What Edcamp Foundation does

Edcamp Foundation is a 501(c)-style nonprofit community that runs and supports the Edcamp model of educator professional development. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Washington, US, it operates 1-10 employees and functions as a program under Digital Promise, a separate nonprofit that hosts the Edcamp website and community resources. Its core offering is the Edcamp Community: free, open public events where educators collaboratively determine session topics the day of the event, facilitated by participant experience rather than expert presentations, governed by the 'Rule of Two Feet' and a strict vendor-free policy. The organization has also launched four themed programs — Edcamp: YouthMADE, Edcamp: Emerging Technology in the Classroom, Edcamp: Powerful Learning at Home, and Edcamp: Design for Learning — plus the Edcamp Organizer Handbook and a Certificate of Completion that educators can present to districts for professional development credit.

From a business model standpoint, Edcamp generates no commercial revenue. Events never charge a fee, the model explicitly prohibits selling goods or services or requiring purchases from attendees, and pricing is uniformly free with no tiers or subscriptions. Growth is purely community-led and grassroots: satisfied participants become organizers, and peer-to-peer recommendation is the dominant acquisition channel. Marketing is limited to a content/blog presence on the Digital Promise Edcamp site and word-of-mouth within educator networks, with no sales team, paid advertising, or commercial marketing. Historically the model has been sustained by philanthropic grants, including a $100,000 NewSchools Venture Fund round in December 2014 and a $2,000,000 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant in August 2015; cumulative disclosed funding is approximately $2.1 million.

In 2024, Digital Promise — the institutional host for Edcamp — announced it would no longer manage intake of new Edcamps or provide gift cards and stipends to organizers, representing a material reduction in central programmatic support. However, the Edcamp website, FAQ, and Organizer Handbook (updated June 2024) remain available, and the model is designed to continue operating through independent, locally organized events following the Edcamp tenets. Customer outcomes reported in source data include 97% of Edcampers developing beneficial professional contacts, over 70% learning at least 4 actionable classroom ideas, and over 80% of administrators exposed to the model approving Edcamp for teacher training credit in their districts — signals of strong practitioner validation even as institutional scaffolding contracts.

Name

Edcamp Foundation

Website

https://edcamp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Edcamp Foundation is a nonprofit community that runs free, participant-driven professional development events for K-12 and higher-education educators, operating as a hosted program under Digital Promise with no commercial revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educator Professional Development Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Academic Enrichment Camps (General Studies) (EDAMALAB)

Keywords

• Educator professional development
• Community learning events
• Participant-driven workshops
• Teacher training resources
• Nonprofit education community

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Freemium: Edcamp is a free public service model. Events never charge a fee and are open to educators of all levels, subjects, and schools. Edcamps may not sell any goods/services or require attendees to purchase goods or services. Digital Promise previously managed intake and provided gift cards and stipends to organizers, but this support has been discontinued. No commercial revenue is generated.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Edcamp Foundation operates the Edcamp Community, a free, public professional learning model for educators built around participant-driven events. Educators attend and organize local Edcamps where session topics are collaboratively determined the day of the event, supported by resources such as the Edcamp Organizer Handbook, specialized Edcamp programs, and a Certificate of Completion for professional development credit.

Product overview

Edcamp Foundation operates as a community-driven professional development platform for educators. The core offering is the Edcamp Community, which consists of free public events where educators collaboratively determine discussion topics on the day of the event. The platform encompasses four specialized Edcamp programs: Edcamp: YouthMADE (focused on maker education), Edcamp: Emerging Technology in the Classroom (technology integration), Edcamp: Powerful Learning at Home (remote learning), and Edcamp: Design for Learning (instructional design). Supporting resources include the Edcamp Organizer Handbook for independent event planning and Certificates of Completion for professional development credit documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Edcamp: YouthMADE: Edcamp focused on youth-made design and learning
• Edcamp: Emerging Technology in the Classroom
• Edcamp: Powerful Learning at Home
• Edcamp: Design for Learning

Products and services

• Edcamp Community A professional learning community platform that supports educators to organize and participate in free professional development events. Edcamps leverage participant knowledge and experiences by allowing educators to collaboratively determine session topics the day of the event.
• Edcamp Organizer Handbook A comprehensive handbook providing guidance on organizing Edcamp events, including best practices, templates, and operational guidelines for facilitators. Available as a free downloadable resource.
• Certificate of Completion A certificate provided to Edcamp participants to demonstrate attendance and learning, used to advocate for professional development credit with administrators and districts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of Edcampers developed beneficial professional contacts
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Digital PromisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Promise hosts and supports the Edcamp Community as a core initiative. Digital Promise previously managed event intake, provided central support, and offered gift cards and stipends to organizers. This support has been discontinued, but Digital Promise continues to host the Edcamp website and make resources (including the Organizer Handbook) available. Edcamp is designed to be an educator-driven model, and Digital Promise serves as the institutional host supporting the community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Learning Forward: National professional association dedicated to improving educator professional learning; comparable to Edcamp in targeting teacher PD outcomes and providing standards-based PD guidance, though delivered through formal accreditation and membership rather than free community events.
• ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development): Major educator association providing professional development, publications, and resources for K-12 educators and administrators. Overlaps with Edcamp's audience of teachers and school leaders seeking professional learning content.
• ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education): Membership organization serving educators focused on technology integration in classrooms. Directly comparable to Edcamp's 'Emerging Technology in the Classroom' sub-program and broader educator PD mission.
• PBL Works (Buck Institute for Education): Nonprofit providing project-based learning professional development for K-12 educators. Comparable niche PD provider serving overlapping educator audience with workshops, conferences, and training.
• EdTechTeacher: Organization providing professional development and coaching for educators on integrating technology in classrooms. Comparable in delivering teacher-focused PD with community-driven programming.
• Common Sense Education: Nonprofit providing free digital citizenship and edtech PD resources for K-12 educators. Comparable free PD model targeting K-12 teachers with curriculum and training programs.
• New Teacher Center: Nonprofit organization focused on teacher induction, mentoring, and professional development. Similar nonprofit-driven PD model serving educators and school systems.

Emerging players

• Teach For America: Large nonprofit placing teachers in underserved schools with training and professional development. Overlaps with Edcamp's educator development mission but focuses on corps member training rather than ongoing PD for existing teachers.

Broad incumbents

• National Education Association (NEA): Largest U.S. educator professional association, providing PD, advocacy, and member services. Broader scope than Edcamp but serves the same educator base with PD and training offerings.

Others

• EdSurge: Edtech information and community platform serving educators with product reviews, news, and conferences. Comparable community-facing function for educator information exchange, though not a direct PD provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/digitalpromise
• Facebookfacebook.com/EdcampFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edcamp-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/digitalpromise
• Xx.com/edcampusa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 Edcamp Foundation