The Skills Foundation
The Skills Foundation is a Mississippi nonprofit that runs the Skills That Pay campaign — an awareness initiative promoting skilled career pathways to high school students, parents, educators, and employers across six in-demand industries in Mississippi.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersJackson, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Skills Foundation does
The Skills Foundation is a Mississippi-based nonprofit organization, founded in 2010, that operates the Skills That Pay campaign — a public awareness and education initiative addressing the state's shortage of skilled workers in advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare, information technology, construction, and transportation/logistics. The campaign targets four stakeholder groups: high school students (the primary direct audience), parents and educators (key influencers), and industry and community leaders (coalition amplifiers). Its core deliverable is awareness content distributed through a dedicated website (skillsthatpay.ms), press/media relations, and in-person events.
The foundation does not operate as a technology company and does not own training infrastructure. Its principal product is the Skills That Pay campaign itself, with the signature program element being the annual Signing Ceremonies, which in 2025 awarded $1,000 signing bonuses to 29 Mississippi high school seniors committing to in-demand skilled careers. The foundation leverages a partnership with MSPathfinder, a state-wide training-referral platform, to direct campaign visitors to training programs offered by Mississippi's universities, community colleges, and technical schools. Headcount is reported at 51-100 employees, and the organization is headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi.
The Skills Foundation's business model is that of a typical nonprofit: it does not sell a product or service for revenue, and no revenue, grant, or donation figures are publicly disclosed in available materials. Career awareness resources are provided at no cost to students, families, and educators, and the signing-bonus program is funded through the foundation's own resources. The foundation is private, non-venture-backed, and operates exclusively within Mississippi.
The Skills Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Skills Foundation
- Legal name
- The Skills Foundation
- Website
- https://skillsfoundationms.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Skills Foundation is a Mississippi nonprofit that runs the Skills That Pay campaign — an awareness initiative promoting skilled career pathways to high school students, parents, educators, and employers across six in-demand industries in Mississippi.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Skills Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Workforce Development Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Talent Development, Competitions & Academic Pathways (Olympiads, Research, Early College) (EDAKALAI)
Keywords
Where The Skills Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jackson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Skills Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Not disclosed: The Skills Foundation operates as a nonprofit organization running the Skills That Pay awareness campaign. Revenue model is not explicitly disclosed in source materials; likely funded through grants, donations, or public-private partnerships.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Skills Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Skills Foundation runs the Skills That Pay campaign, a public awareness initiative targeting Mississippi high school students, parents, educators, industry leaders, and community influencers to promote high-quality skilled career pathways in advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare, IT, construction, and transportation/logistics. The signature program element is the annual Skills That Pay Signing Ceremonies, which award $1,000 signing bonuses to high school seniors committing to in-demand skilled careers, and the campaign directs job seekers to free and low-cost training programs through a referral partnership with MSPathfinder.
Product overview
The Skills Foundation operates the Skills That Pay campaign — a single focused initiative aimed at addressing Mississippi's skilled worker shortage by raising awareness of high-paying skilled career opportunities. The campaign connects students and job seekers with training resources through MSPathfinder (external partner) and highlights in-demand industries including advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare, IT, construction, and transportation/logistics. The signature program element is the annual Signing Ceremonies, which award $1,000 signing bonuses to high school seniors pursuing skilled careers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Skills That Pay Campaign A public awareness and education campaign by The Skills Foundation targeting parents, educators, industry leaders, and students in Mississippi. It promotes high-quality skilled career pathways across six industries: advanced manufacturing, energy, transportation and logistics, healthcare, information technology, and construction, and directs job seekers to free and low-cost training programs via the MSPathfinder referral network.
- Skills That Pay Signing Ceremonies An annual ceremony awarding $1,000 signing bonuses to high school seniors in Mississippi who are pursuing in-demand skilled careers, recognizing and incentivizing commitment to skilled trades pathways in advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare, IT, construction, and transportation/logistics.
Quantifiable outcome
- 29 high school seniors received $1,000 signing bonuses in 2025
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Skills Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Skills Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Skills Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- MSPathfindercoreMSPathfinder serves as the primary training referral partner for the Skills That Pay campaign. The partnership directs visitors from skillsthatpay.ms to MSPathfinder's platform where they can find training opportunities at Mississippi's universities, community colleges, and technical programs. This is a critical partnership enabling the campaign's mission to connect people with actual training pathways.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Skills Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SkillsUSA: National nonprofit serving middle-school, high-school, and college students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations. Closest functional analogue to The Skills Foundation's awareness and skills-promotion mission, operating at significantly larger national scale.
- Jobs for the Future: National nonprofit driving workforce development and economic advancement, with significant investment in skilled-trades and apprenticeship pathway programs. Comparable mission around skilled-career awareness and partnership coalitions.
- Generation (McKinsey Social Initiative): Global employment-focused nonprofit delivering training and placement in high-demand skilled professions across multiple countries and industries. Comparable mission of addressing skilled worker shortages through coalition-led training pathways for non-traditional candidates.
Direct peers
- Code.org: Nonprofit promoting computer science education and IT career awareness among K-12 students through awareness campaigns and educator training. Directly comparable awareness-driven model targeting one of Mississippi's targeted in-demand industries (Information Technology).
- Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free IT training to underserved individuals and connecting them to careers in technology. Comparable awareness-plus-training-referral model targeting skilled-career promotion in Mississippi's targeted industries (notably IT).
- Year Up: Workforce development nonprofit focused on young adults from underserved communities, connecting them to corporate training and employment pathways. Comparable mission around career awareness, training referral, and incentivizing alternative-to-college pathways.
- National Skills Coalition: National policy and advocacy organization working to engage employers, workers, and policymakers in skills training and equitable workforce development. Comparable awareness and coalition-building mission, with stronger policy focus and broader geographic scope.
- YouthBuild USA: National nonprofit providing construction and skilled-trades training and career pathways to low-income young adults. Comparable awareness-plus-pathway model targeting construction, energy, and related trades — industries The Skills Foundation explicitly highlights as in-demand in Mississippi.
Regional players
- Opportunity America: Workforce-development nonprofit focused on skills training and apprenticeship pathways for low-income and middle-skill workers. Comparable on policy advocacy and awareness for skilled-career alternatives to 4-year degrees, with a national but policy-driven focus.
- Apprenticeship Carolina: Statewide apprenticeship and workforce initiative operating in South Carolina with a mission closely parallel to Skills That Pay — promoting skilled trades careers through employer coalitions and training referral. Most direct geographic analogue of a state-level coalition model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Skills Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceThe Skills Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Skills Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Skills Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Skills Foundation 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 The Skills Foundation
What does The Skills Foundation do?
The Skills Foundation runs the Skills That Pay campaign, a public awareness initiative targeting Mississippi high school students, parents, educators, industry leaders, and community influencers to promote high-quality skilled career pathways in advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare, IT, construction, and transportation/logistics. The signature program element is the annual Skills That Pay Signing Ceremonies, which award $1,000 signing bonuses to high school seniors committing to in-demand skilled careers, and the campaign directs job seekers to free and low-cost training programs through a referral partnership with MSPathfinder.
Is The Skills Foundation a public or private company?
The Skills Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Skills Foundation founded?
The Skills Foundation was founded in 2010. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Skills Foundation based?
The Skills Foundation is headquartered in Jackson, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Skills Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: not disclosed.
Who are The Skills Foundation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SkillsUSA, Jobs for the Future and Generation (McKinsey Social Initiative). Direct peers are Code.org, Per Scholas, Year Up, National Skills Coalition and YouthBuild USA. Regional players are Opportunity America and Apprenticeship Carolina.
Does The Skills Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Skills Foundation.
What industry is The Skills Foundation in?
The Skills Foundation's product category is Workforce Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAEAM, Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent), with a secondary code of EDAKALAI, Talent Development, Competitions & Academic Pathways (Olympiads, Research, Early College). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.