Cotsen Foundation for the Art of Teaching

What Cotsen Foundation for the Art of Teaching does

The Cotsen Foundation for the Art of Teaching is a private nonprofit foundation headquartered in Los Angeles, California, that funds and operates the "ART of TEACHING," a two-year intensive mentor/fellowship program for experienced K-12 teachers. Founded in 2001 by Lloyd Cotsen, former CEO and chairman of Neutrogena Corporation, the foundation pairs selected teachers with dedicated full-time mentor teachers through a weekly coaching cycle of plan, observe, debrief, and reflect, complemented by monthly inquiry-based professional learning communities and annual professional development workshops spanning reading, writing, mathematics, social studies, and primary sources. The core instructional backbone is built on the Columbia University Teachers College Reading and Writing Workshop (with Balanced Literacy) and the University of Wisconsin's Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) for mathematics; the foundation also supports school principals via dedicated professional development and runs a Teaching With Primary Sources (TPS) sub-program that extends its inquiry methodology to historical-document instruction.

Distribution is by invitation only through direct grants to school districts; the foundation funds all program costs including mentor teacher salaries and benefits, training, conferences, monthly team meetings, weekly mentor-fellow meetings, graduation celebrations, and per-fellow supplies stipends. Schools and teachers are selected through a multi-month process including on-site interviews and lesson observations. As of the 2025-2026 academic year, the program has cumulatively worked with approximately 33 districts, 220 schools, and 1,900 teachers across Southern California, and the foundation's alumni network exceeds 1,500 teachers sustained via an annual fall conference and alumni grants.

Revenue model is grant-funded nonprofit operations; the foundation does not charge teachers or schools and does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Pricing is non-public and program participation is invitation-only. The organization operates from a single Los Angeles office with an 11-50 person staff led by President and CEO Barry Munitz (former CSU Chancellor and former J. Paul Getty Trust CEO), Executive Director Julie Graham, COO/Chief of Staff Jolie Godoy, and CFO Kamyab Hashemi-Nejad, with Jonathan Victor (Senior Managing Director, Balmoral Funds) as Board Chair. Leadership transitioned from founder Lloyd Cotsen through Margit Sperling Cotsen (Director until 2022) to the current operating team. The foundation reports active operating status and no subsidiaries, public funding rounds, M&A activity, or disclosed revenue figures.

Name

Cotsen Foundation for the Art of Teaching

Legal name

Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING

Website

https://cotsen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Cotsen Foundation for the Art of Teaching is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit foundation that funds and operates the two-year "ART of TEACHING" mentor/fellowship program for experienced K-12 teachers across Southern California school districts, using a proprietary weekly coaching cycle and inquiry-based methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Teacher Professional Development

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAC

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAJALAL

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Educational Support Services (Tutoring & Counseling)

Keywords

• Teacher professional development
• Mentor coaching programs
• Educator training services
• School district grants
• Instructional coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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 channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING runs a two-year intensive mentor/fellowship program that pairs experienced teachers (with at least two years of successful teaching) with skilled full-time mentor teachers for a minimum of two hours per week of coaching via a plan-observe-debrief-reflect cycle. The program also includes monthly inquiry-based learning communities, annual professional development workshops in reading, writing, mathematics, social studies, and primary sources, plus principal professional development support. All program costs—including mentor salaries, training, conferences, and supplies stipends—are covered by foundation grants to school districts. Participation is by invitation only, with schools selected through a multi-month on-site interview and observation process.

Product overview

The Cotsen Foundation for the ART of TEACHING operates as a single unified program focused on teacher professional development. The core offering is the ART of TEACHING program, a two-year intensive mentor/fellowship initiative that connects experienced teachers with skilled mentors. The program consists of multiple integrated components including weekly coaching sessions, monthly inquiry groups, professional development workshops (in reading, writing, math, social studies, and primary sources), and support for school principals. Teachers are also provided supplies stipends and all training costs are covered. The Teaching With Primary Sources (TPS) sub-program extends the methodology to historical inquiry-based learning. As of 2025-2026, the program has worked with approximately 33 districts, 220 schools, and 1,900 teachers across southern California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The ART of TEACHING Program A two-year intensive mentor/fellowship program for experienced teachers (minimum two years of successful teaching) that combines weekly coaching cycles (plan, observe, debrief, reflect), monthly inquiry-based learning communities, and professional development workshops in reading, writing, math, social studies, and primary sources. Delivered through school district grants; participation is by invitation only. As of the 2025-2026 academic year, the program has worked with approximately 33 districts, 220 schools, and 1,900 teachers across southern California.
• Teaching With Primary Sources (TPS) A program using primary sources as teaching tools with an inquiry-based approach, enabling students to investigate historical questions through authentic documents and artifacts. Provided to teachers in the ART of TEACHING network and shared via a TPS Lesson Archive of recommended online resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,500 alumni have completed the program
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Columbia University Teachers CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cotsen Foundation has adopted Columbia University Teachers College Reading and Writing Workshop along with Balanced Literacy for literacy instruction. In this model, teachers engage students through short explicit lessons, individualized instruction in frequent conferencing, choice, structures for student interaction, and long periods of time for reading or writing.
• University of WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cotsen Foundation has adopted Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), a research-based approach developed at the University of Wisconsin for mathematics instruction. Teachers start with what students know and provide time for students to develop their own solutions to problems posed.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• TNTP (The New Teacher Project): TNTP operates large-scale teacher recruitment, training, and development programs including the widely-used TNTP Academy. Strong incumbent in teacher PD space with overlapping teacher coaching services and broader scope than Cotsen.
• Relay Graduate School of Education: Relay GSE trains and certifies teachers and school leaders through residency and continuing education programs. Overlaps Cotsen in teacher professional development and uses coaching cycles, though operates through formal degree pathways.
• National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: National Board certifies accomplished teachers through rigorous assessment and supports ongoing professional development. Highly relevant given Cotsen's focus on developing already-effective teachers toward excellence and the assessment-heavy coaching methodology.
• Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Carnegie Foundation operates a network of K-12 clinical practice partnerships designed to improve teacher preparation and development. Comparable nonprofit foundation model serving teacher development through networked improvement communities.

Emerging players

• BetterLesson: BetterLesson provides virtual and in-person coaching for K-12 teachers, including the TeachPlus platform. Comparable teacher development focus with more technology-enabled delivery than Cotsen's school-embedded model.

Direct peers

• New Teacher Center: New Teacher Center focuses on mentoring and coaching new and veteran teachers, including induction programs for early-career educators. Direct overlap with Cotsen's mentor/fellowship coaching methodology and K-12 district partnership model.
• Instruction Partners: Instruction Partners provides intensive, school-based coaching for teachers, particularly in math and literacy. The closest direct peer to Cotsen given shared instructional-coaching framework, school-embedded delivery, and partnership-driven go-to-market.
• Leading Educators: Leading Educators partners with school systems to embed instructional leaders and provide teacher coaching. Strong direct peer given focus on sustainable teacher development, content-area coaching, and district partnership model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CotsenAoT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cotsen-foundation-for-the-art-of-teaching

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Cotsen Foundation for the Art of Teaching