Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences

What Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences does

FAES is a Maryland-incorporated 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation, founded in 1959 and headquartered at 10 Center Drive on the NIH Bethesda campus (MSC 1115), that delivers continuing education and ancillary services to the NIH community and the general public. Its core product is the FAES Academic Programs platform — powered by Lifelong Learning EE (Modern Campus) — which combines credit-bearing courses (offered across two 7-week fall terms, two 7-week spring terms, and a 7-week summer term), hands-on workshops awarding Continuing Education Units (CEUs), and stackable digital microcredentials in bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, leadership, project management, and public policy. The organization also operates FAES Learning Labs (physical training spaces on the NIH Bethesda campus), a retail bookstore, housing for trainees, FAES Spaces meeting-room reservations, music and cultural programs, and health insurance plans for NIH Fellows and their families administered via the Luminare portal.

The business model is multi-stream and transactional, anchored by per-course tuition, per-workshop fees ($565–$1,369 per workshop, with discounts of $200–$630 for .edu/.nih/.gov/.mil addresses and up to 30% off bundles), and recurring health insurance administration revenue, supplemented by retail and ancillary services. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through a self-serve online portal (education.faes.org) with open enrollment; a third-party payment portal supports sponsored students billed via Administrative Officers and HR personnel at sponsoring institutions. Marketing relies on organic social (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter @FAESatNIH_EDU), email, and free webinars/information sessions.

Distribution is concentrated on the NIH Bethesda campus with global online reach via asynchronous delivery. The customer base is primarily federal — NIH trainees, postbacs, graduate students, research fellows, and NIH staff — augmented by an open-enrollment general public; this makes the organization a near-monopoly educational services provider embedded within the NIH intramural program while remaining modest in scale (11–50 employees). Complementary partnerships include The Princeton Review for test preparation and broader university partnership relationships for cross-institutional recognition.

Name

Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences

Legal name

Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences

Website

https://faes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FAES is a Maryland 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1959 delivering credit-bearing courses, CEU workshops, and microcredentials — plus health insurance, bookstore, housing, and meeting spaces — to the NIH community and general public via the Lifelong Learning EE platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Continuing Education and Professional Development

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Computer Training (61142)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Training Delivery Services (Onsite/Virtual Instruction, Workshops, Coaching) (BPAEANAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vendor/Authorized Certification Training (Microsoft/AWS/Cisco, etc.) (BPAEANAA), Infrastructure, Networking & Systems Administration Training (BPAEANAJ)

Keywords

• Continuing education programs
• Professional development workshops
• Biomedical research training
• Microcredential digital badges
• NIH community services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Academic Course Tuition: Credit-bearing academic courses in subject areas supporting research and career development. Courses offered during fall (two 7-week terms), spring (two 7-week terms), and summer (one 7-week term). Revenue generated through per-course tuition fees with technology fees.
2. Workshop Fees: Professional development workshops offered year-round in various subject areas. Workshops award Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Revenue from per-workshop registration fees.
3. Third-Party Payment Portal: Secure payment portal for third-party payers (Administrative Officers, HR personnel, employers) to pay for student registrations. Transaction-based processing for tuition and applicable fees.
4. Health Insurance Services: Health insurance plans for NIH Fellows and their families. New plan year begins November 1, with ID cards distributed via USPS and available in Luminare portal.
5. FAES Retail/Bookstore: Retail bookstore services at NIH offering books, materials, and gifts. Physical storefront and online store available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FAES operates academic programs offering credit-bearing courses, professional development workshops, and microcredential digital badges in bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, leadership, project management, and public policy. Programs are delivered online (asynchronous and synchronous formats) with additional in-person laboratory training at the NIH Bethesda campus. Beyond education, FAES provides health insurance services for NIH Fellows, a retail bookstore, trainee housing, meeting room reservations, and music/cultural programs to support the NIH community.

Product overview

The Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) operates a multi-product educational services platform serving the NIH community. The core offering is FAES Academic Programs, which combines credit-bearing courses, hands-on workshops, and microcredential digital badges in bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, leadership, and project management. Key products include the FAES Academic Programs portal for course registration, FAES Workshops for skills training with CEU credits, FAES Microcredentials (digital badges) including the Bioinformatics Endeavor Badge and Leadership Endeavor Badge, and Programs & Events featuring webinars and information sessions. Supporting services include FAES Learning Labs for in-person training at NIH, FAES Retail bookstore, Housing for Trainees, Health Insurance Services for NIH Fellows, FAES Spaces for meeting room reservations, and Music/Cultural Programs. The organization also partners with The Princeton Review for test preparation services. The portfolio is anchored by the education.faes.org portal for student registration and the w.faes.org main website for institutional services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FAES Academic Programs Credit-bearing academic courses in bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, statistics, leadership, project management, and public policy delivered through flexible online asynchronous and synchronous formats for the NIH community and general public.
• FAES Workshops Hands-on interactive workshops in bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, project management, leadership, AI, and Python programming, awarding Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for most offerings.
• FAES Microcredentials Digital badges awarded upon successful completion of required courses and/or workshops, recognizing proficiency in specialized subject areas such as bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, leadership, and project management.
• FAES Programs and Events Live online information sessions and educational webinars covering bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, leadership, and other topics with recordings available for on-demand viewing.
• Health Insurance Services Health insurance plans and support services for NIH Fellows and their families, administered through the Luminare portal, with the new plan year beginning November 1.
• FAES Retail (Bookstore) Physical and online bookstore located at NIH Bethesda campus offering academic textbooks, course materials, and gifts for the NIH community.
• Housing for Trainees On-campus and off-campus housing accommodations for NIH trainees attending FAES programs or conducting research at the NIH Bethesda campus.
• FAES Spaces Meeting room and classroom space reservations within NIH Building 10 for educational, professional, and community events organized by NIH community members.
• Test Prep (The Princeton Review Partnership) Test preparation courses for professional and academic examinations offered in partnership with The Princeton Review for the NIH and scientific community.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Princeton ReviewcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAES has established a new test preparation partnership with The Princeton Review. FAES now offers test prep services through this partnership, providing test preparation courses for professional and academic examinations relevant to the NIH and scientific community.
• University PartnershipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAES maintains university partnership relationships as referenced in their academic programs structure. These partnerships enable cross-institutional recognition and collaborative educational opportunities for students.
• NIH (National Institutes of Health)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAES operates as a foundation at NIH, providing educational programs, health insurance services, housing, and retail services to the NIH community. The organization is integrated into the NIH Bethesda campus with programs designed specifically for NIH trainees, researchers, and staff.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• edX: Large-scale online education platform offering university-issued courses and certificates in biology, data science, and AI. Overlaps with FAES in audience (professionals seeking credentials) and content (Python, statistics, biomedicine).
• Coursera: Major online learning platform with extensive biomedical, bioinformatics, data science, and AI course catalog from top universities. Competes with FAES for working scientists seeking flexible, often lower-cost asynchronous training.
• Khan Academy: Free online learning platform with content in statistics, programming, and biology. Sets a price floor of zero on introductory STEM topics that competes with FAES's lower-priced courses and workshops.

Emerging players

• DataCamp: Online platform specializing in Python, R, and data science training with a self-paced, hands-on format. Comparable to FAES's Python for Beginners, R, and statistics courses in target learner and instructional approach.

Direct peers

• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: Runs intensive hands-on courses and workshops in molecular biology, genetics, and bioinformatics for graduate students, postdocs, and principal investigators. Closely comparable to FAES in mission (research-career training) and audience (working biomedical scientists).
• The Princeton Review: Provides standardized test preparation courses — already a partner of FAES, but also a peer competing for the same NIH-trainee customers in test prep and exam readiness categories.
• Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL): Long-standing residential scientific training programs in physiology, embryology, microscopy, and bioinformatics, with both historical and contemporary parallels to FAES's catalog of in-person, expert-led research courses.
• The Jackson Laboratory: Provides genetics and genomics courses, workshops, and educational programs targeted at biomedical researchers. Comparable to FAES in subject area (biomedical sciences), audience (researchers and trainees), and educational delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/faesorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/FAESorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foundation-for-advanced-education-in-the-sciences

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences