What CNI (Coalition for Networked Information) does

CNI (Coalition for Networked Information) is a Washington, D.C.-based membership organization founded in 1990 as a joint initiative of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and EDUCAUSE. Its mission is to advance the use of networked information technology in support of scholarly communication, digital scholarship, digital preservation, and research data management, primarily serving the higher education and research enterprise. CNI represents over 200 member institutions spanning higher education, publishing, information technology, scholarly organizations, foundations, libraries, and government agencies, and operates as a convening platform rather than a technology vendor. The organization is led by Executive Director Kate Zwaard, who assumed the role in September 2025, and is governed by a Steering Committee with representation from ARL, EDUCAUSE, and at-large members.

CNI's product surface is a portfolio of programs and convening services rather than software products. Core offerings include semi-annual membership meetings with project briefings, plenary sessions, and discussion tables; executive roundtables on strategic digital topics; a quarterly Pre-Recorded Project Briefing Series; workshops and projects including the ARL/CNI Artificial Intelligence Initiative and the Designing Libraries for the 21st Century Conference; publications and Executive Roundtable reports; and the biennial Paul Evan Peters Award and Scholarships. Distribution occurs through institutional membership, with each member appointing two representatives who attend meetings and participate in programs. Content is also distributed via a CNI-ANNOUNCE email forum, the cni.org website, and a multi-platform social presence (LinkedIn, Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Vimeo, Mastodon).

CNI operates a recurring subscription revenue model funded entirely through annual membership dues, set at $8,838 per institution for fiscal year July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027. With approximately 226 member institutions, this implies annual dues revenue of roughly $2 million. The organization has seven full-time staff and maintains strategic partnerships with ARL and EDUCAUSE as founding sponsors, Jisc in the UK for transatlantic convening, and NC State University Libraries for the Designing Libraries Conference.

Name

CNI (Coalition for Networked Information)

Legal name

Coalition for Networked Information

Website

https://cni.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CNI is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit membership organization founded in 1990 by ARL and EDUCAUSE that convenes over 200 institutions across higher education, publishing, libraries, and technology to advance networked digital information technology for scholarship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CNI is entirely funded through membership dues. Institutional membership dues for the year (July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027) are $8,838, and membership is renewable on an annual basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CNI is a private, nonprofit institutional membership organization that convenes libraries and information technology communities through semi-annual membership meetings, executive roundtables, project briefings, workshops, and publications. It serves as a collaborative platform for over 200 member institutions to explore digital information technologies, analyze technology policy issues, and catalyze new projects focused on advancing scholarship and education. CNI is entirely funded through institutional membership dues.

Product overview

CNI (Coalition for Networked Information) is a membership organization, not a software product company. It does not offer a unified software product or platform. Instead, CNI provides a portfolio of programs and services centered around semi-annual Membership Meetings, Executive Roundtables, Pre-Recorded Project Briefing Series, Workshops & Projects, Publications, and Awards. These programs facilitate collaboration between library and information technology communities to advance scholarly communication and digital information technology. The organization also offers communications channels including CNI-ANNOUNCE and an Event Calendar.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Meetings Semi-annual gatherings of CNI member organization representatives to explore new technologies, content, and applications; analyze technology policy issues; and catalyze new project development. Each meeting includes project briefings, plenary sessions, and discussion tables.
• Executive Roundtable Reports Reports from Executive Roundtables that bring together campus partners from member institutions to discuss key digital information topics and related strategic implications.
• Pre-Recorded Project Briefing Series Quarterly asynchronous video collection providing year-round access to timely project briefings from the CNI community, covering timely topics or specific projects related to digital information.
• Workshops & Projects Periodic workshops and projects that explore specific elements of CNI's agenda, resulting in webinars, reports, and presentations. Includes initiatives such as the ARL/CNI Artificial Intelligence Initiative and Digital Scholarship Planning.
• CNI Publications Reports and articles by CNI staff, selected reports published by other organizations for whom CNI staff have served as committee members, and publications by former Executive Director Clifford Lynch and Associate Executive Director Emerita Joan Lippincott.
• Videos & Podcasts Videos of project briefings and plenary sessions from CNI membership meetings, the Pre-Recorded Project Briefing Series, and other CNI-related videos available on YouTube and Vimeo channels. Includes podcast interviews with presenters and attendees.
• Program Plan Annual snapshot of CNI's plans and priorities for the year, including background information about CNI and its collaborative activities, and program initiatives planned for the year (July 1-June 30).
• Co-Sponsored Events Conferences and workshops co-sponsored by CNI with partner organizations, including the Designing Libraries Conference and Jisc/CNI Conference, advancing specific elements of CNI's agenda.

Quantifiable outcome

• 226 member institutions representing diverse sectors of higher education, publishing, technology, and cultural heritage
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• JiscflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005CNI has partnered with Jisc in the UK for over twenty years to convene biannual meetings exploring parallel developments and contrasts between the two nations in networked information, digital libraries, and scholarly communication.
• Association of Research Libraries (ARL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990ARL is one of CNI's two founding sponsor organizations alongside EDUCAUSE. ARL and CNI formed a joint initiative in 1990 to promote the use of digital information technology to advance scholarship and education. ARL appoints three members to the CNI Steering Committee for three-year terms. The executive director of ARL serves as ex officio member of the Steering Committee.
• EDUCAUSEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990EDUCAUSE (formerly CAUSE and EDUCOM) is one of CNI's two founding sponsor organizations alongside ARL. EDUCAUSE appoints three members to the CNI Steering Committee for three-year terms. The president of EDUCAUSE serves as ex officio member of the Steering Committee. EDUCAUSE also produces podcast interviews from CNI membership meetings.
• NC State University LibrariesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNC State University Libraries co-sponsors the Designing Libraries for the 21st Century Conference with CNI and Tom Hickerson (Conference Founder). The conference brings together librarians, architects, planners, designers, and information technologists to explore achievements and challenges of designing libraries and learning spaces.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Internet2: U.S. non-profit computer networking consortium serving research and education institutions. Comparable membership-based model serving higher ed IT and library leaders with shared infrastructure and community programs.
• OCLC: Global library cooperative offering shared services and infrastructure to member libraries. Comparable as a membership-driven organization convening libraries and information institutions around shared technology and metadata resources.
• Jisc: UK non-profit providing digital, data, and technology services to higher education and research institutions. CNI's flagship bilateral partner for over 20 years and a direct functional peer in convening higher ed digital programs.
• LYRASIS: Member-based non-profit consortium serving libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutions with shared digital infrastructure and collaborative programs. Highly comparable operating model to CNI in the library/scholarly communication space.
• SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition): Member-supported advocacy organization for open access and scholarly communication. Directly comparable mission space (digital scholarship) and operating model (institutional membership dues-funded advocacy and convening).

Broad incumbents

• EDUCAUSE: Co-founding sponsor of CNI and the broader U.S. higher education IT membership organization. Directly comparable as a dues-funded convener serving university IT and library leaders, with overlapping membership and complementary programs.
• Association of Research Libraries (ARL): Co-founding sponsor of CNI and the leading membership association for large research libraries. Operates a similar institutional membership model with overlapping members and joint initiatives such as the ARL/CNI AI Initiative.

Emerging players

• CLOCKSS: Community-governed dark archive for scholarly content, operated as a joint venture among academic libraries and publishers. Overlaps with CNI's digital preservation agenda as a focused, niche membership-based initiative.
• Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (C4DISC): Coalition-style membership organization working to diversify scholarly communications. Comparable as a smaller, mission-specific coalition serving the scholarly communication community CNI convenes.

Others

• Internet Archive: Digital library and preservation non-profit and a CNI member institution. Related ecosystem participant in digital preservation and open access rather than a direct convening peer, but collaborates with CNI members on shared initiatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cni_org
• YouTubeyoutube.com/cnivideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/cni.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coalition-for-networked-information

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 CNI (Coalition for Networked Information)