National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS)

What National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS) does

NCPERS (National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit trade association founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It serves as the principal industry association for U.S. and Canadian public sector retirement systems, with a stated membership of more than 650 pension funds, plan sponsors, unions, and service providers that collectively manage approximately $6 trillion in retirement assets and cover more than 20 million public servants. The organization is led by CEO Hank Kim and operates with a small staff (1-10 employees).

Its product portfolio centers on three pillars: education, research, and advocacy. NCPERS University delivers tiered fiduciary training (Trustee Essentials Training, Fiduciary in Focus Workshop, Advanced Fiduciary Institute). The association runs 11 annual in-person events (Annual Conference & Exhibition, Fall Conference, Public Safety Conference, Chief Officers Summit, Public Pension HR Summit, Communications & Member Services Summit, Public Pension Funding Forum, Legislative Forum & Policy Day, and additional specialized summits) complemented by regular webinars. Research products include the annual Public Retirement Systems Study, the Public Pension Compensation Survey, and ongoing PERSist blog and publication output covering actuarial, asset management, governance, legal, policy, and technology topics. Advocacy is delivered through a dedicated Legislative Forum & Policy Day function.

The business model is membership dues plus event and sponsorship revenue. Five tiers exist: Pension Fund, Industry Stakeholder, CorPERS Service Provider (premium tier), Corporate, and Emerging Manager (reduced-rate pathway for up to five years). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and requires application. Distribution occurs through the ncpers.org website, in-person events, webinars, and member login portals across the U.S. and Canada.

Name

National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS)

Legal name

National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems

Website

https://ncpers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NCPERS is the principal U.S. and Canadian trade association for public sector pension funds, founded in 1941, serving 650+ member organizations that collectively manage approximately $6 trillion in retirement assets for over 20 million public servants through fiduciary education, annual conferences, research, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Pension Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Services & Insurance (FINRA, CFP, IAR, Insurance CE) (EDAAALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF), Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

Keywords

• Public pension association
• Fiduciary education
• Retirement system research
• Pension advocacy
• Membership trade association

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NCPERS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit trade association that provides fiduciary education, peer networking, industry research, advocacy, and annual conferences to public sector retirement systems and their service providers. It operates NCPERS University (Trustee Essentials, Fiduciary in Focus, Advanced Fiduciary Institute), hosts roughly 11 annual in-person events and regular webinars, and publishes the Public Retirement Systems Study and Public Pension Compensation Survey for its 650+ member funds.

Product overview

NCPERS is a membership-driven trade association providing a comprehensive suite of educational programs, research, and networking opportunities for public pension professionals. The organization operates through its flagship NCPERS University educational platform (offering Trustee Essentials Training, Fiduciary in Focus Workshop, and Advanced Fiduciary Institute), hosts approximately 11 annual in-person events including the Annual Conference & Exhibition, Fall Conference, Public Safety Conference, Chief Officers Summit, Public Pension HR Summit, Communications & Member Services Summit, and specialized forums (Legislative Forum & Policy Day, Public Pension Funding Forum), delivers regular webinars, publishes the annual Public Retirement Systems Study and Public Pension Compensation Survey, and maintains the PERSist blog covering industry topics. Membership tiers include Pension Fund, Industry Stakeholder, and CorPERS Service Provider categories. The association also recognizes excellence through awards like the Public Pension Communicator of the Year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NCPERS University Comprehensive educational platform offering fiduciary training programs including Trustee Essentials Training, Fiduciary in Focus Workshop, and Advanced Fiduciary Institute for public pension trustees and staff.
• Annual Conference & Exhibition Flagship annual in-person event bringing together public pension professionals for education, networking, industry updates, and an exhibition floor.
• Fall Conference Annual fall educational conference for public pension trustees, plan staff, and stakeholders.
• Public Safety Conference Annual conference focused on the pension challenges of public safety employee retirement systems such as police and fire pensions.
• Chief Officers Summit Annual summit for executive-level public pension officers covering leadership, governance, and strategic topics.
• Public Pension HR Summit Annual summit addressing human resources challenges and strategies specific to public pension systems.
• Communications & Member Services Summit Annual summit focused on communications strategies and member services best practices for public pensions.
• Legislative Forum & Policy Day Annual forum bringing together public pension professionals to discuss legislative issues and policy developments affecting the industry.
• Public Pension Funding Forum Annual forum focused on pension funding strategies, actuarial issues, and financial sustainability for public retirement systems.
• NCPERS Webinars Recurring online educational sessions covering current topics in public pension management, investments, and governance.
• Public Retirement Systems Study Annual research study gathering data on the fiscal, operational, and business practices of public retirement systems.
• Public Pension Compensation Survey Annual survey providing benchmarking data on compensation practices across public pension systems.
• Pension Fund Roundtables Peer discussion and networking groups for pension professionals including HR roundtables and other specialized forums.
• Pension Fund Membership Membership tier for public sector retirement systems providing educational opportunities, networking, and exclusive research access.
• Industry Stakeholder Membership Membership tier for organizations including retiree associations, labor unions, and governmental plan sponsors.
• CorPERS Service Provider Membership Highest tier of NCPERS membership for service providers, offering access to industry decision-makers and leading educational conferences.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SIFMA (Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association): Major trade association for the securities industry, including asset managers serving public pensions. Overlaps with NCPERS in serving institutional investment professionals and offering conferences, certifications, and advocacy—though oriented to capital markets broadly.
• Council of Institutional Investors (CII): Membership association for major institutional investors including public pension funds. Comparable to NCPERS as a peer-association model serving public and corporate pension investors, with overlapping advocacy, governance, and corporate-engagement programming.
• National Association of State Treasurers (NAST): Bi-partisan association of state treasurers, many of whom oversee or interface with public pension funds. Comparable public-sector finance audience and advocacy footprint, though with a broader treasury-management mandate.
• Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA): Association for state and local government finance professionals, including pension and benefits officers. Overlaps with NCPERS on public-sector financial governance, training, and policy advocacy, though pension is only one of many focus areas.
• International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP): Large membership association providing education and certification for benefits professionals across public and private sectors. Comparable to NCPERS in educational programming and member engagement, but with a broader scope that includes corporate 401(k) plans alongside public pensions.

Direct peers

• National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS): Non-profit focused on research and education promoting retirement security, including public pensions. NCPERS CEO Hank Kim serves on its board, evidencing direct overlap in mission, audience (pension policymakers and stakeholders), and advocacy/research output.
• National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA): Trade association for state-level public retirement system administrators. Directly comparable to NCPERS as a peer member association serving the U.S. public pension ecosystem, though focused specifically on state (rather than local/county/state) administrators.
• National Council on Teacher Retirement (NCTR): Trade association specifically for state and local teacher retirement systems. Direct competitor to NCPERS in the public-pension trade-association space, with overlapping membership, events, and education programs focused on a subset of the public-pension universe.

Emerging players

• Pension Research Council (Wharton): Academic research consortium producing pension and retirement policy research. Comparable thought-leadership and research-publication model to NCPERS' Public Retirement Systems Study, though with an academic rather than practitioner-led orientation.

Others

• Investor Responsibility Research Center / ICCR: Coalition addressing responsible investment practices. Indirectly comparable to NCPERS as an industry-association body engaging institutional investors (including public pensions) on governance and ESG topics that intersect with NCPERS' DEI and governance programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncpers
• Facebookfacebook.com/ncpers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-conference-on-public-employee-retirement-systems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS)