Catalyst:Ed

What Catalyst:Ed does

Catalyst Exchange (doing business as Catalyst:Ed) is a US-based nonprofit founded in 2015 and headquartered in New Orleans that operates a two-sided marketplace connecting mission-driven organizations with a pre-vetted network of professional consultants. The platform, accessible at catalyst-exchange.org with dedicated partner and provider portals at platform.catalyst-ed.org and app.catalyst-ed.org, formalizes engagement through a three-step process (Get Clear, Get Matched, Get Results) that takes organizations from goal clarification through consultant matching and project execution. The platform has processed 2,100+ requests for expert support, onboards 1,000+ vetted consultants, and reports serving 1,500+ organizations with a 95% partner satisfaction rate.

The company serves six explicit vertical segments: nonprofits, state and local government agencies, K-12 schools and systems, place-based multi-stakeholder partnerships, intermediary and research organizations, and private foundations. Use cases span capacity building, organizational development, educational improvement, policy implementation, grant program execution, and strategic planning. The underlying technology is a standard web-based portal architecture with no disclosed APIs, SDKs, mobile applications, or AI/ML components; matching appears to be human-mediated rather than algorithmic.

The business model combines philanthropic grant funding from 11 institutional foundations (including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Walton Family Foundation, Blue Meridian, Ballmer Group, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, ECMC Foundation, Oak Foundation, Barr Foundation, Thornburg Foundation, and New Schools) with facilitation fees from project engagements. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led with content marketing ('The Catalyst' newsletter, Resources hub) and referral partnerships through the foundation funder network. The organization operates exclusively within the United States with a headcount of 11-50 employees.

Name

Catalyst:Ed

Legal name

Catalyst Exchange

Website

https://catalyst-ed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Catalyst:Ed is a New Orleans-based nonprofit operating a two-sided marketplace that connects mission-driven organizations across six verticals (nonprofits, K-12, government, foundations, research, place-based partnerships) with a vetted network of 1,000+ professional consultants for project-based expert support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education and Nonprofit Consulting Platform

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Project Preparation Facilities & Technical Assistance Windows (BPADAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

Keywords

• Education consulting services
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Consultant matching platform
• Mission-driven advisory
• Organizational development support

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services Facilitation: Facilitates connections between organizations seeking expert support and vetted consultants. Revenue appears to come from service fees charged for matching organizations with consultants and managing project engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Catalyst:Ed operates Catalyst Exchange, a web-based platform that connects mission-driven organizations with a pre-vetted network of 1000+ consultants for capacity building, project management, and expert advisory engagements. Organizations submit project requests through the platform, are matched with domain-aligned consultants, and manage engagements through a structured three-step process (Get Clear, Get Matched, Get Results). The service is delivered to nonprofits, K-12 schools, state and local agencies, foundations, and place-based partnerships across the United States.

Product overview

Catalyst Exchange operates as a platform connecting mission-driven organizations with vetted consultants. The offering consists of the Catalyst Exchange Platform (the main matching and engagement platform), the Partner Dashboard (for organizations to manage projects), and access to the Catalyst Network Consultants network. Organizations can clarify goals, get matched with vetted professionals, and receive expert support for capacity building and project management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Catalyst: Newsletter providing updates, resources, and opportunities for the Catalyst Exchange community.

Products and services

• Catalyst Exchange Platform A web-based matching and project management platform that connects mission-driven organizations with vetted consultants. Organizations post projects, get matched with experts from a 1000+ network, and manage engagements through a structured three-step process (Get Clear, Get Matched, Get Results). For nonprofits, K-12 systems, state and local agencies, foundations, place-based partnerships, and intermediary/research organizations in the United States.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% partner organization satisfaction
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Catchafire: Catchafire is a nonprofit-focused talent marketplace connecting mission-driven organizations with skilled professionals for projects and capacity building. It is the most directly comparable peer to Catalyst Exchange in terms of mission-driven consulting matchmaking and shared customer base.
• Taproot Foundation: Taproot Foundation is a nonprofit that engages skilled volunteers and consultants in pro bono engagements for nonprofits and schools. It overlaps with Catalyst Exchange in providing expert capacity-building support to mission-driven organizations, though its pro bono model differs from Catalyst's paid engagement approach.

Broad incumbents

• Catalant (now part of Axiom): Catalant is an enterprise consulting marketplace connecting businesses with independent consultants and boutique firms. While it serves broader corporate clients, the platform mechanics (matching, project management, consultant vetting) directly mirror Catalyst Exchange's model, making it a key adjacent incumbent.
• GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group): GLG is a large expert network connecting professionals with consulting and research engagements. Although GLG serves primarily for-profit enterprises, its expert-matching and vetting infrastructure is comparable in scale and operational design to Catalyst Exchange's 1,000+ consultant network.

Emerging players

• BoardSource: BoardSource is a nonprofit leadership and governance advisory organization serving nonprofits and foundations. It overlaps with Catalyst Exchange's intermediary and research organization segment and addresses capacity-building needs of mission-driven organizations.
• Devex: Devex is a media platform and consulting/professional services marketplace for the global development sector. It overlaps with Catalyst Exchange's capacity-building and project-support thesis in the international development and NGO segments.

Others

• Philanthropy Massachusetts / Foundant Technologies: Foundant provides grantmaking and foundation management software. It is an enabling technology peer that serves many of the same institutional foundations funding Catalyst Exchange, though it operates upstream in the grantmaking workflow.

Regional players

• Idealist: Idealist is a nonprofit jobs, volunteering, and consulting platform connecting mission-driven talent with opportunities. It serves a similar nonprofit audience to Catalyst Exchange and competes for the attention of mission-aligned professionals considering consulting engagements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_catalyst_ed

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Catalyst:Ed