Future Ready Columbus
Future Ready Columbus (dba Future Ready Five) is a Columbus, Ohio-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative and Franklin County RISE, partnering with 46 childcare centers to deliver early literacy interventions, teacher training, and family engagement to improve kindergarten readiness for children ages 3–5 across Central Ohio.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Future Ready Columbus does
Future Ready Columbus, operating as Future Ready Five (FR5), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with a stated mission to ensure all children in Franklin County demonstrate kindergarten readiness by 2030. The organization addresses a documented local crisis in which only 35.4% of approximately 18,500 children entering kindergarten each year in Franklin County meet Ohio's Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA-R) benchmarks, with disproportionately low readiness rates among Black (21.8%), Hispanic (14.6%), and economically disadvantaged (21.6%) children. FR5 operates two interconnected programs: the Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative (KRC), a cohort-based early literacy intervention partnering with 46 childcare centers to deliver screening (BRIGANCE, Reading House), structured curricula (Heggerty Phonemic Awareness, Read It Again Social-Emotional), tablet-based personalized learning via Khan Academy Kids, teacher professional development including fully funded CDA credentials through Columbus State Community College, and family engagement workshops; and Franklin County RISE, a child care affordability and accessibility program administered with Action for Children offering up to $9,000 in scholarships, educator incentive awards, and provider funding. Independent validation by Measurement Resources confirms KRC children achieve 75% literacy readiness versus the 44.3% county average, a 30.7-point gap.
The organization is funded primarily through government appropriations — over $23 million committed by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners across 2022 and 2023, partially sourced from American Rescue Plan — supplemented by an active $2 million Ohio HB 96 state funding pursuit, corporate sponsorships (PNC, Huntington, Nationwide, Crane Group, Worthington Industries, AEP, Google.org), and individual donations via credit card, PayPal, Venmo, stock gifts, and donor advised funds (EIN 45-3819208). The go-to-market is a community-led collective impact model: rather than direct consumer sales, FR5 recruits and equips childcare center partners, trains their teachers, and engages families — measured against a 2030 target of 100% countywide kindergarten readiness. Leadership includes CEO Mario Basora (20+ years in education), COO Dr. Vanisa Turney, CFO Maureen Thomas (30 years nonprofit sector), and a board co-chaired by Commissioner Erica Crawley and Crane Group CEO Tanny Crane. Note: the firmographic founding year of 2015 conflicts with the more detailed company history referencing a 2022 launch; the organization's operational record (funding rounds, board formation, RISE launch) begins in 2022.
Future Ready Columbus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Future Ready Columbus
- Legal name
- Future Ready Five
- Website
- https://futurereadyfive.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Future Ready Columbus (dba Future Ready Five) is a Columbus, Ohio-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative and Franklin County RISE, partnering with 46 childcare centers to deliver early literacy interventions, teacher training, and family engagement to improve kindergarten readiness for children ages 3–5 across Central Ohio.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Future Ready Columbus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early Childhood Education
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Developmental Screening & Assessment (0–5) (EDACAFAA)
Keywords
Where Future Ready Columbus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Future Ready Columbus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals via credit card, PayPal, Venmo, or mailed checks. EIN# 45-3819208.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for the Annual Thrive Awards event recognizing early childhood educators.
- Matching Gifts: Corporate matching gift programs where employers match employee donations.
- Stock Donations: Gifts of stocks accepted directly.
- Government Funding: Franklin County Board of Commissioners provided $11.5 million for Franklin County RISE year two, totaling over $23 million commitment. State funding through Ohio HB 96.
- Donor Advised Fund: Donations through donor advised funds accepted.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels11 records
Future Ready Columbus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Future Ready Five delivers a cohort-based Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative (KRC) that screens children ages 3-5 in partnered childcare centers, deploys evidence-based curricula (Heggerty® Phonemic Awareness, Read It Again!® Social-Emotional, Khan Academy Kids® on tablets), and trains teachers through fully funded CDA credentials. The organization also administers Franklin County RISE — a child care affordability initiative offering scholarships up to $9,000 plus educator and provider incentives — in partnership with Franklin County and Action for Children. All services are free to participating centers, teachers, and families in Franklin County, Ohio.
Product overview
Future Ready Five operates as a nonprofit collective impact organization delivering two interconnected programs: the Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative (KRC) — a cohort-based early literacy intervention serving children ages 3-5 through partnered childcare centers — and Franklin County RISE — a child care affordability program administered alongside Franklin County and Action for Children. The KRC program weaves together structured curriculum components (Heggerty® Phonemic Awareness, Read It Again!® Social-Emotional, and Khan Academy Kids® delivered via tablets), standardized assessment tools (BRIGANCE® and The Reading House® screeners), professional development for teachers (including fully funded CDA credentials), virtual parent workshops, and measurable outcome tracking via the Ohio KRA-R. Franklin County RISE complements the KRC by offering child care scholarships, educator awards, and provider incentives to strengthen the broader early learning ecosystem. Both programs share a common data infrastructure and RISE Circle community platform to engage families and providers across Central Ohio.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative (KRC)
- Franklin County RISE
- Heggerty® Phonemic Awareness Curriculum
- Read It Again!® Social-Emotional Curriculum
- Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential Program
- BRIGANCE® Early Childhood Screens
- The Reading House® Screener
- Free Parent Workshop Resources
- RISE Circle
Quantifiable outcome
- KRC children grew literacy scores by 77% from October to January vs typical 20-40% annual gains
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Future Ready Columbus
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Future Ready Columbus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Future Ready Columbus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Franklin County Board of CommissionerscoreFranklin County Board of Commissioners funds the Franklin County RISE initiative, committing over $23 million total ($11.5 million for year two). They also provide leadership through Board Co-Chair Commissioner Erica Crawley.
- Action for ChildrencoreAction for Children administers Franklin County RISE scholarships and incentives in partnership with Future Ready Five. They help families find childcare and manage the application process.
- Columbus State Community CollegecoreColumbus State provides CDA certification courses for KRC teachers. FR5 covers full cost including tuition and books for 20 teachers per term.
- Columbus Metropolitan LibrarymajorBoard member Lauren Hagan serves as CEO of Columbus Metropolitan Library. CML provides library resources and programs for FR5 families, including open office hours at Whitehall Branch.
- Measurement ResourcesmajorIndependent data analytics firm that reviews and validates Fall 2025 KRA data for Future Ready Five, ensuring accuracy and reliability of impact metrics.
- Ohio State University Crane CentercoreCreated the Read It Again! Social-Emotional curriculum used in KRC program. Their research informs FR5's approach to early childhood education.
- United Way of Central OhiomajorCommunity partner organization collaborating on early childhood education initiatives.
- City of ColumbusmajorMayor Andrew J. Ginther serves on FR5 board. City partnered with Franklin County to administer $7.7 million in pandemic relief to childcare programs.
- Franklin Park ConservatoryminorPalm House at Franklin Park Conservatory donated in-kind for First Annual Thrive Awards ceremony venue.
- Columbus Urban LeaguemajorBoard member Stephanie Hightower serves as President & CEO. Columbus Urban League reaches 7,000+ individuals annually focusing on economic transformation and foundational education.
- COSIminorCommunity partner providing educational experiences for children in FR5 program. COSI offers free programs for FR5 participants.
- SparkminorFamily support program through Action for Children recommended to FR5 families as community resource.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Future Ready Columbus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- StriveTogether: National cradle-to-career collective impact network that coordinates cross-sector partners to improve kindergarten readiness and K-12 outcomes at the community level, the same fundamental operating model Future Ready Five uses in Franklin County.
- First 5 LA: County-level, publicly-funded commission that deploys tens of millions of dollars annually into early childhood programs, provider incentives and parent education in Los Angeles - architecturally the same model as Franklin County RISE, just at larger scale.
- Parents as Teachers: National nonprofit delivering evidence-based parent education and early childhood developmental screenings through affiliate sites, directly comparable to Future Ready Five's combination of BRIGANCE/Reading House screeners plus parent workshops.
- Raising A Reader: National early literacy nonprofit that partners with childcare centers and families to improve early literacy outcomes - same target population, same center-based delivery channel, similar measurable literacy goals.
- Reach Out and Read: Pediatric literacy nonprofit that supplies books and literacy coaching during well-child visits; overlapping early-literacy mission and similar evidence-based, community-embedded operating model.
- Cradle Cincinnati: Regional collective-impact nonprofit that convenes hospital systems, government, and community organizations to address child health and development outcomes using data-driven programming, analogous in structure and metrics orientation to FR5's kindergarten-readiness work.
Regional players
- Smart Start Oklahoma: Statewide, publicly-funded early childhood intermediary that administers programs targeting school readiness, childcare quality, and parent engagement - mirrors FR5's whole-system approach but at the state level.
- Invest in Children (Cuyahoga County): Cleveland-area nonprofit that pools public and private dollars to fund evidence-based early-childhood programs and parent support, the closest analogue to FR5 in another Ohio metropolitan market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Future Ready Columbus social profiles
Digital presenceFuture Ready Columbus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Future Ready Columbus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Future Ready Columbus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Future Ready Columbus M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Future Ready Columbus
What does Future Ready Columbus do?
Future Ready Five delivers a cohort-based Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative (KRC) that screens children ages 3-5 in partnered childcare centers, deploys evidence-based curricula (Heggerty® Phonemic Awareness, Read It Again!® Social-Emotional, Khan Academy Kids® on tablets), and trains teachers through fully funded CDA credentials. The organization also administers Franklin County RISE — a child care affordability initiative offering scholarships up to $9,000 plus educator and provider incentives — in partnership with Franklin County and Action for Children. All services are free to participating centers, teachers, and families in Franklin County, Ohio.
Is Future Ready Columbus a public or private company?
Future Ready Columbus is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Future Ready Columbus founded?
Future Ready Columbus was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Future Ready Columbus based?
Future Ready Columbus is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does Future Ready Columbus make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships, matching Gifts, stock Donations, government Funding and donor Advised Fund.
Who are Future Ready Columbus's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are StriveTogether, First 5 LA, Parents as Teachers, Raising A Reader, Reach Out and Read and Cradle Cincinnati. Regional players are Smart Start Oklahoma and Invest in Children (Cuyahoga County).
Does Future Ready Columbus have an API?
No public API is recorded for Future Ready Columbus.
What industry is Future Ready Columbus in?
Future Ready Columbus's product category is Early Childhood Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACAFAG, Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction, with a secondary code of EDACAFAA, Developmental Screening & Assessment (0–5). Its NAICS code is 624110 and its SIC code is 8300.