Global Cities

What Global Cities does

Global Cities, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 2014 that operates as a Program of Bloomberg Philanthropies. The organization develops and delivers the Global Scholars international virtual exchange program, which uses asynchronous digital discussion boards and year-long thematic curricula to connect students ages 10-13 across 126 cities in 39 countries. Its other primary offering is the Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes — a research-validated assessment tool containing nine student learning outcomes, 112 empirical indicators, and 55 observable indicators — co-published with the OECD and co-developed with Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero (now The Open Canopy). Free 90-minute educator workshops, the Global Ed Lab community, district-wide professional development, and a Global Scholars Alumni Network complement the two flagship products; the organization has cumulatively reached nearly 139,000 students and 3,100 educators.

The underlying technical platform centers on asynchronous online discussion boards that connect classrooms internationally, with student-written posts serving as both the learning artifact and the assessment data source for manual coding against the Codebook framework. No proprietary AI/ML models, APIs, SDKs, or machine-readable outputs are described; discussions are assessed by trained human coders under a published methodology. The product surface is multilingual (Codebook available in English, Catalan, Kazakh, Russian, and Spanish) and integrates with school-district curricula via formal partnerships with ministries of education.

Global Cities operates under a philanthropic business model: all offerings are provided free to educators, students, and education systems, with funding flowing from Bloomberg Philanthropies as the sole disclosed parent/funder. The organization generates no product or service revenue from individual users. Its go-to-market combines self-serve free workshops on Zoom (entry-point for individual teachers), community-led acquisition through the Global Ed Lab, and channel partnerships with government education ministries (Madrid, Catalonia, Kazakhstan) and research institutions (Harvard Project Zero, AFS Intercultural Programs, OECD) that enable district-wide adoption. Pricing across all tiers is 'free' or 'no-fee,' and district-wide PD engagements function as multi-year philanthropic deliverables rather than revenue contracts.

Name

Global Cities

Legal name

Global Cities, Inc.

Website

https://globalcities.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Global Cities, Inc., a nonprofit program of Bloomberg Philanthropies founded in 2014, delivers the free Global Scholars international virtual exchange for ages 10-13 across 126 cities and co-publishes the OECD-endorsed Codebook assessment tool, serving educators, school districts, and education ministries globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Global Competency Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Secondary School Exchange Programs (Academic Year/Semester) (EDAIAHAB)

Keywords

• Global competency education
• Virtual exchange programs
• K-12 professional development
• Curriculum alignment services
• Student learning assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Bloomberg Philanthropies Funding: Global Cities, Inc. is a nonprofit organization operated as a Program of Bloomberg Philanthropies. The organization appears to be entirely philanthropically funded, with all programs (Global Scholars, educator workshops, Codebook) offered free to participants.
2. Professional Development Services: Provides customized district-wide professional development to education ministries and school districts. The Teaching Global Competency course (20-hour, no-fee curriculum) is offered at no cost to partner education systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Global Cities, Inc. operates the Global Scholars international virtual exchange program for students ages 10-13, connecting classrooms across 126 cities in 39 countries through e-classrooms and digital discussion boards. The organization also delivers the Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes, a research-validated evaluation tool co-published with OECD and Harvard, free educator workshops, and customized district-wide professional development programs for school systems and education ministries.

Product overview

Global Cities, Inc. operates a unified product ecosystem centered on the Global Scholars international virtual exchange program, supplemented by the Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes (an evaluation framework/tool) and Educator Workshops. The Global Scholars program serves as the core platform connecting students globally, while the Codebook serves as both an assessment tool and standalone product. Additional offerings include Global Ed Lab (professional community), Virtual Exchange Guide (educational resource), District-Wide Professional Development (training services), and the newly launched Global Scholars Alumni Network. All offerings are free to educators and schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Scholars: International virtual exchange program for students ages 10-13 that connects students and educators around the world through e-classrooms to develop global competency.
• Global Ed Lab
• Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes

Products and services

• Global Scholars International virtual exchange program connecting students ages 10-13 with peers across 126 cities in 39 countries through e-classrooms, online discussion boards, and hands-on projects exploring global challenges such as food security, sustainable cities, and nature.
• Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes Research-validated evaluation tool containing 9 student learning outcomes and 112 empirical indicators for educators and researchers to identify, measure, and assess global competency learning in any K-12 program or classroom. Available free in 5 languages.
• Educator Workshops Free, research-backed, interactive virtual workshops (90 minutes each) that help K-12 teachers identify, measure, and nurture global competency elements in any classroom worldwide. Completion grants access to the Global Ed Lab community.
• Global Ed Lab Online professional learning community for international educators to collaborate, share expertise in teaching global competency, find virtual exchange partners, and access teaching resources. Accessed by completing a Global Cities workshop or event.
• District-Wide Professional Development Customized professional learning programs for school systems, including the 20-hour Teaching Global Competency course that can be embedded into existing PD programming. Delivered at no cost to partner education ministries and school districts.
• Virtual Exchange Guide Educational resource developed with Harvard's Project Zero offering 11 effective practices for designing and facilitating meaningful global virtual exchange experiences.
• Global Scholars Alumni Network Digital forum connecting Global Scholars alumni (ages 18+) to sustain collaboration on global challenges, including the Global Scholars Alumni Leadership Awards. Launched at the inaugural alumni reunion in Madrid, Spain.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98-99% of student discussion board posts coded for at least one global learning indicator in validated studies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Bloomberg CityLabminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 April 2026Alumni and educators from Global Scholars Alumni Convening attended Bloomberg CityLab conference opening plenary. Bloomberg Philanthropies CEO Patti Harris announced Youth Climate Action Fund expansion, connecting Global Cities' work to broader Bloomberg urban initiatives.
• Madrid Ministry of Education (Spain)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2025Expanded partnership to implement Global Scholars curriculum throughout Madrid school district. Global Cities provides curriculum and training; Ministry trains teachers and creates virtual exchange opportunities. Includes 20-hour Teaching Global Competency course for Madrid teachers.
• Kazakhstan National Academy of EducationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2024Partnership to align Kazakhstan's national curriculum with Global Cities' global learning outcomes. Used Codebook to analyze Year 4 World Understanding course, identifying 227 instances of alignment across 43 of 55 indicators (78%). Includes training on Codebook application for curriculum review.
• Catalan Regional Ministry of Education (Spain)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Delivered two-day training tailored to local educators with Codebook translated into Catalan. Partnership includes inspector-teacher model for ongoing coaching and support for global competency implementation across Catalonia schools.
• AFS Intercultural ProgramsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2023Formal partnership to analyze learning outcomes of students in AFS virtual exchange programs (Global Up Teen and Global You Changemaker curricula) using the Global Cities Codebook. Commissioned two validation studies demonstrating Codebook applicability across different virtual exchange contexts.
• CFR-EducationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 August 2023Partnership for joint workshop on migration as a borderless global issue. CFR-Education presented their World101 resources during a Global Cities workshop, expanding reach to CFR's educator audience.
• Harvard Graduate School of Education Project Zero (The Open Canopy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-developed the Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes with Harvard Project Zero researchers. Joint copyright ownership. The Open Canopy (formerly Out of Eden Learn) provides virtual exchange platform for research and validation studies.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023OECD co-published the Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes. Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills, provided endorsement and validation of the evaluation tool's applicability for global competency measurement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AFS Intercultural Programs: Large, established international youth exchange nonprofit offering intercultural programs and virtual exchanges. Closely comparable to Global Cities in mission, target age group, and use of virtual exchange; AFS is already a Global Cities research partner.
• Soliya: Nonprofit operating the Connect Program, a facilitated cross-cultural virtual exchange for university and high school students. Overlaps with Global Cities on virtual exchange modality and global competency outcomes, though serves an older age band.
• Global Nomads Group: Nonprofit producing virtual exchange and cross-cultural dialogue programs for K-12 youth globally. Comparable mission and delivery mechanism, with longer tenure in conflict-zone and peacebuilding applications.
• PenPal Schools: K-12 virtual exchange platform connecting classrooms worldwide through project-based learning. Comparable in target audience (K-12), delivery model (online peer exchanges), and free teacher resources.
• Reach the World: Nonprofit providing virtual exchange and cultural exchange programming for K-12 students. Comparable in mission, age band, and use of technology to bring global perspectives into U.S. classrooms.
• Empatico: Free virtual exchange platform connecting elementary classrooms globally for empathy-building activities. Directly comparable age band and mission; serves a slightly younger audience (ages 6-11) than Global Cities.
• The Open Canopy (Harvard Graduate School of Education Project Zero): Harvard-based virtual exchange program (formerly Out of Eden Learn) for K-12 students and a co-developer of Global Cities' Codebook. Offers the most directly overlapping product (asynchronous cross-cultural student dialogue) and research infrastructure.
• Generation Global (Tony Blair Institute): Free virtual exchange program for secondary students focused on global issues dialogue and critical thinking. Closely comparable in age band (12-17), free delivery model, and use of structured cross-classroom dialogue.

Emerging players

• Facing History and Ourselves: Nonprofit providing social studies curriculum and professional development focused on identity, civic engagement, and global awareness for K-12 educators. Adjacent — overlaps on PD delivery and global competency framing — but does not operate student-to-student exchange.

Broad incumbents

• iEARN (International Education and Resource Network): Established global K-12 education nonprofit network enabling collaborative project-based exchange across 140+ countries. Comparable in international K-12 reach, though operates as a broader network of educator-led projects rather than a centralized curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/globalcitiesorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/globalcitiesorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/globalcitiesinc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Global Cities