Colorado Education Initiative
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Colorado Education Initiative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Colorado Education Initiative
- Legal name
- Colorado Education Initiative
- Website
- https://coloradoedinitiative.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Colorado Education Initiative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Career Readiness & College Prep (In-School) (EDAJAFAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB), Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping Resources (State/NAEYC/Head Start) (EDACAJAN)
Keywords
Where Colorado Education Initiative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Colorado Education Initiative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Foundation Grants: CEI receives significant grant funding from private foundations including Caring for Colorado ($1,894,500 new investment + $6M to launch Youth Connections), The Denver Foundation ($1,679,500 grant for Youth Connections via Colorado Health Access Fund), Boettcher Foundation (funding for Rural Superintendent Academy), The Colorado Health Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, and The Upswing Fund for Adolescent Mental Health. These grants fund specific programs and initiatives spanning 1–5 year periods.
- Federal Government Grants: CEI partners with the National Center for Families Learning on a five-year $4,773,464 Statewide Family Engagement Centers Program (84.310A) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. CEI has also been a primary state education partner to the Governor's Office and CDE in COVID-19 emergency response leadership, and has facilitated ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) technical assistance across Colorado districts.
- State Public Funding Partnerships: CEI has helped champion approximately $21M in new funding invested in Colorado's K-12 systems over 18 months from a combination of public and private sources. This includes partnerships supporting RISE and RISE-related work statewide, Opportunity Now Scale grants (e.g., St. Vrain Valley awarded $7M), and other state-administered education funds.
- Youth Connections District Funding Pass-Through: Approximately $500,000 is passed through to each of the participating school districts in Youth Connections to support planning and implementation efforts. This is not direct revenue to CEI but represents funds flowing through CEI-facilitated partnerships for program delivery.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Colorado Education Initiative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) is a statewide nonprofit intermediary that partners with Colorado K-12 school districts, educators, families, and state agencies on systems-change initiatives spanning leadership development, social-emotional learning, career-connected pathways, family engagement, and education policy. CEI delivers shoulder-to-shoulder consulting, executive coaching, strategic planning facilitation, and convening services, while also operating flagship programs such as Youth Connections, the Rural Superintendent Academy, Future Ready Families, the Colorado Trustee Network, and the Colorado Roadmap for AI in K-12 Education. All programs are provided at no cost to districts and families, funded by philanthropic, federal, and state grants.
Product overview
Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) is a nonprofit organization that serves as an implementation expert, innovation thought leader, and statewide convener for Colorado's K-12 public education system. CEI does not offer a single unified product but rather operates a portfolio of interconnected initiatives and programs. The core offerings include: Youth Connections (social-emotional and mental health support), Rural Superintendent Academy (leadership development), Social Emotional Development Programs (including Thriving Schools/RISE), Career-Connected Learning initiatives, and Future Ready Families (family engagement resources). These programs work together to cultivate systems improvement and equity, supporting district partnerships, ecosystem building, and policy advocacy across the state. Additional offerings include consulting services, district graduate profile frameworks, the Colorado Trustee Network, Reimagining Education Accountability initiative, and the emerging AI in Education initiative with its accompanying Colorado Roadmap for AI in K-12 Education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Rural Superintendent Academy (RSA): A professional development opportunity led by CEI to develop and advance approaches that improve rural school district leadership, while fostering peer-to-peer relationships among participants. Made possible with support from the Boettcher Foundation.
- Youth Connections
- Future Ready Families
- Colorado Trustee Network
Products and services
- Youth Connections A multi-year initiative designed to strengthen the capacity of schools to respond to and promote social, emotional, and mental well-being for Colorado middle and high school students, particularly those experiencing barriers to feeling connected and engaged. Currently involves 13 school districts across three cohorts.
- Rural Superintendent Academy (RSA) A professional development opportunity led by CEI to develop and advance approaches that improve rural school district leadership, while fostering peer-to-peer relationships among participants. Made possible with support from the Boettcher Foundation, with five cohorts launched and 24+ graduates serving as superintendents statewide.
- Future Ready Families A robust website with proven tools, resources, and strategies to empower parents and caregivers as engaged partners in their child's education and development, including assessment literacy tools available in English and Spanish.
- Career-Connected Learning
Quantifiable outcome
- Alamosa Schools achieved 'green' performance standard for the first time in five years after investing in teacher practice, school culture, student empowerment, and family partnership supported by CEI
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Colorado Education Initiative
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Colorado Education Initiative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Colorado Education Initiative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Colorado Mesa UniversitycoreCEI facilitated a partnership between Mesa Valley School District 51 (D51) and Colorado Mesa University Tech to ensure students are equipped for success through certificate and associate degree pathways leading to high-paying, in-demand jobs. This partnership exemplifies CEI's work to blur the lines between K-12 and postsecondary education.
- aiEDUcoreCEI and aiEDU launched a new AI in Education Statewide Steering Committee for Colorado, bringing together local and national leaders to focus on AI advancements, opportunities, and the future of education in Colorado. CEI also partnered with aiEDU to issue the Colorado Roadmap for AI in K-12 Education, developed with over 100 participants.
- Colorado Trustee Network (CTN)coreCEI leads the Colorado Trustee Network, a statewide network of school board members fostering partnerships with postsecondary representatives and accelerating access and equity in higher education spaces. Led by Director Shelley Banker, CTN focuses on postsecondary policy and partnerships.
- Colorado SucceedsminorColorado Succeeds is a partner organization referenced in CEI's FMI and other career-connected learning initiatives, contributing to the broader ecosystem of organizations developing career pathways and workforce alignment in Colorado.
- Colorado School Finance Project (CSFP)coreCEI partnered with CSFP on the ESSER Mid-point statewide survey as part of launching the CO Statewide Family Engagement Center grant. CSFP initiated the survey as part of their ESSER technical assistance project. CSFP's mission is to compile and distribute research-based, non-partisan information on school finance for state and local policymakers.
- National Center for Families Learning (NCFL)coreNCFL was selected by the U.S. Department of Education to create and lead the Colorado Statewide Family Engagement Center (CO SFEC). CEI is a key implementation partner alongside CDE, CSPC, and BPN. The five-year, $4,773,464 grant builds capacity for families, schools, and communities to address learning recovery and implement practices to improve student development and family well-being. CEI contributes its 15-year reputation, on-the-ground district relationships, and expertise in family engagement to the partnership.
- Colorado Department of Education (CDE)coreCDE is a core partner in the CO SFEC and CEI's primary state agency partner. CEI has served as the primary state education partner to the Governor's Office and CDE in COVID-19 emergency response leadership. CDE's Commissioner serves as an ex-officio member on CEI's Board of Directors. CDE leads state-level infrastructure including the State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education (SACPIE) and Family School Community Partnerships P-12 Framework, which the CO SFEC leverages.
- Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition (CSPC)coreCSPC promotes equity in education for over 40 years and is a key partner in the CO SFEC. CSPC teaches parents about their rights and effective ways to support children's development. CSPC has trained over 4,500 parents through its Parent Leadership Teams and over 2,800 parents through its LOS PADRES/LAS MADRES programs. CSPC contributes community connections and parent leadership expertise to CEI's statewide family engagement initiatives.
- Black Parent Network (BPN)coreBPN creates a network of parents advocating collaboratively for Black children in schools, districts, and civic arenas. A partner in the CO SFEC, BPN is focused on developing Black Excellence plans modeled after Denver Public Schools' work to ensure educational equity for Black students. BPN contributes equity-centered parent engagement expertise with emphasis on serving Black families across Colorado.
- Seek Common GroundminorSeek Common Ground supported the development of the Understanding Assessments tool for families, contributing to the coalition of Colorado family-facing organizations that CEI convened for this initiative.
- Future Ready Families and Learning HeroescoreCEI partnered with Future Ready Families and Learning Heroes to launch the Understanding Assessments: A Tool for Families resource, supporting families in navigating assessments throughout a school year. This partnership built on a 2021 partnership with Learning Heroes and expanded the suite of materials available on FutureReadyFamilies.org.
- Pueblo Community College Fremont CampuscorePueblo Community College's Fremont Campus is a key partner in the Fremont Multidistrict Initiative (FMI), a first-of-its-kind collaborative in Colorado where three rural school districts (Cañon City RE-1, Fremont RE-2, Cotopaxi RE-3) partner with the college to develop regional approaches to accelerating student success through shared concurrent enrollment, internship, P-TECH, and career pathway programs.
- Fremont Multidistrict Initiative (FMI) Partners (Cañon City Schools RE-1, Fremont School District RE-2, Cotopaxi School District RE-3)coreThe FMI is a cross-regional collaboration formed in early 2020 among three Fremont County school districts, CEI, and Pueblo Community College to increase student access to and engagement in college and career pathways in rural Colorado. FMI partners are piloting Medical, Agriculture, and Environmental pathways and have opened college and career opportunities to students across all three districts.
- Early Milestones ColoradominorCEI partnered with Early Milestones Colorado to produce the 2021 Recovery Summer report, featuring innovative summer programs across eleven regional partnerships aimed at supporting families through direct investments and stronger partnerships with community-based and out-of-school time organizations.
- Colorado Youth for a Change (CYC)minorCEI partnered with CYC and Serve Colorado on a joint research and design project to surface untapped pathways into teaching careers through CYC's AmeriCorps Programs. Using a GEER grant, CEI and CYC developed empathy-based research to identify and reduce barriers to pursuing teaching careers, with insights informing pilot solutions.
- Grit Digital HealthcoreCEI partners with Grit Digital Health to adapt the Nod mobile app (originally designed for college campuses) for Colorado high school students. Nod uses the science of social connection to combat loneliness and build social skills. With grant support from The Upswing Fund for Adolescent Mental Health, CEI and Grit Digital Health are engaging Colorado high school students, parents, and school staff to develop content specific to high school needs with emphasis on BIPOC and LGBTQ teens. The pilot targets up to 30,000 students.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Colorado Education Initiative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Center for Families Learning: NCFL is CEI's direct implementation partner on the $4.77M Colorado Statewide Family Engagement Center grant and runs similar family-engagement programs in multiple states. It is the closest functional peer: both organizations operate as statewide/national family engagement intermediaries with foundation and federal funding.
- StriveTogether: StriveTogether is a cradle-to-career intermediary network that partners with school districts, postsecondary institutions, and community organizations on outcomes-based collective impact - the same role CEI plays in Colorado. Both organizations convene cross-sector partners and pursue measurable student outcome improvements across K-12, postsecondary, and workforce stages.
- Chiefs for Change: Chiefs for Change is a nonprofit network of state and district education leaders focused on systems improvement, equity, and innovation - directly analogous to CEI's work with the Rural Superintendent Academy and district leadership coaching. It operates at a national level but with similar leadership-development and policy convening functions.
- The Hunt Institute: The Hunt Institute, based at the University of North Carolina, convenes governors, state education leaders, and policymakers to advance education policy and leadership. It is comparable to CEI in its focus on superintendent/principal leadership development and state-level policy convening - the Institute serves as a state-level education intermediary in much the way CEI serves Colorado.
- Achieve (formerly Achieve3000): Achieve is a nonprofit education organization that works with state leaders to improve graduation rates, college readiness, and career-pathway outcomes. It is directly comparable to CEI in its role bridging state policy and district implementation around college and career readiness, accountability, and graduation guidelines.
- CASEL: CASEL is the leading research and convening organization for social and emotional learning (SEL) in K-12 education. It is comparable to CEI's Social Emotional Development work, particularly Youth Connections, which partners with schools and districts to build SEL capacity funded by Caring for Colorado and Kaiser Permanente's Thriving Schools/RISE initiative.
- Colorado Succeeds: Colorado Succeeds is a statewide education and workforce advocacy organization operating in Colorado. It is one of CEI's named partners on career-connected learning initiatives and represents a closely adjacent Colorado-statewide education intermediary with overlapping funder relationships and policy access.
Broad incumbents
- Education Commission of the States: ECS is a national interstate compact that tracks education policy across all 50 states and convenes governors, chief state school officers, and legislators. It is broader than CEI but highly comparable as a state education policy intermediary and convener - the same function CEI performs at the Colorado state level.
- WestEd / National Comprehensive Center: WestEd operates the federally funded National Comprehensive Centers that provide technical assistance to state education agencies on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education. It overlaps directly with CEI's role facilitating ESSER technical assistance and statewide convening for Colorado, and the two organizations are likely collaborators in the same funding ecosystem.
- Jobs for the Future: JFF is a national nonprofit that drives workforce and education transformation, with deep expertise in career-connected learning, P-TECH pathways, and postsecondary credentialing - all core focus areas for CEI's Career-Connected Learning initiative. JFF operates at a national scale and as a broader incumbent, but with similar content and audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Colorado Education Initiative social profiles
Digital presenceColorado Education Initiative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Colorado Education Initiative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Colorado Education Initiative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Colorado Education Initiative M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Colorado Education Initiative
What does Colorado Education Initiative do?
Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) is a statewide nonprofit intermediary that partners with Colorado K-12 school districts, educators, families, and state agencies on systems-change initiatives spanning leadership development, social-emotional learning, career-connected pathways, family engagement, and education policy. CEI delivers shoulder-to-shoulder consulting, executive coaching, strategic planning facilitation, and convening services, while also operating flagship programs such as Youth Connections, the Rural Superintendent Academy, Future Ready Families, the Colorado Trustee Network, and the Colorado Roadmap for AI in K-12 Education. All programs are provided at no cost to districts and families, funded by philanthropic, federal, and state grants.
Is Colorado Education Initiative a public or private company?
Colorado Education Initiative is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Colorado Education Initiative founded?
Colorado Education Initiative was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Colorado Education Initiative based?
Colorado Education Initiative is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Colorado Education Initiative make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Philanthropic Foundation Grants are the primary driver. The others are federal Government Grants, state Public Funding Partnerships and youth Connections District Funding Pass-Through.
Who are Colorado Education Initiative's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Center for Families Learning, StriveTogether, Chiefs for Change, The Hunt Institute, Achieve (formerly Achieve3000), CASEL and Colorado Succeeds. Broad incumbents are Education Commission of the States, WestEd / National Comprehensive Center and Jobs for the Future.
Does Colorado Education Initiative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Colorado Education Initiative.
What industry is Colorado Education Initiative in?
Colorado Education Initiative's product category is Education Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAFAM, Career Readiness & College Prep (In-School), with a secondary code of EDACAIAB, In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses). Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.