Chess In The Schools

What Chess In The Schools does

Chess in the Schools is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 that delivers chess education to low-income public school students. The organization operates a five-pillar program portfolio: (1) a School Program embedding chess instructors in approximately 48 NYC public schools (primarily Title I) serving roughly 6,000 students annually in the 2025–2026 program year; (2) a Summer Program serving 1,000+ children at school sites and partner locations including Camp Ramapo; (3) a College Bound Program for 100+ low-income high school students from all five NYC boroughs, reporting a 100% high school graduation rate and 95% college matriculation rate; (4) a Professional Learning / Teacher Training Institute that has trained over 2,000 NYC public school educators, funded in part by the New York City Council; and (5) a Digital Program delivered in partnership with Chesskid.com that provides free online training resources. A Scholastic Tournament Program runs 25+ free competitive events per year in NYC public schools, with 400–700 participants per event and a Grand Prix funding system supporting regional and national competition. The organization also operates the College Success Program (launched 2021) for alumni support and the Andy Lerner Award for Excellence in Chess Education, a nationwide annual recognition program established in 2022.

The organization's business model is entirely philanthropic. All programs and tournaments are provided free of charge to students and schools; revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate and foundation sponsorships, NYC Council grants (specifically for Professional Learning), Title I funding routed through participating schools, and special events such as the annual Charity Poker Night. Customer-facing channels are limited to organic social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn), a website and blog, an email newsletter, and an annual report. The organization describes itself as "America's original chess education organization" and reports having taught 500,000+ students cumulatively. Geographic operations are confined to New York City, though national reach is asserted through the Andy Lerner Award.

Operationally, CIS maintains its headquarters at 520 Eighth Avenue, 22nd Floor in Midtown Manhattan, employs between 11 and 50 staff, and delivers instruction through dedicated instructors placed in each participating school. Key partnerships include the New York City Council (financial), Chesskid.com (technology), Camp Ramapo (summer programming for special-needs children), and the J & K Pi Family Foundation (sponsorship of the All Girls NYC Chess Championship). The organization does not have any disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or ownership by venture capital or private equity.

Name

Chess In The Schools

Legal name

Chess in the Schools

Website

https://chessintheschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chess in the Schools is a NYC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 that delivers free chess instruction, tournaments, teacher training, and college-readiness programs to approximately 6,000 low-income public school students annually across 48 NYC schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chess Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Math Games, Puzzles & Recreational Math Programs (EDAMAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic Olympiads & Subject Competitions (Science, Math, Informatics) (EDAMAGAE), Math Competition Administration Services (Proctoring, Grading, Logistics) (EDAMAEAO)

Keywords

• Chess education programs
• Youth chess instruction
• Teacher training chess
• Scholastic chess tournaments
• Nonprofit education services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Chess in the Schools is a nonprofit organization that operates primarily through donations, charitable contributions, and fundraising activities. The organization offers multiple giving options including online donations, mail/fax giving, corporate challenges, adopt-a-school programs, and support-a-student initiatives.
2. Government and Council Funding: Professional Learning program has been funded by the New York City Council, supporting teacher training workshops. Title I funding supports school participation in the program.
3. Special Events Revenue: Charity events such as Charity Poker Night generate revenue for the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Chess In The Schools delivers free chess instruction, training, and tournament programs to NYC public schools, students, and teachers. Offerings span an in-school chess program, summer chess programs, a college-readiness program for low-income high school students, a teacher training institute, a digital chess program, and a scholastic tournament series with a Grand Prix funding mechanism. All programs are offered at no cost to participants and are sustained through donations, grants, and special events.

Product overview

Chess In The Schools operates as a chess education nonprofit offering a multi-program portfolio. The core offerings include: the School Program (chess instruction in approximately 48 NYC public schools serving ~6,000 students), the Summer Program (1,000+ children annually), the College Bound Program (college readiness for low-income high school students with 100% graduation/95% college matriculation rates), the Professional Learning/Teacher Training Institute (having trained 2,000+ teachers), and the Digital Program (free digital chess training with Chesskid.com access). The organization also runs a Scholastic Tournament Program with free tournaments (400-700 students per event) featuring a Grand Prix system, plus the College Success Program for alumni support. The annual Andy Lerner Award recognizes excellence in chess education nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% high school graduation rate for College Bound alumni
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Camp RamapocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Camp Ramapo in Rhinebeck, New York - a summer camp for disadvantaged New York City children with special needs. CIS provides chess instruction as part of the camp program.
• Chesskid.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline chess learning platform partnership providing free one-year gold memberships to all students in the Digital Program. Includes lessons, videos, puzzles, and chess games.
• J & K Pi Family Foundation Inc.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the All Girls NYC Chess Championship tournament, supporting female participation in competitive chess.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chess4Life: Chess education organization running after-school chess programs, summer camps, and tournaments for youth. Comparable as a chess education provider focused on youth enrichment and competitive tournament pathways.
• Kasparov Chess Foundation: Nonprofit promoting chess education in schools nationwide, including programs targeting low-income and underserved communities. Directly comparable as a nonprofit chess-in-schools provider with similar curriculum and tournament focus.
• Saint Louis Chess Club / Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis: Major nonprofit chess education organization offering in-school chess programs, tournaments, and youth chess development. Comparable as a nonprofit delivering chess instruction to students and operating tournament infrastructure, though concentrated in St. Louis rather than NYC.
• America's Foundation for Chess: Nonprofit focused on bringing chess curriculum to schools nationwide, particularly in underserved communities. Comparable as a chess-in-schools nonprofit targeting Title I and similar low-income student populations.
• Marshall Chess Club: Historic NYC-based chess club and nonprofit offering youth chess instruction, tournaments, and educational programming in New York City. Comparable as a NYC chess education nonprofit serving students with similar tournament and instruction offerings.

Regional players

• Harlem Children's Zone: NYC-based nonprofit providing comprehensive educational enrichment, after-school programs, and college access support to low-income children in Harlem. Comparable as a NYC nonprofit serving Title I students with enrichment and college readiness programming, though broader in scope than chess-only.
• After-School All-Stars: National nonprofit providing after-school enrichment programming in Title I schools across multiple U.S. cities. Comparable as a nonprofit delivering supplemental enrichment to low-income public school students through school partnerships, with similar funding model and government-grant dependency.

Broad incumbents

• Chess.com: Largest online chess platform, offering lessons, puzzles, tournaments, and school partnerships including curriculum tools. Comparable as a chess education content and tournament provider serving many of the same youth constituencies, though as a commercial entity rather than nonprofit.
• US Chess Federation: National governing body for chess in the United States, managing scholastic chess programs, national tournaments, and rating systems. Comparable as the broader umbrella organization serving many of the same youth chess constituencies as Chess in the Schools.

Emerging players

• Spark Chess Foundation: Chess education nonprofit bringing chess instruction to underserved students in schools. Comparable as a school-embedded chess education nonprofit with a similar Title I / underserved student focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chessinschools
• Facebookfacebook.com/chessintheschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chess-in-the-schools
• Instagraminstagram.com/chessintheschools

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 Chess In The Schools