ABEN

What ABEN does

ABEN (A Black Education Network) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by Debra Watkins in San Jose, California, originally as the California Alliance of African American Educators (CAAAE) and rebranded in 2017 to reflect a broader national mission. The organization develops and distributes culturally-relevant educational content centered on African and African-American history and culture, with a primary focus on addressing the underrepresentation of Black students in STEM fields (only 7% of Black college students earn STEM bachelor's degrees nationally). Its core offerings include the ABEN STEM Initiative (ASI), a culturally-relevant STEM curriculum for children in grades 3-5 with lesson plans, activity sheets, and handbooks; an annual Summer Institute for educator professional development; virtual educational tours to African countries including Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya; a webinar series featuring scholars on Afrofuturism and culturally relevant pedagogy; and published books distributed through Amazon and Bookshop.org. ABEN also runs a capacity-building program for Black-led organizations (BLOs) covering board development, fundraising, grant writing, and strategic planning, and has incubated two now-independent nonprofits (Dr. Frank S. Greene Scholars Program and Black Students of California United).

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure combining foundation grants, individual and endowment donations, and product sales. ABEN's major funders include the Hewlett Foundation, Ford Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Packard Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, California Endowment, East Bay Community Foundation, California Wellness Foundation, Cisco Foundation, AT&T Foundation, Intel Corporation, and Zoom (Zoom Cares). Curriculum products and self-guided learning packages (Summer Institute Package, Complete Virtual Experience, ABEN Experience for Districts) are sold directly through the SOWL.co platform, while books are sold on Amazon and ABEN's Bookshop storefront. ABEN's go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct relationships with schools, churches, non-profit organizations, educators, parents, corporations, and foundations, supplemented by a multi-platform social media presence and webinar programming. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, a Wisdom Circle of prominent scholars including Lisa Delpit and Gloria Ladson-Billings, and a small leadership team of fewer than 10 people. ABEN has cumulatively invested over $50,000 into peer African-centered education organizations and reports serving more than 1,000 educators through Summer Institutes and 200+ students through virtual tours to Ghana.

Name

ABEN

Legal name

A Black Education Network

Website

https://aben4ace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ABEN (A Black Education Network) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2001 that develops culturally-relevant STEM curriculum, educator professional development, virtual tours to Africa, and capacity-building services for Black students, educators, families, and Black-led organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

AI & Machine Learning (Foundations & Applied) (EDAMACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Learning, EdTech Enablement & Connectivity for Education (BPADAKAH)

Keywords

• African-centered education
• Culturally responsive STEM
• Educator professional development
• Nonprofit education programming
• K-12 curriculum publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Program Support Donations: Individual and organizational donations designated for program support including instructional materials, curricula, educational services, field trips, guest instructors, Summer Institute operations, and administrative systems.
2. Endowment Gifts: Permanent endowment contributions designated to ensure sustainability of ABEN's programs and mission.
3. Book Sales: Sale of educational books including 'WE DID THAT!' travel series and 'Thoughts Held Hostage' through Amazon and ABEN Bookshop.
4. Curriculum Sales: Sale of ASI program materials including Complete ASI Program, STEM Only Curriculum, Summer Institute Package, and Complete Virtual Experience through SOWL.co platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ABEN develops and delivers culturally-relevant educational programming for Black students and the educators who serve them. Its flagship offering is the ABEN STEM Initiative (ASI), a culturally-relevant STEM curriculum for grades 3-5 that integrates African and African-American history and culture with STEM learning. ABEN also operates an annual Summer Institute for educator professional development, offers virtual tours to Africa, hosts educational webinars, sells published books, and provides capacity-building support to Black-led nonprofit organizations.

Product overview

ABEN offers a portfolio of educational programs and resources centered on African-centered education. The core offerings include the ABEN STEM Initiative (ASI) - a culturally-relevant STEM curriculum for grades 3-5; the Summer Institute - an annual professional development event for educators; Virtual Tours - interactive livestreamed tours to African countries; Webinar Series - on-demand educational content; and Books & Bookshop - published materials documenting educational journeys. Additional offerings include Capacity Building for Black-Led Organizations and the Self-Guided Learning Series, which packages ASI curriculum and virtual experiences for individual or district purchase. The Complete Virtual Experience serves as an umbrella product combining educator and student-focused modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ABEN STEM Initiative (ASI) A culturally-relevant STEM curriculum program for children grades 3-5 that immerses students in a STEM ecosystem while integrating African and African-American history and culture. Designed for schools and districts serving Black students, the curriculum addresses underrepresentation of Black students in STEM fields by combining academic STEM content with cultural identity development.
• Summer Institute Annual professional development institute for K-12 educators featuring keynote speakers and workshops on culturally responsive pedagogy and African-centered education. Held at Stanford University and UCLA, with 18 institutes completed serving over 1,000 educators, featuring notable keynote speakers including Dr. Bob Moses, Beverly Daniel Tatum, and Gloria Ladson-Billings.
• Virtual Tours Livestreamed virtual educational tours to African countries including Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya. Combines cultural education with travel experiences, documented in published books. Delivered in partnership with H.I.M. Tours of Ghana, the program serves students seeking African cultural immersion.
• ABEN Webinar Series Educational webinar series featuring Black stories and successes with keynote speakers and accomplished academicians. Topics include Afrofuturism, culturally relevant STEM practices, social-emotional learning, anti-racist discipline, and digital diversity. Free programming with optional donations.
• Books & Bookshop Published books authored by ABEN speakers, board members, and community members, including the WE DID THAT! travel series documenting virtual tours to Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya, and Thoughts Held Hostage. Books are sold through the ABEN Bookshop on bookshop.org and through Amazon.
• Capacity Building for Black-Led Organizations (BLOs) Capacity building program providing training and support to Black-led nonprofit organizations in board development, fundraising cycle management, grant writing, strategic planning, and partnership development. ABEN has invested over $50,000 into organizations including Black Students of California United, Greene Scholars Program, Sankofa Homeschool Collective, and Children of the Sun.
• Self-Guided Learning Series On-demand educational product packages for individual purchase or district-level licensing. Products include The Summer Institute Package, The ABEN Virtual Tour Experience, The Complete Virtual Experience (for individuals and districts), and The ABEN Experience for Districts. Sold through the SOWL.co platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of Greene Scholars Program students go to college; 90% graduate in 4 years; 60% earn STEM degrees (8x national average)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, partner and incubated.

• National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN holds membership in NCRP and is engaged in BLO advocacy. NCRP has published two blogs about ABEN's culture-shifting work with the Hewlett Foundation, highlighting ABEN's role in advancing philanthropy practices.
• Sisters in Education Circle (SIEC)partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN provides capacity building support to this Black-led organization focused on education.
• Liberated Minds Homeschool CollectivepartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN supports this Black-led homeschool collective through capacity building and organizational development.
• The Kinsey CollectionpartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN provides organizational support to this Black-led cultural education organization.
• Black EdFluencers-UnitedpartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN supports this Black education organization through capacity building initiatives.
• Children of the SunpartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN invested over $50,000 in this organization and provides ongoing capacity building support.
• Sankofa Homeschool Community and CollectivepartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN invested over $50,000 in this organization and supports its capacity building efforts.
• Dr. Frank S. Greene Scholars ProgramincubatedStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN incubated this nonprofit which is now independently run. The program sends 100% of students to college with 90% graduating in 4 years and 60% in STEM fields.
• Black Students of California UnitedincubatedStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN co-founded and incubated this nonprofit in 2015, which is now independently operated.
• H.I.M. Tours of GhanapartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerABEN partnered with H.I.M. Tours of Ghana to offer virtual tours during the 2020 pandemic, serving over 200 students and chaperones.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kapor Center: Foundation driving STEM equity and tech inclusion through research, investments, and programs (e.g., SMASH); operates as a broader funder/incumbent ecosystem builder in the same culturally-relevant STEM space as ABEN.
• National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI): National organization advancing racial equity in child development and education for Black children; comparable mission orientation toward Black-centered educational excellence, though broader in scope than ABEN's STEM focus.
• Code.org: Major nonprofit expanding access to computer science in K-12 schools; adjacent to ABEN as a culturally-aware STEM curriculum provider serving schools, but operates at vastly larger scale with broader CS-only focus.
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE): Largest student-governed STEM organization for Black engineers and students in the US; comparable mission of increasing Black representation in STEM but operates as a broad membership/incumbent at significantly larger scale than ABEN.

Direct peers

• SMASH Academy (Level Playing Field Institute): STEM enrichment summer residential program for underrepresented high school students; comparable to ABEN's Summer Institute as a culturally-informed STEM intervention with documented college and STEM outcomes.
• The Hidden Genius Project: Nonprofit providing Black male youth with technology training, mentorship, and entrepreneurship programs; directly comparable as a culturally-rooted STEM intervention serving Black students, with a similar foundation-funded operating model.
• Black Girls CODE: National nonprofit delivering technology and STEM education to Black girls; shares ABEN's culturally-grounded STEM mission targeting Black youth, with comparable foundation-funding model and program-based delivery.
• Children's Defense Fund - Freedom Schools: National summer literacy and cultural enrichment program serving Black and other underserved children; comparable to ABEN's culturally-centered pedagogy and summer delivery model (Atlantis Browder has consulting ties to this program).

Emerging players

• Black in AI: Community and academic organization increasing Black representation in AI/ML research and education; partial overlap with ABEN's culturally-rooted STEM mission, particularly relevant to ABEN's STEM-curriculum positioning.
• Reach Incorporated: Washington, DC-based nonprofit combining literacy tutoring with youth development for Black high school students; comparable small-scale, culturally-centered educational nonprofit with measurable student outcomes, though focused on literacy rather than STEM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ABEN_4_ace
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCESrimV9ektfohGCyDcLPFg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ABEN4ACE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aben4ace
• Instagraminstagram.com/aben4ace

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 ABEN