MERLOT
MERLOT is a non-profit collaborative platform founded in 1997 that provides free, peer-reviewed open educational resources to educators, students, and institutions across 195 countries through a curated repository of 110,000+ learning materials.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersLong Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What MERLOT does
MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) is a non-profit collaborative organization founded in 1997 that operates a curated, peer-reviewed repository of open educational resources (OER). The platform serves higher education faculty, students, K-12 educators, and workforce development organizations globally, with a registered community of 225,441 members across 4,446 member institutions in 195 of 196 UN-recognized countries. MERLOT's core technology is a web-based learning object repository containing 110,811 learning resources organized across 24 Academic Discipline Community Portals and 9 Academic Support Community Portals, augmented by free content creation tools including Content Builder, ePortfolios, bookmark collections, and a Peer Review System for quality assurance.
The organization's product portfolio includes the main MERLOT Collection, Virtual Labs (STEM simulations in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, and Mathematics), the JOLT peer-reviewed academic journal, and SkillsCommons — a companion workforce development repository developed under approximately $2 billion in investment from 700+ contributing colleges, universities, and industries. MERLOT operates through a freemium model providing all services completely free of charge to users, with revenue (where applicable) sourced from institutional partnerships, NSF grants, and California State University System hosting support rather than user fees.
MERLOT is hosted through the California State University System Office of the Chancellor and partners with educational institutions, professional societies, non-profits, government agencies (including NSF and UNESCO), and industries worldwide. The organization's go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on educator networks, professional conference presence, institutional adoption, and organic word-of-mouth within academic communities rather than paid acquisition. Strategic partnerships extend into workforce development (SkillsCommons), international education (JSDC India), public interest technology (New America), and digital equity initiatives (NCDE), positioning MERLOT as infrastructure for open educational access rather than a commercial product.
MERLOT firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MERLOT
- Legal name
- MERLOT
- Website
- https://www.merlot.org/merlot/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MERLOT is a non-profit collaborative platform founded in 1997 that provides free, peer-reviewed open educational resources to educators, students, and institutions across 195 countries through a curated repository of 110,000+ learning materials.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MERLOT industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open Educational Resources Platform
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- OER Repositories, Discovery & Metadata Services (EDAGAJAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Open Lab Manuals & Practical Guides (STEM/CTE) (EDAGAJAG)
Keywords
Where MERLOT is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
MERLOT business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Free Platform Services: MERLOT provides all services free of charge to educators, learners, and institutions worldwide. The organization operates as a non-profit collaborative, likely funded through grants and institutional partnerships rather than user fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free access to all platform features |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
MERLOT product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MERLOT is a free, curated online repository of open educational resources (OER) and digital learning tools serving educators, learners, and researchers worldwide. It provides access to 110,811+ peer-reviewed learning materials across 24 academic disciplines, supported by free content-creation tools (Content Builder), Virtual Labs for STEM simulations, and a structured peer-review curation system. The platform operates as a community-driven library led by an international network of 225,441 registered members and 4,446 member institutions, with SkillsCommons extending the model to workforce training.
Product overview
MERLOT is a collaborative digital library and learning object repository system offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational technology products and services. The core offerings include the MERLOT Collection (access to 110,811+ curated learning resources), Content Builder (free content creation tool), the Peer Review System (quality assurance for OER), and JOLT (the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching). The system is complemented by 24 Academic Discipline Community Portals spanning fields from Business to World Languages, and 9 Academic Support Community Portals covering Faculty Development, ICT Literacy, Mobile Learning, and more. SkillsCommons serves as a workforce-focused sister repository with nearly $2 billion in development investment. Virtual Labs provides STEM simulations across Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, and Mathematics. The platform is led by an international community of educators, learners, and researchers, and is free to join and use.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SkillsCommons: The world's largest repository of open and vetted workforce training and educational materials, developed under a nearly $2 Billion investment, containing materials from over 700 colleges, universities, and industries.
- Virtual Labs
- JOLT - Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
- Content Builder
- MERLOTx - Student Learning Library
Products and services
- MERLOT Collection The core repository providing free, curated access to 110,811 peer-reviewed online learning and support materials for educators, learners, and researchers worldwide.
- Virtual Labs Free and fee-based virtual laboratory simulations for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines, emphasizing scientific methodology and inquiry-based learning for higher-education students.
- Content Builder A free tool that enables educators to build accessible, scalable, multi-page educational websites without web-development expertise.
- SkillsCommons The world's largest free and open repository of vetted workforce training and educational materials, designed for workforce-development organizations and individuals pursuing employment skills.
- JOLT (Journal of Online Learning and Teaching) A peer-reviewed journal publishing articles on online learning and teaching, managed by MERLOT with an international editorial board to support scholarship in online education.
- Fishbanks: A Renewable Resource Management Simulation A multiplayer web-based simulation in which participants role-play fishers competing to maximize net worth while managing fish stocks and testing renewable-resource policy options such as boat auctions, permits, and quotas.
- MERLOTx Student Learning Library A student-facing learning library within the MERLOT ecosystem providing free, open educational resources for learners.
Quantifiable outcome
- Access to peer-reviewed OER across 24 academic disciplines and 9 support areas
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use MERLOT
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MERLOT technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
MERLOT partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Job Skills Development Center (JSDC) - Tamil Nadu, IndiacoreMERLOT partners with JSDC to provide students with free personal learning libraries supporting development of skills, knowledge, and ambition for sustainable employment. MERLOT provides the technology platform while JSDC delivers onsite and online training in India.
- New AmericacoreSkillsCommons partners with New America to provide a free and open repository of instructional materials for Public Interest Technology. This collection addresses critical social importance including public use AI, climate and environmental projects, and social/criminal justice.
- National Collaborative for Digital Equity (NCDE)coreMERLOT-SkillsCommons partners with NCDE to leverage ICT Literacy collections and MERLOT Content for free and open access resources supporting state digital equity plans across the U.S.
- California State University SystemcoreCSU System hosts MERLOT through the Office of the Chancellor and has developed virtual labs and other educational technologies through collaborative projects. Multiple CSU campuses utilize MERLOT for course redesign initiatives.
- Online Learning Consortium (OLC)coreMERLOT and OLC co-conducted 'Ideate Labs for Online STEM: Innovating STEM Education 2020' - a free virtual expo showcasing virtual and distance labs for online STEM education.
- SkillsCommonscoreSkillsCommons is the companion workforce development repository to MERLOT, developed under nearly $2 Billion investment. Created by 700+ colleges, universities, and industries, it offers workforce training materials spanning sectors including advanced manufacturing, healthcare, IT, construction, and hospitality.
- UNESCOminorUNESCO Chair in Education and Technology for Social Change partner associated through JOLT editorial board connections.
- California State University, Long Beach - Center for Usability In Design and AccessibilitycoreCSULB Center for Usability In Design and Accessibility collaborated on concept and design of Virtual Labs portal, ensuring accessibility compliance.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MERLOT competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Open Textbook Library: University of Minnesota-hosted catalog of open textbooks reviewed by faculty. Directly comparable as a free, peer-reviewed OER discovery service targeted at higher education instructors and institutions.
- OpenStax (Rice University): Rice University-affiliated publisher of free, peer-reviewed open textbooks. Directly comparable to MERLOT's mission of providing free, quality-assured educational content to higher education institutions and learners.
- LibreTexts: Open-access textbook and learning resource platform serving higher education with a focus on STEM and humanities. Directly comparable to MERLOT as an OER hub providing free, curated, peer-reviewed educational content to instructors and students.
- OER Commons: Open Educational Resources network curated by ISKME, directly comparable to MERLOT as a free, peer-reviewed OER discovery and hosting platform for educators. Operates similar discipline-based portals and community curation model.
- MIT OpenCourseWare: MIT's free publication of virtually all MIT course content. Directly comparable to MERLOT as a free, open higher-education course content platform with strong institutional backing and global academic audience.
- SkillsCommons: MERLOT's own workforce-focused sister repository developed under ~$2B investment, containing workforce training materials from 700+ institutions. Listed as a peer because it is a distinct but operationally integrated program with its own user base.
Broad incumbents
- Internet Archive: Non-profit digital library providing free access to books, media, and educational resources. Comparable to MERLOT as a non-profit, mission-driven archive/discovery service with global reach, though operating at much larger scale across broader content types.
- Khan Academy: Large-scale free educational content platform with global reach. Comparable to MERLOT in offering free learning resources, but operates with a much larger paid engineering team and broader consumer-brand recognition.
- Coursera: Large-scale online learning platform partnering with universities to deliver courses. Overlaps with MERLOT's higher-education audience but operates on a credentialed/freemium commercial model rather than purely free open access.
Others
- Creative Commons: Non-profit organization that provides the licensing framework enabling MERLOT's open educational resources. Related ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but centrally relevant to MERLOT's OER infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MERLOT social profiles
Digital presenceMERLOT financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MERLOT leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
MERLOT funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MERLOT 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 MERLOT
What does MERLOT do?
MERLOT is a free, curated online repository of open educational resources (OER) and digital learning tools serving educators, learners, and researchers worldwide. It provides access to 110,811+ peer-reviewed learning materials across 24 academic disciplines, supported by free content-creation tools (Content Builder), Virtual Labs for STEM simulations, and a structured peer-review curation system. The platform operates as a community-driven library led by an international network of 225,441 registered members and 4,446 member institutions, with SkillsCommons extending the model to workforce training.
Is MERLOT a public or private company?
MERLOT is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was MERLOT founded?
MERLOT was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MERLOT based?
MERLOT is headquartered in Long Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does MERLOT make money?
One revenue line is on record: free Platform Services.
Who are MERLOT's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Open Textbook Library, OpenStax (Rice University), LibreTexts, OER Commons, MIT OpenCourseWare and SkillsCommons. Broad incumbents are Internet Archive, Khan Academy and Coursera. Creative Commons is listed as an others.
Does MERLOT have an API?
No public API is recorded for MERLOT.
What industry is MERLOT in?
MERLOT's product category is Open Educational Resources Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAJAL, OER Repositories, Discovery & Metadata Services, with a secondary code of EDAGAJAG, Open Lab Manuals & Practical Guides (STEM/CTE). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.