nonprofit founded in 1997 that aligns education with economic growth across ten Southeast Indiana counties, operating shared-use higher-education and advanced-manufacturing facilities and coordinating regional workforce, attainment, and civic-collaboration programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Community Education Coalition (CEC) operates shared-use educational facilities (Columbus Learning Center and Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence) and manages the EcO Network, a regional initiative that aligns K-16 education with employer workforce needs across ten Southeast Indiana counties. The nonprofit backbone organization facilitates cross-sector partnerships among education, business, and community leaders to increase credential attainment and address skills gaps in advanced manufacturing and healthcare sectors.

Product overview

The Community Education Coalition (CEC) operates as a backbone organization providing process facilitation and systems building support rather than a single unified product. Its core offerings include two major physical learning spaces: the Columbus Learning Center (CLC), a shared higher education facility serving IUPUC, Ivy Tech, and Purdue Polytechnic students since 2005; and the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AMCE), a 43,000 sq ft training facility. The organization manages the EcO Network initiative connecting ten Southeast Indiana counties to educational opportunities aligned with employer needs. Key programs include CivicLab (civic collaboration training institute), Systemness Academy (leadership development), TuFuturo (Latino outreach), Umoja, The Bridge (navigation services), and Dream It. Do It. (manufacturing career awareness). These offerings work together to align educational pathways with workforce development across the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CivicLab: A nonprofit institute dedicated to advancing the practice of civic collaboration, creating tools and frameworks for community collaboration. Founded in 2012, CivicLab has partnered with and served more than 375 communities across the country and trained more than 20,000+ leaders and community stakeholders.
• EcO Network
• TuFuturo

Products and services

• Columbus Learning Center A shared-use educational facility serving as the first shared-use facility in Indiana among Indiana University Purdue University Columbus, Ivy Tech Community College, and Purdue Polytechnic Institute under one roof. Serves students pursuing higher education degrees and certifications, businesses seeking workforce training, and the community.
• Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence A 43,000 square foot facility containing classrooms, teaching laboratories, and the Midwest's most extensive metrology lab, used by students and regional employers for advanced manufacturing education, precision measurement, and quality control training.
• EcO Network (Economic Opportunities through Education) A regional initiative connecting residents of ten Southeast Indiana counties to better economic opportunities through education. Includes three sub-networks (Advanced Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Attainment) that align the education system with employer needs and lift citizens up in education or job skills.
• CivicLab A nonprofit institute dedicated to advancing the practice of civic collaboration, creating tools and frameworks for community collaboration. Has partnered with and served more than 375 communities across the country and trained more than 20,000 leaders.
• Systemness Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• 188,000+ regional participants reached through career awareness activities
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Heritage Fund - the Community Foundation of Bartholomew CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Co-awarded Lilly Endowment Phase II grant and collaborates on regional EcO15 initiative.
• Indiana Department of Workforce DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Awarded $1.8M SkillUp! grant to EcO Network of Southeast Indiana supporting workforce development in advanced manufacturing and healthcare sectors.
• Ivy Tech Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Major education partner co-located at Columbus Learning Center and Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence, offering degree programs.
• Indiana University Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Major education partner co-located at Columbus Learning Center, offers bachelor's and master's degree programs including the J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program.
• Purdue PolytechniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Major education partner co-located at Columbus Learning Center and Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence.
• Economic Development BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Commissioned The Hudson Institute study that recommended focus on coordination and development of K-12 and post-secondary learning system tied to economic opportunity in advanced manufacturing.
• Columbus Area Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Co-founding partner in the establishment of CEC to align education with economic development.
• Cummins Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Major founding partner and ongoing board member. Cummins Foundation pays architectural fees for community projects and supports Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence.
• Arvin IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Co-founding partner in establishment of CEC.
• Irwin FinancialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Co-founding partner in establishment of CEC.
• WorkOnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner co-located at Columbus Learning Center, part of the shared-use facility.
• CivicLabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit institute founded in 2012 as part of EcO Phase II, dedicated to advancing the practice of civic collaboration. Has partnered with and served more than 375 communities across the country and trained 20,000+ leaders.
• City of ColumbuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwns the Columbus Learning Center through the Board of Aviation Commissioners. Supports CEC initiatives and programs.
• Bartholomew Consolidated School CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-12 school district partner serving as CEC supported organization and board member.
• Flat Rock-Hawcreek School CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-12 school district partner serving as CEC supported organization.
• Columbus Regional HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner represented on CEC board, part of supported organizations.
• Southeast Indiana Workforce BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development board partner represented on CEC board, supports regional EcO Network initiatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Achieving the Dream: Achieving the Dream is a nonprofit network supporting community colleges and their regional partners in student success and workforce alignment, closely comparable to CEC's work with Ivy Tech, IUPUC, and Purdue Polytechnic in Southeast Indiana.
• StriveTogether: StriveTogether is a national network of 70+ cradle-to-career community partnerships that operate as backbone organizations coordinating education, business, and community stakeholders toward shared outcomes - functionally the same model as CEC's EcO Network.
• Jobs for the Future (JFF): Jobs for the Future is a national nonprofit driving workforce transformation and credential attainment, with state and regional intermediary initiatives that mirror CEC's EcO Networks and AMCE-based manufacturing training strategy.
• Say Yes to Education: Say Yes to Education operates city-wide scholarship and college/career readiness partnerships coordinating K-12, higher education, and employer partners - a comparable backbone intermediary model with similar community coalition structure to CEC.
• Rural Schools Collaborative: Rural Schools Collaborative supports place-based rural education partnerships and workforce pathways, sharing CEC's focus on rural Southeast Indiana communities and the talent-development challenge in non-metropolitan regions.
• Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink: Promise Neighborhoods Institute supports cradle-to-career pipeline intermediaries in distressed communities, sharing CEC's backbone structure and systems-building approach to aligning education, workforce, and community supports.

Emerging players

• National Skills Coalition: National Skills Coalition advocates for federal skills policy and supports state/local skills coalitions, comparable to CEC's EcO Networks in advancing employer-aligned workforce training in specific geographies.

Broad incumbents

• United Way Worldwide: United Way Worldwide operates as a broader-scale backbone intermediary coordinating education, income, and health community outcomes through local United Way chapters - a larger, more generalizable version of CEC's regional backbone model.

Others

• Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program: The Aspen Institute's Economic Opportunities Program advances workforce and education systems change through intermediary capacity building - an adjacent capacity-building organization whose frameworks influence funders in CEC's space.
• Talent Hubs Network (Lumina Foundation): The Talent Hubs Network is a peer cohort of 18-30 designated communities (including CEC) working on credential attainment - directly comparable as fellow Lumina-designated peer communities pursuing similar talent-development goals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xeducationcoalition.com/contact-us

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Community Education Coalition