Math Circles of Chicago

What Math Circles of Chicago does

Math Circles of Chicago (MC2) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 45-2071512) founded in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, that delivers free and low-cost math enrichment programs to K-12 students across the city. The organization's product portfolio consists of five core programs: Math Circles (year-round community HUBs and school-based After School Programs for grades 3-12), College Pathways (advanced enrichment and STEM career exploration for grades 9-12), the QED Math Symposium (annual student research showcase for grades 5-12), Math Festivals (single-day hands-on events for K-8 students and families), and Summer Camps (two-week programs for rising 6th-12th graders). Programming is organized into a progressive ladder of mathematician-named levels (Cheng-3/4 through Euler), and delivery occurs through community HUBs, 60 After School Program classrooms (primarily on Chicago's South and West sides), and partner-hosted festivals.

MC2 does not operate proprietary technology products; the organization runs a standard web-based registration portal (registration.mathcirclesofchicago.org) and accepts donations through a third-party giving platform. The business model is philanthropic: revenue is generated primarily through charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors, supplemented by a tiered summer-camp fee structure ranging from $0 (waived for families with school 75%+ low-income or income below $70,000) to $200 per child, with most students attending at no cost. The customer base is distributed across Chicago's underserved communities, with 66% of students living in underserved areas and intentional focus on Black, Latino, and female participation.

In 2024-25, MC2 served 5,589 students through 100+ educators, 60 ASP classrooms, and 42 Math Festivals, making it the largest math circle program in the U.S. and likely the world. The organization partners with the University of Chicago, Chicago State University, FORA, MetroSquash, Project Exigent, and the national Julia Robinson Math Festival network to extend reach, and holds a Charity Navigator four-star rating and Candid Platinum Seal. The 2025 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Math Teaching was awarded to MC2's Curriculum and Evaluation Coordinator, Lauren Sawyer.

Name

Math Circles of Chicago

Legal name

Math Circles of Chicago

Website

https://mathcirclesofchicago.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Math Circles of Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free, community-based math enrichment to K-12 students across Chicago, primarily in underserved neighborhoods, through school-based programs, community HUBs, math festivals, and summer camps.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Math Enrichment Services

NAICS

All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction (611699), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAEAC

Math Circles & Mathematical Communities

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Math Enrichment & Competitions

SECONDARYEDAMAEAM

Math Games, Puzzles & Recreational Math Programs

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Math Enrichment & Competitions

SECONDARYEDAMAEAI

School-Based Math Clubs & League Programs

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Math Enrichment & Competitions

SECONDARYEDAMAEAB

Problem-Solving & Enrichment Classes (Non-competition)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Math Enrichment & Competitions

SECONDARYEDAMAEAD

Olympiad-Style Proof & Advanced Topics Programs (Number Theory/Combinatorics/Geometry)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Math Enrichment & Competitions

Keywords

• Math enrichment programs
• After school tutoring
• Nonprofit education services
• Youth math programs
• Community math learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 45-2071512), MC2 relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors. The organization accepts donations through its donation portal (mc2.ejoinme.org/donate).
2. Program Fees: Summer camp fees with tiered structure based on family income and school eligibility. Fees range from $0 (waived) to $200 per child, with family caps. Most students attend programs for free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Math Circles of Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free and low-cost math enrichment to Chicago students in grades K-12. Core offerings include Math Circles (community Hubs and school-based After School Programs), College Pathways for high schoolers, an annual QED youth math symposium, Math Festivals for K-8 families, and Summer Camps. Programs are structured into progressive levels and emphasize creative, collaborative, exploration-based math rather than rote learning.

Product overview

Math Circles of Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of free and low-cost math enrichment programs for Chicago students. The core offering consists of Math Circles (academic year community Hubs and After School Programs) serving grades 3-12, supplemented by College Pathways for high school students, QED (an annual youth math symposium), Math Festivals (community events for K-8), and Summer Camps. Programs are structured into progressive levels named after famous mathematicians: Cheng-3/4, Haynes-5/6, Brahmagupta-7/8, Cantor-A1/G, Kovalevsky-A2/PC, and Euler (advanced). The organization operates a lottery-based registration system with re-enrollment options and maintains partnerships with schools across Chicago's South and West sides.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• QED: Chicago's Youth Math Symposium: Annual math symposium where students showcase original projects, from puzzles to real-world problem solving. For students in grades 5-12.
• MC2 Karafiol Scholars

Products and services

• Math Circles Community-based math enrichment program bringing students and teachers together through Hubs and After School Programs to explore challenging, creative math during the academic year for grades 3-12.
• College Pathways High school program (grades 9-12) offered in fall, winter, and summer that empowers students to explore advanced math, STEM careers, and their own potential through enrichment and teaching assistant opportunities.
• QED: Math Symposium Annual youth math symposium held in December where students in grades 5-12 showcase original research projects, from puzzles to real-world problem solving.
• Math Festivals Fun, hands-on events held in fall, winter, and spring where K-8 students and families explore math through games and puzzles, typically hosted at schools and community venues.
• Summer Camps Two-week collaborative, creative math summer programs for students in rising 6th-12th grade, held in a fun, community-focused setting, often outdoors, at various Chicago locations including Austin, Back of the Yards, Payton, Rogers Park, and Juarez.
• MC2 Karafiol Scholars Scholarship program for graduating high school seniors who have been part of MC2 programs, offering up to $2,000 for higher education.
• After School Programs (ASP) Math Circle sessions delivered at partner schools during after-school hours, with 60 classrooms across Chicago primarily on the South and West Sides.

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered emerging, core and minor.

• MetroSquashemergingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2025Partnership with MetroSquash to host the first Fall Citywide Math Festival on Chicago's South Side. Approximately 95 persons attended the inaugural event. Both organizations collaborated on planning and execution, with MC2 providing math festival activities.
• Julia Robinson Math FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Julia Robinson Math Festival to bring festival-style math events to Chicago schools. MC2 has held over 100 Julia Robinson Math Festivals, growing from one annual festival to 42 festivals in 2024-25. JRMF provides the festival model that MC2 adapts for local schools.
• FORA (Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to serve refugee students through a Math Circle hub at FORA's Rogers Park location. MC2 opened a hub at FORA to reach refugee and immigrant students. FORA students can earn stipends, and high school assistants from FORA help lead sessions.
• Project ExigentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium of mathematicians, teachers, and students on Chicago's West side. Partnership brings Math Circles programming to Austin College & Career Academy and other West side schools. Students from Exigent schools are eligible for MC2 Karafiol Scholarships.
• University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Chicago hosts one of MC2's primary community HUBs for Math Circles sessions. UChicago's Young Scholars Program is also recommended to families as a complementary summer math enrichment option.
• Math HappensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMath Happens donated bubble tiles to MC2, which were distributed to every 2024 QED student. This donation inspired MC2's Lauren Sawyer to develop the 'Bubble Tiles' lesson that won the 2025 Rosenthal Prize.
• Chicago State UniversityemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMC2 is coming to Chicago State University in fall as part of program expansion. This represents a new partnership for expanding math enrichment access on the South Side of Chicago.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MATHCOUNTS: National middle-school math enrichment and competition program. Comparable target audience (grades 6-8), math-problem-solving pedagogy, and nonprofit structure serving schools.
• Julia Robinson Math Festivals: National math festival organization whose festival model MC2 directly partners with and replicates in Chicago. Same math-enrichment, game-and-puzzle format targeting K-12 students.
• Art of Problem Solving (AoPS): Math enrichment platform offering courses, textbooks, and competitions for advanced K-12 students. Comparable advanced-math audience, with overlapping College Pathways / contest-prep positioning.
• National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath): Math education institution that runs programs, festivals, and events aimed at changing public perception of math. Comparable mission around joyful math engagement; awards the Rosenthal Prize that MC2's staff won.
• BEAM (Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics): Nonprofit providing math enrichment and pathways to advanced math for underserved students. Highly comparable mission, target population (low-income and underrepresented students), and summer program model.
• Stanford Math Circle: University-affiliated math circle serving grades K-12 with weekly sessions. Direct counterpart to MC2's HUB model, with the same math-circle pedagogy and university partnership structure.

Broad incumbents

• Kumon: Global commercial math (and reading) supplemental learning franchise. Comparable K-12 math-enrichment audience at much larger scale, though focused on worksheet-based drill rather than inquiry.
• Mathnasium: Large commercial franchise providing math tutoring and enrichment for K-12 students. Overlapping math-learning audience but commercial model and broader curriculum positioning.

Others

• After-School All-Stars: National nonprofit providing after-school programming to underserved middle-school students. Comparable operating model (school-based ASP in underserved communities) but broader scope beyond math.

Regional players

• Chicago Public Schools (CPS) STEM Programs: Public-school district in MC2's home geography, which both hosts MC2's After School Programs and runs its own enrichment programming — a natural embedded comparator for math-enrichment delivery in the same region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mathcircchicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/mathcirclesofchicago

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Math Circles of Chicago