Friday Institute for Educational Innovation

What Friday Institute for Educational Innovation does

The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation (legal name: William & Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation) is a research and professional learning center housed within NC State University's College of Education. Founded in Raleigh, North Carolina, it employs 51-100 staff and operates as a mission-driven institute rather than a commercial entity. Its core function is advancing K-12 education through free, research-based professional development for educators, program evaluation, education policy research, and STEM enrichment for students. The institute serves classroom teachers, instructional coaches, school and district administrators, state education agency leaders, and policymakers across all 50 U.S. states and 160 countries.

Name

Friday Institute for Educational Innovation

Legal name

William & Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation

Website

https://fi.ncsu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Friday Institute is an NC State University-affiliated research center that delivers free online professional learning, AI literacy courses, micro-credentials, and policy research to K-12 educators, administrators, and 34 state education agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Services & Research

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Test Prep & Online Supplemental Instruction (K–12) (EDAJADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Divisions of Traditional Universities (Hybrid/Extension) (EDAHALAB), Accelerated Learning & Grade Advancement Programs (EDAJAGAE)

Keywords

• K-12 professional development
• Educator professional learning
• Education research services
• Online learning platform
• STEM enrichment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant and Foundation Funding: The institute operates as part of NC State University's College of Education and is funded through grants from foundations (Spencer Foundation, Ballmer Foundation, Oak Foundation) and government funding (NIH, Department of Treasury ESSER III funds). Revenue comes from program grants rather than commercial revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Friday Institute delivers free, research-based online professional learning courses, competency-based micro-credentials, in-person convenings, program evaluation and education research, and student STEM enrichment programs for K-12 educators, school leaders, and state education agencies. Its core programs include courses such as The AI-Empowered Teacher, Learning Differences, SEL, Coaching, and iCS4ALL, complemented by the NC-MSEN Pre-College Program, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education convening role, and AI integration initiatives with state education agencies.

Product overview

The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation is a research and education innovation center at NC State University offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional learning products and programs for educators. The core offering is an Online Professional Learning Platform that delivers free, research-based courses including The AI-Empowered Teacher and AI with the FI (for AI literacy), Learning Differences (on executive function), Social and Emotional Learning, Foundational Coaching Practice for the Digital Age, and iCS4ALL (computational thinking integration in Art and Music). These are complemented by competency-based Micro-credentials hosted on Digital Promise, the NC-MSEN Pre-College STEM enrichment program, Event Space rental for education events, and strategic partnership through the Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education. The portfolio serves K-12 educators seeking professional development hours and students from elementary through college preparation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NC-MSEN (North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network): Pre-College Program focused on STEM enrichment, academic enrichment, and college preparation for students across North Carolina
• AI Across State Lines
• The AI-Empowered Teacher
• PLACE
• PLACE360
• Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education

Products and services

• The AI-Empowered Teacher A 9-section online course for instructional staff exploring how generative AI can intentionally enhance teaching and learning while maintaining human connection and educational best practices. Offers 15 professional development hours.
• AI with the FI: From Awareness to Advocacy A self-paced online module taking educators through stages of AI adoption from awareness to advocacy, providing guidance on instructional practices with AI tools. Offers 5 professional development hours.
• Learning Differences An online course that unravels brain science for educators, focusing on executive functions such as attention, memory, task prioritization, organization and planning. Offers 20 professional development hours.
• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) for Educators A series of professional learning opportunities aligned with the CASEL framework for social emotional learning, covering five core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.
• Foundational Coaching Practice for the Digital Age A 7-unit course for instructional technology coaches and integration specialists to enhance knowledge and develop coaching strategies for digital-age learning environments. Offers 20-30 professional development hours.
• Integrating Computer Science for All (iCS4ALL) Art An online professional learning module equipping K-12 teachers to integrate computer science and computational thinking into art curriculum. Offers 5-10 professional development hours.
• Integrating Computer Science for All (iCS4ALL) Music An online professional learning module equipping K-12 teachers to integrate computer science and computational thinking into music curriculum. Offers 5-10 professional development hours.
• InSTEP: Invigorating Statistics Teacher Education Through Professional Online Learning A personalized online learning platform for teachers to develop expertise in teaching statistics and data science in grades 6-12.
• Micro-credentials Competency-based professional learning credentials offered through Digital Promise, focused on observable skills that are job-embedded and evidence-driven. Topics include digital learning, learner variability, coaching, data-informed instruction, and AI.
• NC-MSEN Pre-College Program North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network program providing STEM enrichment, academic advancement, and college preparation for students across North Carolina through Saturday Academy and Summer Camp.
• Event Space Rental Premiere event space at the Friday Institute facility including Wachovia Innovation Hall, BB&T Multimedia Classroom, Nortel Workshop rooms, and Discovery Classroom available for educator and education leader events.
• Online Professional Learning Platform (PLACE) Free, open online professional learning experiences for educators built on research-based models of effective professional development, professional learning communities, and online communities of practice. Serves 422,000+ educators online since March 2020 across 160 countries.
• Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education (Convening and Research Support) Administrative lead and strategic research partner for the North Carolina Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education, supporting coordination, convening, and evidence development to provide actionable recommendations for education improvement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 422,000+ educators served online since March 2020 across 160 countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SETDA (State Educational Technology Directors Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026Leading the AI Across State Lines initiative to bring state education agencies together for AI implementation in K-12 education. Over 30 state education leaders, AI researchers, and practitioners convened at the Friday Institute to co-design tools and frameworks.
• YES ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide stock market and financial literacy education through NC-MSEN Saturday Academy. The YES Consortium's stock market course has been part of Saturday Academy for over a decade.
• Digital PromisecoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital Promise hosts the Friday Institute's micro-credentials platform, making competencies discoverable and verifiable for educators.
• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in developing The AI-Empowered Teacher course, working with four state education agencies (Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Wyoming).
• East Carolina University College of EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year research collaboration to design the Integrating Computer Science for All (iCS4ALL) project and online professional learning modules.
• NC State College of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFriday Institute is part of NC State College of Education; executive director serves as associate dean of translational research, facilitating academic-practice connections.
• Center for Democracy and TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided guidance on protecting student privacy, safety, and civil liberties when developing AI policies during AI Across State Lines convening.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• EdSurge: K-12 ed-tech media and community platform covering tools, research, and policy. Comparable as an information and convening layer for educators and district leaders, though commercial model (news/media) differs from the Friday Institute's grant-funded research and PD model.
• Center for Democracy & Technology (Education): Partner on the AI Across State Lines initiative providing student privacy and civil liberties guidance. Comparable as a policy/advocacy partner shaping K-12 AI adoption, though operating as a broader civil-liberties organization rather than a K-12 services provider.

Broad incumbents

• Discovery Education: Large commercial K-12 digital content provider with professional development services and AI-integrated tools. Overlaps with the Friday Institute's educator PD and digital learning offerings but operates at commercial scale across districts nationwide.
• PBS Education: Provides free K-12 educational media and educator resources including digital literacy content. Comparable mission and free-distribution model to the Friday Institute, but at significantly larger national scale and brand recognition.

Direct peers

• Common Sense Education: Provides free K-12 digital citizenship, media literacy, and now AI literacy curricula and professional development for teachers. Directly competes with the Friday Institute in the AI-literacy-for-educators category and shares the freemium, research-backed content model.
• Digital Promise: National nonprofit that actually hosts the Friday Institute's micro-credentials. Shares the same mission of advancing equitable K-12 innovation through research, tools, and competency-based credentials, and serves the same educator and policymaker segments.
• SETDA (State Educational Technology Directors Association): Strategic partner on the AI Across State Lines initiative; comparable as an organization convening state education agencies and producing policy guidance for K-12 ed-tech adoption.
• CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers): Collaborative partner on The AI-Empowered Teacher course; comparable as a national organization producing policy frameworks and professional learning programs for K-12 state leaders and educators.
• ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education): Member-based organization providing K-12 educators with professional development, standards, and credentials on educational technology. Directly comparable in serving the same core customer (instructional coaches and tech-facilitating teachers) with overlapping content areas like AI and digital learning.
• Edutopia (George Lucas Educational Foundation): Publishes research-based K-12 teaching strategies and produces free professional learning content for educators, overlapping with the Friday Institute's research-to-practice content model and educator audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/FridayInstitute
• YouTubeyoutube.com/FridayInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheFridayInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-william-and-ida-friday-institute-for-educational-innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries5 records

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 Friday Institute for Educational Innovation