The Race For Education

Name

The Race For Education

Legal name

The Race For Education

Website

https://raceforeducation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Educational Support and Scholarship Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

Keywords

• College scholarship programs
• Financial literacy education
• Nonprofit educational services
• Equine industry scholarships
• Academic support programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Receives funding from federal grants (e.g., Assets for Independence grant from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), foundation grants, private individuals, and corporations.
2. Donations: Receives donations from private individuals and corporations to fund scholarship programs and operational costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Race For Education is a nonprofit organization that provides college scholarships and required financial literacy training to young people with significant financial need, with a particular focus on students in the equine, animal science, and agriculture industries. Since inception in 2002 it has delivered more than $7 million in scholarships and educational programs, supplemented by federally-funded Individual Development Account (IDA) matching grants through the Assets for Independence program, hunger-relief/summer nutrition support, and an online STARS application portal.

Product overview

The Race For Education is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of educational support programs focused on scholarship provision and financial literacy. The core offerings include a Scholarship Program delivering over $7 million in college scholarships since 2002, a Financial Literacy Program with required coursework and the Assets for Independence federal matching grant program, hunger relief programs including the 'Feed Your Body and Brain' summer nutrition initiative, and the STARS online portal for scholarship applications. The organization primarily serves students in Kentucky with connections to the equine, animal science, and agriculture industries, though expanded nationally through various partnership programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarship Program College scholarship program that delivers financial awards (ranging from $500 to $5,000+ per year depending on the specific scholarship) to young people with significant financial need and academic challenges, with a particular focus on students in the equine, animal science, and agriculture industries. All recipients must complete a FAFSA application and the financial literacy course before funds are released.
• Financial Literacy Program Required financial literacy training for all scholarship recipients, comprising an online course via financialliteracy101.org and eligibility-based participation in the Assets for Independence (AFI) matching-grant program that can add up to $4,000 to a student's scholarship award. The program was recognized by The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the President's Council on Financial Literacy in 2008.
• Assets for Independence (AFI) Program Voluntary federal matching-grant sub-program for scholarship recipients with financial need, funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. Eligible students must save $500 of earned income in an Individual Development Account held for at least six months; RFE then matches with $2,000 and the AFI grant contributes an additional $2,000 for a total of $4,000 in additional scholarship funds.
• Leg Up Program Scholarship program operated in partnership with the Kentucky 4H Program that provides one scholarship per chapter to a student at each of the more than 100 Kentucky 4H chapters, supporting rural and agriculture-connected young people in pursuing higher education.
• Hunger Programs (Feed Your Body and Brain) Nutrition support program operating in two parts: an in-school healthy snacks program delivered through partnership with God's Pantry Food Bank, and a summer nutrition program "Feed Your Body and Brain" delivered with Fresh Approach, God's Pantry and International Book Project providing free lunch for children up to 18 years of age along with weekly healthy picnics and age-appropriate reading material.
• RFE KEEP Foundation Scholarship Scholarship issued in partnership with the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) providing up to $5,000 per year to students across all 120 Kentucky counties who are pursuing studies in equine, animal science, or agriculture.
• AAEP Veterinary School Scholarship One-per-school scholarship for veterinary students jointly funded by The Race For Education, the AAEP Foundation, and Platinum Performance, distributed across all 34 veterinary schools in North America to support students pursuing equine veterinary careers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70% graduation rate vs. 50.6% national average
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 core and minor.

• Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership to award scholarships across all 120 counties in Kentucky to students pursuing equine, animal science, or agriculture studies. The RFE KEEP Foundation Scholarship offers up to $5,000 per year.
• Kentucky 4H ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013"Leg Up" program partnership offering a scholarship to one student at each of the over 100 chapters in Kentucky.
• American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Offers one scholarship to each of the 34 Veterinary Schools in North America. Program is jointly funded by RFE, AAEP Foundation, and Platinum Performance.
• God's Pantry Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide healthy snacks to young people during the school year as part of addressing hunger issues that affect academic performance.
• Fresh ApproachminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the summer nutrition program "Feed Your Body and Brain" providing free lunch for children up to 18 years of age.
• International Book ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the summer nutrition program "Feed Your Body and Brain" providing weekly healthy picnics for families with age-appropriate reading material.
• financialliteracy101.orgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline financial literacy course provider. Scholarship recipients are required to complete this course before receiving scholarship awards.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• American Quarter Horse Foundation: The charitable arm of the American Quarter Horse Association, offering scholarships specifically to students in the equine industry. Highly comparable mission, target demographic (equine/agriculture youth), and scholarship model, though at larger scale and tied to a single breed association.
• National FFA Organization: FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) supports youth in agricultural education through scholarships, leadership programs, and career development. Strong overlap with RFE's agriculture-industry student focus and 4-H-like chapter structure, though FFA operates nationally with far greater scale.
• Thoroughbred Charities of America: A nonprofit dedicated to supporting Thoroughbred industry workers and retired racehorses, including scholarship programs for equine industry families. Directly comparable equine-industry, Kentucky-relevant scholarship focus.
• Kentucky 4-H Foundation: Fundraising arm of Kentucky's 4-H youth development program, offering scholarships to 4-H participants. RFE is already a partner via the Leg Up program; both serve the same agricultural youth demographic in Kentucky with scholarship funding.

Broad incumbents

• EQUUS Foundation: A national equine welfare and education nonprofit supporting horse-related charities and youth. Broader scope than RFE, with a focus on equine welfare grants rather than direct scholarships, but operates in the same equine industry ecosystem.
• Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans: A large national nonprofit that provides need-based scholarships to at-risk youth pursuing higher education. Similar low-income student focus and outcome-driven mission, but at vastly larger national scale and without equine/agriculture specialization.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): One of the largest minority scholarship and education nonprofits in the U.S., serving low-income students through scholarships and financial literacy programming. Comparable mission and financial literacy integration, but at substantially larger scale and focused on a different demographic.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: National nonprofit providing scholarships and financial literacy support to Hispanic students and families. Strong overlap in low-income student scholarship and financial education model, though broader scale and demographically targeted.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: A large national scholarship nonprofit for high-achieving students with financial need, with a strong emphasis on persistence-to-graduation outcomes. Comparable outcomes-driven approach but operates at significantly larger endowment scale.

Others

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth development nonprofit serving low-income youth with academic support, college readiness, and scholarship programming. Indirect peer — overlaps in low-income youth mission and college-prep/financial literacy programming but does not specialize in scholarships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/race4ed
• Facebookfacebook.com/RFEscholarships
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-race-for-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 The Race For Education