Catch the Next

Higher Education Professional Development Servicescatchthenext.org

Catch the Next is a Texas-based nonprofit that delivers culturally responsive professional development programs to community college faculty to improve graduation rates and close opportunity gaps for underserved students. Its core ASCENDER program combines faculty training, mentoring, and student support services across a 23-campus network.

Company typePrivate
Founded2009
HeadquartersSan Antonio, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Catch the Next does

Catch the Next Inc. (CTN) is a private nonprofit organization founded in 2009 and headquartered operationally in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Austin, Texas and a national office in West Haven, Connecticut. CTN provides culturally responsive professional development programs to faculty, advisors, and student-support staff at U.S. community colleges, with the explicit objective of closing the opportunity gap for underserved students and increasing graduation rates. Its core offering is the ASCENDER program (Achieving Student Confidence Encouraging New Dreams Equity Realized, formerly branded Dream Catchers), a holistic framework combining faculty professional development, navigational support, academic pathways, and student engagement services. The organization also delivers complementary programs including the Transformative Teaching Track (TTT), Customized Campus Coaching, a Professional Mentoring Network of Scholar, Author, and Community Leadership Mentors, a Leadership Fellows Program, Student Services, monthly webinars, Catch the Next Charlas, and the Virtual Academy subscription online learning platform. CTN also publishes research including policy briefs, books, journal articles, and the Journal of Pedagogy and Creativity.

CTN's business model combines multiple revenue streams: fee-based customized professional development services sold via enterprise field sales to college administrators, a tiered corporate sponsorship program (Brass $2,500 through Platinum $15,000), tax-deductible charitable donations accepted through PayPal, and licensing of graduate credits through the University of Texas Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. Pricing for core professional development services is not publicly disclosed and is set via consultation. The organization distributes primarily through direct on-site facilitation, supplemented by its member college network of 23 campuses and the Virtual Academy self-serve channel. Its go-to-market targets a narrow vertical — community colleges, with deep concentration in Texas — and CTN claims outcomes including higher two- and four-year degree attainment and two-thirds lower educational cost for students in ASCENDER colleges versus comparable populations.

Operationally, CTN employs 11-50 staff across three offices and is governed by a board led by Board Chair Rogelio Saenz (Dean of the College of Public Policy at UT San Antonio) with Dr. Maria Martha Chavez-Brummel serving as President and CEO since 2021. The organization holds multiple strategic partnerships, including with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, UT Dana Center, Greater Texas Foundation, Methodist Foundation, Excelencia in Education, Trellis Company, and HIPGive. CTN has received recognition including the 2024 Candid Platinum transparency badge, the 2021 Edge Commendation for Education Innovation, and a 2021 Examples of Excelencia Finalist designation. No venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment rounds are disclosed.

Catch the Next firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Catch the Next
Legal name: Catch the Next Inc.
Website: https://catchthenext.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2009
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Catch the Next is a Texas-based nonprofit that delivers culturally responsive professional development programs to community college faculty to improve graduation rates and close opportunity gaps for underserved students. Its core ASCENDER program combines faculty training, mentoring, and student support services across a 23-campus network.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Catch the Next industry classification

Industry

Product category: Higher Education Professional Development Services
NAICS: Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Junior Colleges (6112)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
akta.pro primary industry: Academic & Classroom Integration Support (Study Skills, Academic Norms, Integrity) (EDAIAKAG)
akta.pro secondary industry: Diploma-to-Degree / Articulation & Credit-Transfer Pathways (EDAIAJAG)

Keywords

Higher education professional development
Faculty training programs
Culturally responsive teaching
Student success services
College completion programs

Where Catch the Next is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: San Antonio
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

Catch the Next business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at multiple tiers (BRASS $2,500, BRONZE $5,000, SILVER $7,500, GOLD $10,000, PLATINUM $15,000) providing various benefits including VIP receptions, executive meetings, program book advertising, and communications placement.
Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations accepted through PayPal for supporting CTN's educational mission and programs.
Professional Development Services: Customized campus coaching and professional development training programs for faculty, advisors, and student-support staff at colleges and universities.
Graduate Credits: Training sessions eligible for 5 graduate credits through UT's Department of Educational Leadership and Policy.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	PLATINUM - $15,000 annual sponsorship
Subscription	Annual	GOLD - $10,000 annual sponsorship
Subscription	Annual	SILVER - $7,500 annual sponsorship
Subscription	Annual	BRONZE - $5,000 annual sponsorship
Subscription	Annual	BRASS - $2,500 annual sponsorship

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Catch the Next product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Catch the Next provides culturally responsive professional development and faculty training programs to higher education institutions, anchored by its ASCENDER program (Achieving Student Confidence Encouraging New Dreams Equity Realized). The organization delivers on-site facilitator-led training, customized campus coaching, a professional mentoring network, a leadership fellows program, and a virtual academy of online courses for community colleges seeking to close the opportunity gap and improve graduation rates among underserved students.

Product overview

Catch the Next is an educational nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of programs focused on closing the opportunity gap in higher education through culturally responsive professional development and student support services. The core offering is the ASCENDER program, which provides holistic student, faculty, and institutional advancement through professional development, navigational support, academic pathways, and student engagement. Complementary programs include the Transformative Teaching Track (TTT) for intensive classroom strategy training, Customized Campus Coaching for tailored professional development, and the Professional Mentoring Network connecting faculty with Scholar Mentors, Author Mentors, and Community Leadership Mentors. The Leadership Fellows Program serves as a train-the-trainers initiative, while the Virtual Academy delivers online courses including the Empoderate Leadership Academy and Transformative Teaching Academy. Additional support services include Student Services (internships, workshops, conferences), monthly Webinars, Catch The Next Charlas (student conversations), Connect & Chat virtual sessions, and Publications documenting research and best practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

ASCENDER: Achieving Student Confidence Encouraging New Dreams Equity Realized - a holistic approach to student, faculty, and institutional advancement through culturally responsive professional development
Transformative Teaching Track (TTT)
Customized Campus Coaching
Professional Mentoring Network
Virtual Academy
Leadership Fellows Program

Products and services

ASCENDER

Quantifiable outcome

Students at ASCENDER colleges earn more two- and four-year degrees compared to similar populations
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use Catch the Next

Customer profile

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Catch the Next technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Catch the Next partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

UT Dana CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partner providing educational research and policy support for CTN's initiatives in higher education improvement.
Texas Higher Education Coordinating BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner supporting CTN's alignment with Texas higher education goals including House Bill 2223 and the 60x30 Campaign.
UT Austin School of DiversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner contributing to diversity and inclusion initiatives in higher education.
HCCS (Houston Community College)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMember college and sponsor actively implementing ASCENDER program and supporting CTN events.
UNT DallascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUniversity partner and sponsor providing support for transfer pathways and student success initiatives.
Trellis CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with San Antonio College Ascender Program to host FAFSA Nights and provide financial aid assistance to students.
Excelencia in EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization focused on accelerating Latino student success; CTN supports their Seal of Excelencia certification and participates in their technical assistance institutes.
University of Texas Department of Educational Leadership and PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner offering 5 graduate credits for CTN training sessions, providing academic credentials for professional development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Catch the Next competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Achieving the Dream: A national nonprofit focused on community college student success and completion, serving similar institutional buyers with student success frameworks, faculty development, and equity-focused initiatives — directly comparable to CTN's ASCENDER model.
Excelencia in Education: National organization accelerating Latino student success in higher education through Seal of Excelencia certification and technical assistance institutes — CTN is a partner and operates in the same equity/completion space.
Complete College America: Nonprofit alliance working with states and institutions to significantly increase college completion rates, offering similar faculty- and institutional-level interventions targeting underserved student populations.
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination): Nonprofit providing professional development and culturally responsive teaching frameworks to educators, with a strong higher-education division — comparable practitioner-led PD model targeting faculty at colleges and universities.
Aspen Institute College Excellence Program: Works with community college presidents and institutional leaders on student success and completion outcomes, sharing CTN's focus on underserved students and faculty/administrator capacity building.
MDRC: Education and social policy research organization that designs and evaluates interventions to improve college completion for low-income and underrepresented students — comparable research-to-practice and equity focus.

Broad incumbents

The Education Trust: National nonprofit advocating for high academic achievement and equitable outcomes across K-12 and higher education — broader in scope than CTN but operates in the same opportunity-gap and equity policy space.
EAB (formerly Advisory Board Company): Large higher-education consultancy providing research, benchmarking, and student success advisory services to colleges and universities — overlaps with CTN's institutional buyer base but as a broad incumbent rather than specialized PD provider.

Regional players

Texas Association of Community Colleges: State-level association representing Texas community colleges, the same institutional buyer base CTN primarily serves — closely adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct PD competitor.

Others

AAC&U (Association of American Colleges and Universities): National higher-education membership association advancing quality undergraduate learning, equity, and inclusive excellence — thematically adjacent and touches CTN's audience of faculty and administrators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Catch the Next financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Catch the Next leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Catch the Next funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Catch the Next M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Catch the Next

What does Catch the Next do?

Is Catch the Next a public or private company?

Catch the Next is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Catch the Next founded?

Catch the Next was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Catch the Next based?

Catch the Next is headquartered in San Antonio, United States, in the North America region.

How does Catch the Next make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are donations, professional Development Services and graduate Credits.

Who are Catch the Next's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Achieving the Dream, Excelencia in Education, Complete College America, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and MDRC. Broad incumbents are The Education Trust and EAB (formerly Advisory Board Company). Texas Association of Community Colleges is listed as a regional player. AAC&U (Association of American Colleges and Universities) is listed as an others.

Does Catch the Next have an API?

No public API is recorded for Catch the Next.

What industry is Catch the Next in?

Catch the Next's product category is Higher Education Professional Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAIAKAG, Academic & Classroom Integration Support (Study Skills, Academic Norms, Integrity), with a secondary code of EDAIAJAG, Diploma-to-Degree / Articulation & Credit-Transfer Pathways. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.