FAME
FAME, Inc. is a Delaware non-profit founded in 1976 by DuPont that delivers project-based STEM education, residential college-level programs, and workforce training to K-12 students, with a focus on underrepresented minorities and girls across the Mid-Atlantic region.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1976
- HeadquartersWilmington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What FAME does
FAME, Inc. (Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering) is a Delaware-based 501(c)-equivalent non-profit founded in 1976 by DuPont to address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in engineering and science. The organization delivers a tiered STEM education portfolio to K-12 students across Delaware, Southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Northern Maryland, with an explicit focus on underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans) and girls. Its core instructional products are the STEMulate® Change Outreach Initiative (project-based, multicultural-icon curriculum for grades K-6, vetted into the STEMWorks national database by Change the Equation) and the Core STEM Initiative (over 220 hours per student of intensive STEM instruction for grades 7-12 delivered at John Dickinson High School in Wilmington). Top-performing 11th- and 12th-grade students attend a 4-week residential program at the University of Delaware College of Engineering, taking college-level coursework in math, physics, and engineering.
FAME's revenue model blends tuition ($500 per student per year with 50% sibling discounts), tiered charitable donations (Inspire $500 / Investor $1,000 / Innovator $2,500 multi-year commitments), and foundation and corporate grants — its roster of corporate sponsors includes DuPont (founding partner), Boeing, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, 3M Foundation, Incyte, Corteva, Barclays, and Bank of America, supplemented by government funding from the State of Delaware and AmeriCorps. Workforce-development products extend the portfolio beyond K-12 enrichment: the CAST Test Prep program prepares high-schoolers for construction and skilled trades, and AME 302 delivers customer-service skills training to participants ages 16-24. The Talent Engagement Connection (TEC), powered by the third-party Tallo platform, adds a digital channel for scholarships, internships, and longitudinal alumni tracking, while The Many Faces of STEM — co-developed with Start Engineering LLC — packages the curriculum as distributable educator IP.
Go-to-market is community-led: programs are delivered through direct partnerships with schools (John Dickinson HS, A.I. Dupont HS), the University of Delaware, and corporate/community partners, with student recruitment via website applications, school referrals, and alumni word-of-mouth. FAME is currently mid-execution on a $15.75M capital campaign for The Learning Lab, a planned ~21,000-square-foot facility intended to scale annual students served from 3,936 to over 15,000 and add a Career Confidence Center plus laboratories for biotechnology, media, foodtech, engineering, and computer science. The organization is led by CEO Donald L. Baker, II, and governed by a board of corporate executives including representatives from HSBC, Boeing, AstraZeneca, Bank of America, and Barclays.
FAME firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FAME
- Legal name
- FAME, Inc.
- Website
- https://famedelaware.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1976
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- FAME, Inc. is a Delaware non-profit founded in 1976 by DuPont that delivers project-based STEM education, residential college-level programs, and workforce training to K-12 students, with a focus on underrepresented minorities and girls across the Mid-Atlantic region.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FAME industry classification
Industry- Product category
- STEM Education Services
- NAICS
- Technical and Trade Schools (6115)
- akta.pro primary industry
- STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)
Keywords
Where FAME is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wilmington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
FAME business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Program Tuition: Tuition-based revenue from academic programs. $500 per student per year for K-12 STEM enrichment programs covering summer and school-year sessions. Sibling discounts of 50% for additional enrolled children.
- Donations and Annual Fund: Charitable donations through annual fund campaigns, giving levels (Inspire $500, Investor $1,000, Innovator $2,500), and general donations supporting operations and the STEMulate Change Initiative.
- Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funding from corporate foundations (3M Foundation, AstraZeneca, Boeing, Incyte, Pfizer, etc.) and government sources (AmeriCorps, Delaware Dept. of Education, State of Delaware) supporting programs and operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Academic Programs Tuition - $500 per student annually |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Inspire Level - $500 annually for 3 years |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Investor Level - $1,000 annually for 3 years |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Innovator Level - $2,500 annually for 3 years |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
FAME product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FAME, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization that prepares and motivates K-12 students, with a focus on girls and underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans), to pursue STEM college degrees and careers. It delivers project-based STEM curricula, intensive advanced STEM instruction, residential college-level summer programs at the University of Delaware, and workforce development programs (CAST Test Prep, AME 302, TEC platform) supported by tuition, donations, and corporate/government grants.
Product overview
FAME, Inc. is a non-profit STEM education organization offering a multi-tiered portfolio of programs. The core offerings include the STEMulate® Change Outreach Initiative for grades K-6 and the Core STEM Initiative for grades 7-12, which provide project-based learning curricula and intensive STEM instruction. Advanced students in grades 11-12 participate in the University of Delaware/FAME Summer Program with residential college-level coursework. Workforce development is supported through the CAST Test Prep and AME 302 programs, while the Talent Engagement Connection (TEC) platform connects students with opportunities. The Learning Lab represents an upcoming facility expansion, and The Many Faces of STEM curriculum provides inclusive educational materials.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- STEMulate® Change: Outreach Initiative for students in grades K-6 that aims to ignite students' interest in STEM and encourages them to see themselves as Scientists, Technicians, Engineers and Mathematicians.
- CORE STEM Initiative
- TEC (Talent Engagement Connection)
- CAST Program
- AME 302 (Aligning Meaningful Employment)
Products and services
- STEMulate® Change Outreach Initiative A project-based, standards-aligned STEM curriculum for grades K-6 featuring multicultural and diverse American and global STEM icons, delivered in non-traditional classroom settings. Designed for underrepresented minorities and girls to build STEM interest, problem-solving, teamwork, and cultural competency.
- Core STEM Initiative An intensive advanced STEM instruction program for grades 7-12 delivering over 220 hours per student of advanced STEM content beyond regular school curriculum, including summer and school-year sessions.
- University of Delaware/FAME Summer Residential Program A residential college-level summer experience for grades 11-12 held on the University of Delaware College of Engineering campus, providing pre-calculus/calculus, physics, chemistry, and engineering research design coursework.
- STEMulate® Change Tutoring Program A supplemental tutoring program for grades K-12 that improves academic skills in English/Reading, Math, Science, and Social Skills.
- CAST Test Prep Program A workforce test preparation program for high school juniors and seniors preparing for Construction and Skilled Trades (CAST) exams.
- AME 302 Program (Aligning Meaningful Employment) A workforce training program for participants ages 16-24 developing customer service and job readiness skills.
- Talent Engagement Connection (TEC) A workforce pipeline initiative connecting Delaware students and job seekers with scholarships, internships, apprenticeships, credentialing, and employment opportunities through the Tallo digital platform.
- The Many Faces of STEM Curriculum An educator's guide co-developed with Start Engineering LLC featuring stories of underrepresented STEM icons, using the Excite-Engage-Empower methodology to inspire career confidence in students.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 35,000 students served since 1976
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use FAME
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
FAME technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
FAME partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- University of DelawarecoreUniversity partnership providing on-campus residential programs for 11th and 12th graders at the College of Engineering. Students take college-level courses in Pre-Calculus/Calculus, Physics, and Engineering Research Design.
- TallocoreDigital platform partnership powering the Talent Engagement Connection (TEC) to connect students with scholarships, internships, and career opportunities. Provides data analytics and longitudinal tracking capabilities.
- Change the EquationcoreNational STEM organization that vetted and accepted FAME's STEMulate Change curriculum into the STEMWorks database as a national STEM model.
- Start Engineering LLCcoreCo-developed The Many Faces of STEM educator's guide curriculum featuring underrepresented STEM icons.
- John Dickinson High SchoolcorePartner school where Core STEM Initiative classes are held for grades 7-12 students in Wilmington, DE.
- A.I. Dupont High SchoolcorePartner school where summer programs are held for students in Wilmington, DE.
- DESCAcorePartnership to host STEM Talent Conference providing on-demand content for students, educators, and industry professionals.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
FAME competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): FIRST runs the K-12 robotics competitions that FAME incorporates into its Core STEM Initiative - direct content/programmatic overlap with FAME's delivery model.
- MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement): MESA operates school-based STEM enrichment for underrepresented K-12 students with hands-on project learning - a near-identical operating model to FAME's STEMulate Change and Core STEM Initiatives.
- NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers): NSBE runs K-12 pre-college initiatives (NSBE Jr.) and collegiate programs that advance Black students in STEM - directly comparable target population and STEM-pipeline approach.
- Black Girls CODE: Black Girls CODE delivers STEM/CS education to girls of color from K-12 - overlapping the 'girls + underrepresented minorities' segment FAME explicitly serves.
- AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society): AISES provides K-12 and collegiate STEM programming for Native American students - mission-aligned with FAME's Native American inclusion in its underrepresented minority focus.
- National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME): NACME is a nonprofit focused on increasing the representation of underrepresented minorities in engineering, with scholarships and K-12 pipeline programs - extremely similar mission to FAME's original mandate to advance minorities in engineering.
- SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers): SHPE runs K-12 outreach programs (SHPE Jr.) to increase Hispanic representation in STEM - a directly comparable minority-focused STEM pipeline nonprofit.
- National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI): NMSI runs advanced STEM placement programs, teacher training, and school-based STEM initiatives for underrepresented students - comparable mission, school partnership model, and corporate funding structures.
Broad incumbents
- Code.org: Code.org is the dominant national nonprofit delivering free K-12 computer science curriculum and teacher training - competing for the same school-day STEM instruction FAME supplements.
- Girls Inc. Girls Inc. operates a national affiliate network of STEM enrichment programs targeted at girls - substantially larger scale, broader mission, but directly comparable audience overlap with FAME's focus on girls in STEM.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FAME social profiles
Digital presenceFAME financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FAME leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
FAME funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FAME 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 FAME
What does FAME do?
FAME, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization that prepares and motivates K-12 students, with a focus on girls and underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans), to pursue STEM college degrees and careers. It delivers project-based STEM curricula, intensive advanced STEM instruction, residential college-level summer programs at the University of Delaware, and workforce development programs (CAST Test Prep, AME 302, TEC platform) supported by tuition, donations, and corporate/government grants.
Is FAME a public or private company?
FAME is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was FAME founded?
FAME was founded in 1976. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is FAME based?
FAME is headquartered in Wilmington, United States, in the North America region.
How does FAME make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Program Tuition is the primary driver. The others are donations and Annual Fund and foundation and Corporate Grants.
Who are FAME's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement), NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), Black Girls CODE, AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society), National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) and National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). Broad incumbents are Code.org and Girls Inc..
Does FAME have an API?
No public API is recorded for FAME.
What industry is FAME in?
FAME's product category is STEM Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAG, STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 6115.