Arizona Council on Economic Education

What Arizona Council on Economic Education does

The Arizona Council on Economic Education (ACEE) is a Phoenix-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 86-0896574), founded in 1973, that delivers K-12 economic, personal finance, and entrepreneurship education across all 15 Arizona counties. Its core products include teacher professional development (workshops, no-cost in-service training for schools and districts, on-demand webinars), a curriculum library (ACEE Elementary/Middle/High School Economics Collections, Money Minutes, Building Young Entrepreneurs, Handy Dandy Guide series), and a portfolio of student-facing programs such as the Economics Challenge, Personal Finance Challenge, Stock Market Game, InvestWrite, Invest In Girls, Financial Fitness in Action, EconReads, and an annual Economic Concepts Poster Contest. ACEE's Money Minutes program is approved by the Arizona Department of Education to satisfy requirements for the AZ Diploma Seal of Personal Finance, which now counts toward school letter grades.

The underlying technology consists primarily of standards-aligned educational content delivered through classroom materials and a Canvas-based online learning platform that supports free teacher accounts and on-demand webinars with PD certificates; the platform functions as a content distribution layer rather than a software product. The business model is donation- and sponsorship-driven: ACEE relies on individual contributions, corporate matching, stock giving, Venmo, event sponsorships (annual Champions in Education Gala, Educator Conference), and a Gold/Platinum/Silver tier corporate supporter program that underwrites free in-service training and student programs. The only direct fees are $25 per Arizona K-12 educator and $100 per non-educator for the annual Arizona Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference. In 2026 ACEE launched a teacher gift-card incentive ($15 Amazon gift card per webinar, up to 10) plus a $250 prize drawing. Reach exceeds 200,000 K-12 students annually (the majority from low-income backgrounds) and thousands of teachers, delivered with a 1-10 person staff.

Name

Arizona Council on Economic Education

Legal name

Arizona Council on Economic Education

Website

https://azecon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arizona Council on Economic Education (ACEE) is a Phoenix-based nonprofit that delivers K-12 economics, personal finance, and entrepreneurship education to Arizona teachers, students, and parents through standards-aligned curriculum, competitions, and no-cost professional development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic & Financial Literacy Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Literacy, Budgeting & Personal Finance (EDAMAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economics & Finance Competitions (Econ Challenge, Stock Market Games) (EDAMAGAI), In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

Keywords

• Financial literacy education
• Economic education programs
• Teacher professional development
• K-12 curriculum resources
• Nonprofit education

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: ACEE is a nonprofit organization (EIN: 86-0896574) that relies on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Donations can be made via one-time or monthly donations, Venmo, stock giving, and corporate sponsorships.
2. Corporate Sponsorships and Event Sponsorships: Corporate matching donations program available. Event sponsorships offered for the Champions in Education Gala and Educator Conference.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACEE delivers K-12 economic, personal finance, and entrepreneurship education programs across Arizona. Core offerings include teacher professional development (workshops, in-service training, on-demand webinars), student competitions (Economics Challenge, Personal Finance Challenge, Stock Market Game), enrichment activities (Money Minutes, Financial Fitness in Action, Invest In Girls), and curriculum collections aligned with Arizona Department of Education standards. Programs reach more than 200,000 students and thousands of teachers annually across all 15 Arizona counties.

Product overview

ACEE offers a comprehensive suite of economic and financial literacy education programs and resources for K-12 teachers and students in Arizona. The core offerings include teacher professional development through workshops, in-service training, and on-demand webinars; student programs including competitions (Economics Challenge, Personal Finance Challenge, Stock Market Game, InvestWrite), enrichment activities (Financial Fitness in Action, Invest In Girls, EconReads), and the Economic Concepts Poster Contest; and curriculum resources (Money Minutes, Elementary/Middle/High School Economics Collections). Programs align with Arizona Department of Education standards and support the AZ Diploma Seal of Personal Finance. The annual Arizona Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference brings together educators statewide for professional development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teacher Professional Development Workshops Comprehensive K-12 teacher professional development opportunities on economic, personal finance, and entrepreneurship education aligned with Arizona academic state standards for teachers across all grade levels.
• In-Service Training No-cost customized in-service training for Arizona schools and districts to help teachers implement K-12 economics standards, ranging from 1-6 hours per session.
• On-Demand Webinars Self-paced professional development webinars available for viewing and earning PD certificates on demand, covering economics and personal finance topics.
• Money Minutes Ready-to-use activities connecting math skills with real-life money decisions, designed by Arizona math teachers for grades K-8 and high school Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry, approved by Arizona Department of Education to meet Seal of Personal Finance requirements.
• Economics Challenge Statewide competition in economics knowledge for teams of 3-4 students in grades 7-12; serves as the Arizona qualifier for the National Economics Challenge hosted by the National Council for Economic Education.
• Personal Finance Challenge Statewide competition in personal finance knowledge open to both high school and middle school students.
• The Stock Market Game Virtual investing program connecting students in grades 4-12 to the global economy with real-world learning outcomes.
• InvestWrite Writing enhancement program that complements the Stock Market Game, strengthening financial literacy through composition skills.
• Invest In Girls Program for grades 9-12 designed to inspire the next generation to close the women in finance gender gap.
• Financial Fitness in Action Interactive life after high school simulation engaging students in saving, spending, and budgeting based on career choices and lifestyle decisions.
• EconReads Early childhood literacy program where ACEE volunteers read to kindergarten through third grade students, weaving in economics and personal finance lessons.
• Economic Concepts Poster Contest Annual contest inviting K-12 students to create original artwork illustrating economic, personal finance, and entrepreneurship concepts; winners featured in annual calendar.
• Arizona Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference Annual statewide conference for K-12 teachers and administrators featuring hands-on lessons, breakout sessions, networking, and 8 hours of PD credit; registration $25 for AZ K-12 educators, $100 for non-educators.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 200,000 students receive ACEE programs each year
• +2 more outcomes

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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered event partner, national partnership and keynote speaker.

• Midwestern Universityevent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the annual Arizona Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference at their Glendale, AZ campus.
• National Council for Economic Educationnational partnershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEE's Economics Challenge serves as the state qualifier for the National Economics Challenge hosted by the National Council for Economic Education.
• Emmett Burntonkeynote speakerOthers2025 AEF Arizona Teacher of the Year serving as keynote speaker for the 2026 Arizona Financial Literacy and Economic Education Conference.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE): National nonprofit funding research, programs, and resources on personal finance; operates at a higher level than ACEE and frequently funds state-level financial literacy initiatives including ACEE-type councils.
• Council for Economic Education: National umbrella organization that runs the National Economics Challenge and supplies curriculum; ACEE functions as an Arizona state affiliate within CEE's network, making it the most direct comparable.
• EVERFI: Large edtech platform offering financial literacy and other K-12 digital courses sponsored by banks and corporations; overlaps with ACEE on free, sponsor-funded financial literacy content for K-12 schools.

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement USA: National nonprofit delivering K-12 financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programs through in-school curricula and competitions; closest broad peer by mission, audience, and corporate-sponsorship funding model.
• Georgia Council on Economic Education: State-level CEE affiliate providing K-12 teacher PD, competitions (Georgia Economics Challenge), and curriculum; nearest structural peer by mission and operating model outside Arizona.
• Jumpstart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy: National coalition promoting K-12 financial literacy through teacher training, standards advocacy, and the national Jumpstart Survey; overlaps with ACEE on standards-aligned teacher PD and advocacy.
• California Council on Economic Education: Sister state council within the CEE network delivering economics and personal finance teacher PD and student competitions; same organizational model, larger geography, and competes with ACEE for national sponsor dollars.
• Next Gen Personal Finance: Provides free K-12 personal finance curriculum, professional development, and competitions to teachers nationwide; competes directly with ACEE for teacher adoption and corporate sponsor attention in the same audience.

Emerging players

• FoolProof Financial Education: Provides online personal finance curriculum to K-12 schools with teacher training; overlaps with ACEE's content offering but with a more digital, less event-driven delivery model.

Regional players

• Take Charge Today (University of Arizona): Arizona-based university-hosted personal finance curriculum for K-12 teachers; competes most directly with ACEE inside its home state with similar standards-aligned content.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/azcouncileconed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/ArizonaCouncilonEconomicEducation
• Facebookfacebook.com/AZCouncilEconEd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arizona-council-for-economic-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Arizona Council on Economic Education