The Institute for Social and Emotional Learning

What The Institute for Social and Emotional Learning does

The Institute for Social and Emotional Learning (IFSEL) is a private nonprofit founded in 2009 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California. The organization delivers social and emotional learning (SEL) professional development, consulting, and coaching to K-12 schools, districts, educators, school leaders, and parents. Its flagship Schools & Districts Program is a customized year-long faculty development engagement capped at six schools per year, complemented by four-day Summer Institutes, two-day topical workshops, and a seven-month SEL Leadership Program offered online to global cohorts. Pricing is quote-based and customized; revenue streams include annual consulting contracts, workshop and institute registration fees, coaching session fees, online cohort enrollment, and affiliate commissions on partner products such as Ouisi Cards.

IFSEL's core proprietary asset is a CASEL-aligned K-12 Lesson and Resource Library built over 15 years and tested across 1,200+ schools and 12,000+ educators. The curriculum is grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging principles and covers foundational SEL, restorative practices, advisory program design, and adult SEL. Supporting tools include a free interactive SEL Audit & Reflection Tool covering seven domains (coordination, school climate, curriculum, integration, systems, responsive opportunities, and family partnership), an SEL Cast podcast, and curated resource databases. IFSEL distributes via direct enterprise sales to schools, event-driven in-person institutes, self-serve and cohort-based online courses, and affiliate e-commerce for partner products.

The organization is led by Executive Director and Co-Founder Nick Haisman-Smith, with a small team (1-10 employees) drawing on experience as administrators, SEL specialists, counselors, non-profit CEOs, and researchers. IFSEL operates as a private nonprofit with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no equity ownership structure. Reach is concentrated in the United States but extends internationally through online programs serving educators in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Name

The Institute for Social and Emotional Learning

Legal name

Institute for Social & Emotional Learning

Website

https://instituteforsel.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IFSEL is a Menlo Park-based nonprofit founded in 2009 that delivers CASEL-aligned social and emotional learning professional development, consulting, coaching, and curriculum to K-12 schools, educators, leaders, and families in the US and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Social and Emotional Learning Professional Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Staff Training, Coaching & Professional Development (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

School-Based SEL Curriculum & Instructional Programs (EDAKAMAA), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Emotional Regulation Programs (EDAMAIAC)

Keywords

• SEL professional development
• Social emotional learning
• K-12 educator training
• SEL consulting services
• School leadership coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Menlo Park

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. Schools & Districts Consulting Program: IFSEL designs and leads a one-year path of faculty development work for a limited number of schools and districts each year. The path is customized for each organization's needs and can include any combination of their other offerings, so SEL can be integrated fully into the educational experience of all students and teachers. Revenue is generated through annual consulting contracts with participating schools.
2. On-Site Professional Development: IFSEL team members support schools on-site through creative and engaging professional development. Services include presentations, interactive SEL workshops, faculty meeting facilitation, demonstration lessons, classroom observations, coaching, and consulting on school systems. Pricing is quote-based and customized per engagement.
3. In-Person Institutes and Workshops: IFSEL offers 4-day Summer Institutes and various 2-day workshops for educators, administrators, and counselors from Kindergarten through 12th grade. These experiential professional development events generate registration fees and serve as a customer acquisition channel for longer-term consulting engagements.
4. SEL Leadership Program: A seven-month online program that supports leaders and educators around the world to build and sustain an inclusive, equitable, SEL-rooted school community. This cohort-based program provides experiential learning with practical tools and approaches alongside collaboration and reflection. Generates revenue through program enrollment fees.
5. Coaching Services: IFSEL's team brings decades of experience to coaching work with school administrators and educators. Coaching is available in person or virtual and provides personalized support for SEL implementation. Revenue generated through coaching session fees.
6. SEL Resources and Products: IFSEL sells SEL curriculum resources and partners with third-party product providers (such as Ouisi Cards and Connection Toolkit) to offer materials to schools. They also promote books and resources through their platform with potential affiliate arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IFSEL provides customized year-long SEL faculty development, consulting, and coaching to K-12 schools and districts, complemented by 4-day Summer Institutes, 2-day topical workshops, a seven-month online SEL Leadership Program, a CASEL-aligned K-12 curriculum and lesson library, coaching for administrators, and online workshops for parents and caregivers. Revenue is generated primarily through quote-based professional services engagements, supplemented by enrollment fees for cohort programs and affiliate commissions on partner SEL products.

Product overview

IFSEL offers a comprehensive portfolio of Social and Emotional Learning products and services organized around a Whole-Community Approach to SEL. The core offerings include the Schools & Districts Program (customized year-long consulting), Professional Development Institutes (4-day in-person summer programs), the seven-month Leadership Program, and a CASEL-aligned SEL Curriculum with lesson and resource library. Supporting these are Workshop offerings (Whole Community Approach, Advisory, Restorative Practices), Coaching services, and Parent & Caregiver Support series. IFSEL provides free tools including the SEL Reflection & Audit Tool. The organization also distributes partner products like Ouisi Cards and the Connection Toolkit. Professional development is delivered through in-person institutes, online courses, and workshops targeting K-12 educators, administrators, and families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IFSEL Schools & Districts Program Customized year-long faculty development path that integrates SEL fully into the educational experience of all students and teachers; IFSEL accepts six schools annually into this comprehensive engagement.
• In-Person 4-Day Summer Institutes Four-day inspirational professional development sessions, collaboration, and reflection across a broad library of SEL topics and research for K-12 educators, administrators, and counselors.
• SEL Leadership Program Seven-month experiential online cohort program supporting leaders and educators worldwide to build and sustain inclusive, equitable, SEL-rooted school communities through collaborative learning, practical tools, and reflection.
• SEL Curriculum (Lesson and Resource Library) Evidence-led, CASEL-aligned curriculum and lesson resources for K-12 Social and Emotional Learning, designed to build engaging, joyful, and reflective SEL teaching and learning experiences for schools and districts.
• On-Site Professional Development and Consulting On-site presentations, interactive workshops, demonstration lessons, classroom observations, coaching, and consulting on school systems delivered at the school's site.
• Coaching for School Administrators and Educators Personalized coaching (in-person or virtual) for school administrators and educators, matched with experienced coaches across roles including Administrators, SEL specialists, Counselors, Non-Profit CEOs, and Researchers.
• Whole Community Approach Workshops Two-day experiential workshops for educators, administrators, and counselors on building classroom practices and school-wide systems that nurture the social and emotional health of all community members.
• Advisory Workshops Workshops addressing how to create and sustain robust advisory programs in middle and high schools centered on belonging and equity using SEL principles.
• Parent and Caregiver Support Series Online workshops for parents and caregivers offering practical tools and insights to bring SEL practices alive at home, complementing school-based SEL initiatives.
• Online Courses (Foundational SEL K-6, Future of Friendship, Joy of Advising, SEL Integration, etc.) Self-paced and facilitated digital professional development courses for educators covering Foundational SEL for K-6, Future of Friendship, Joy of Advising, SEL Integration, and other topics.
• New Faculty & Staff Workshop Series Workshop series introducing IFSEL's Whole-Community Approach to SEL for new faculty at IFSEL partner schools, building knowledge, skills, and confidence in working with students, colleagues, and families.
• Scope & Sequence Support Consulting support for schools to develop, refine, or refresh their SEL scope and sequence, ensuring culturally responsive resources are curated into an articulated K-12 framework.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000+ educators trained since 2009
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFSEL's programs and curriculum are aligned with CASEL's framework and standards for social and emotional learning. CASEL is the leading organization in SEL research and practice, and alignment with their competencies ensures IFSEL's offerings meet established quality standards in the SEL field.
• OuisicoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIFSEL has an exclusive partnership with Ouisi to promote and sell Ouisi Cards through their platform. Ouisi cards promote social and emotional learning by encouraging individuals to explore their feelings and express emotions through visual storytelling and meaningful conversations. IFSEL offers an exclusive promo code (OUISI10IFSEL) for 10% off plus additional savings on 2+ sets.
• We and Me (Connection Toolkit)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIFSEL promotes the Connection Toolkit by Chad Littlefield and We and Me as a resource for educators to engage, connect, and amplify trust. IFSEL offers an exclusive promo code IFSEL20 for 20% off everything in the store.
• The Good ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFSEL Executive Director Nick Haisman-Smith appeared on The Good Project's Good Insights podcast to discuss the importance of SEL in schools. This collaboration positions IFSEL within the broader education ecosystem and connects them with The Good Project's audience of educators.
• MARIO Education PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFSEL has established a partnership with MARIO Education, a platform for educator reflection and collaboration. The collaboration is featured on IFSEL's website as part of their resource offerings and joint marketing efforts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rethink Ed: Rethink Ed is a broader K-12 edtech platform offering SEL, MTSS, and behavior solutions to schools and districts. It overlaps with IFSEL on SEL curriculum and professional development while bundling wider student-support capabilities.
• Committee for Children: Committee for Children is the long-established nonprofit behind the widely adopted Second Step SEL curriculum used in K-8 classrooms. IFSEL competes for the same K-12 SEL professional development and curriculum dollars, though Committee for Children operates at much greater scale and distribution.
• Panorama Education: Panorama Education is a larger, well-funded K-12 SaaS platform offering SEL curriculum, surveys, and professional learning to districts. It competes with IFSEL on the SEL PD and curriculum layer while bundling data/measurement tools that IFSEL does not offer.

Others

• CASEL: CASEL is the leading SEL research and framework organization whose competencies IFSEL explicitly aligns to. While not a direct competitor, CASEL publishes free frameworks, program guides, and toolkits that partly commoditize the standards IFSEL monetizes through professional development.

Direct peers

• Move This World: Move This World provides K-12 SEL curriculum, teacher training, and family engagement resources. It is a direct competitor in the SEL curriculum plus professional development space, particularly for whole-school implementations.
• 7 Mindsets: 7 Mindsets delivers a CASEL-aligned SEL curriculum and educator professional development for K-12 schools and districts. It targets the same K-12 school and district buyers IFSEL serves with a more packaged, scalable curriculum offering.
• Inner Explorer: Inner Explorer offers a daily, evidence-based mindfulness and SEL program for K-12 classrooms, including teacher training. It competes with IFSEL in delivering SEL curriculum and educator capacity-building to schools.
• Aperture Education: Aperture Education provides SEL assessments, curriculum, and professional development to K-12 schools and districts. It is a comparable mid-size SEL PD and curriculum vendor competing for similar school contracts.
• Responsive Classroom: Responsive Classroom provides K-8 educator professional development, books, and resources grounded in social-emotional and classroom community principles. It overlaps directly with IFSEL's teacher training, workshops, and curriculum library for elementary and middle schools.
• Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (RULER): The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence develops and disseminates the RULER approach to SEL, including training for school leaders and educators. It is the most direct scholarly competitor to IFSEL's Whole-Community Approach and targets the same K-12 schools with evidence-based, CASEL-aligned PD.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/InstituteforSEL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-institute-for-social-and-emotional-learning
• Instagraminstagram.com/instituteforsel
• Xx.com/InstituteforSEL

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Institute for Social and Emotional Learning