Character.org

What Character.org does

Character.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1993 (originally as the Character Education Partnership) and headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, that develops and disseminates character education frameworks, recognition programs, and resources primarily for K-12 schools, educators, and parents in the United States and internationally. Its core intellectual property is the 11 Principles Framework for Schools, a research-based guide developed in 1999 for cultivating a culture of character across school life, supported by free eBooks, a weekly 'Inspiring Character' newsletter, and downloadable publications on early childhood character, service-learning, and student leadership. The organization's program portfolio centers on three annual recognition streams: National and State Schools of Character designations (103 schools/districts recognized in 2026), Promising Practices certifications (290 practices certified in 2026, up from 230 in 2025), and the Laws of Life Essay Contest for grades 4-12, alongside named awards (Sandy Award, Ethics In Action Award, and the new Character Excellence in the Workplace Recognition launched in 2025).

Revenue is generated through a combination of charitable donations and institutional grants (the Laws of Life Essay Contest is funded by a grant from The School for Ethical Education), modest product sales from an online store (the 11 Principles Framework book at $28-$35 and School of Character recognition banners at $75-$100), and applications for recognition programs. The organization employs 1-10 staff and operates with no disclosed proprietary technology platform; its digital infrastructure consists of the character.org website, the Member Compass application portal (hub.character.org), and a Mailchimp newsletter system. In late June 2025, the Character.org board voted to transfer its intellectual property and program-related assets to CharacterPlus, a 35+ year-old St. Louis-based nonprofit that now operates the Schools of Character and Promising Practices programs, marking a structural consolidation of the character education movement under a single operating entity while Character.org continues as a brand and content vehicle.

Name

Character.org

Legal name

Character.org

Website

https://character.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Character.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that developed the 11 Principles Framework and runs Schools of Character, Promising Practices, and essay contest recognition programs for K-12 schools, educators, parents, and now workplaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Character Education / K-12 Educational Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Character Education & Values Development (EDAMAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ), Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping (State/National) (EDAJAFAD), National/State Curriculum & Standards Authorities (EDADAEAA)

Keywords

• Character education programs
• K-12 school recognition
• Character development framework
• Ethics education resources
• School culture initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Sterling

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Books and Banners): Character.org generates revenue through its online store selling physical goods including the '11 Principles Framework' book ($28-$35 per unit depending on quantity) and School of Character recognition banners ($75-$100 per unit). All items include U.S. shipping.
2. Donations and Grants: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 54-1657505), Character.org relies on charitable donations and institutional grants. The Laws of Life Essay Contest is made possible by a grant from The School for Ethical Education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Character.org develops and disseminates the 11 Principles Framework for character education in K-12 schools and operates recognition programs (Schools of Character, Promising Practices) that certify schools, districts, and organizations implementing comprehensive character development initiatives. The organization also runs the Laws of Life Essay Contest for grades 4-12, multiple annual awards (Sandy Award, Ethics In Action Award, Character Excellence in the Workplace Recognition), free downloadable eBooks, a weekly newsletter, and sells physical merchandise (11 Principles Book and School of Character banners) through an online store.

Product overview

Character.org offers a portfolio of character development programs and resources for schools, educators, families, and organizations. The core offering is the 11 Principles Framework, a comprehensive guide for cultivating character culture. Supporting programs include the Schools of Character recognition program, Promising Practices certification, Laws of Life Essay Contest, and awards (Sandy Award, Ethics In Action Award, Character Excellence in Workplace Recognition). Publications include eBooks on early childhood character education and service-learning, plus the Raising Good Kids national parent survey. Physical products include the 11 Principles Framework book and School of Character banners. The organization also publishes a weekly Inspiring Character newsletter. In 2025, operations transitioned to CharacterPlus, which continues operating these programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 11 Principles Framework Book Physical book providing the complete 11 Principles Framework for cultivating a culture of character in schools, families, sports teams, and organizations. Sold via the Character.org online store at $28-$35 per unit depending on quantity, with U.S. shipping included.
• School of Character Banners Physical recognition banners available in National, State, Honorable Mention, Emerging, and Promising Practice variants for recognized schools. Horizontal 3'x6' banner priced at $100; vertical 2'x3' banner priced at $75. U.S. shipping included.
• Schools of Character Recognition Program Recognition program for K-12 schools and districts that demonstrates strong implementation of the 11 Principles Framework and builds school culture where students develop integrity, responsibility, and respect. Schools apply for State or National designation through the Member Compass portal. 103 schools and districts recognized in 2026 (94 U.S., 9 international).
• Promising Practices Certification Annual certification program recognizing innovative and effective character-centered practices implemented in schools and organizations. Each certified practice aligns with at least one of the 11 Principles. 290 Promising Practices were certified in 2026 and 230 in 2025.
• Laws of Life Essay Contest International essay competition for students in grades 4-12 that encourages reflection and writing about a core value that means the most to them and why. Open to students worldwide, including submissions from the U.S., South Korea, Romania, Philippines, Ghana, Lebanon, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Dubai.
• Character Excellence in the Workplace Recognition Recognition program honoring organizations that intentionally foster workplace cultures of integrity, respect, and shared values. Open to companies and organizations beyond K-12 education. The inaugural 2025 recipient was TiliT, a Brazilian co-working company coached by Perky Ibarra of Instituto Champrett.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3 million students, staff, parents, and community members positively impacted by the Schools of Character program since inception.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TiliTminorOthers · 1 September 2025TiliT, a Brazilian company providing shared executive co-working spaces, was named the inaugural recipient of the Character Excellence in the Workplace Recognition in September 2025. TiliT was coached by Perky Ibarra, founder of Instituto Champrett, who guided the company in aligning its organizational practices with core principles of character.
• CharacterPluscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025In late June 2025, the Character.org board voted to transfer the organization's intellectual property and program-related assets to CharacterPlus. CharacterPlus, based in St. Louis and operating for more than 35 years, now operates the Schools of Character and Promising Practices programs. Mike Park serves as CEO of CharacterPlus. This historic transition united two legacy organizations with a shared mission to help schools, educators, and communities cultivate excellence in character, culture, and leadership.
• The School for Ethical Education (SEE)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The School for Ethical Education (SEE), founded by the late John Winthrop Wright, co-sponsors the Laws of Life Essay Contest with Character.org. SEE provides grant funding that makes the contest possible. SEE's motto is 'ethics in action creates character.'
• National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Character.org co-wrote the 'Empower Tomorrow's Leaders Today' Student Leaders eBook with the National Youth Leadership Council. The publication provides K-12 educators and counselors with practical strategies for designing and implementing service-learning across all grade levels.
• IpsosminorOthers · 1 August 2022Character.org partnered with Ipsos to conduct a nationally representative survey of parents with children aged 6-18, including parents who are native Spanish speakers. The online survey was conducted August 31 – September 16, 2022, and produced the 'Raising Good Kids' national report on parental commitment and struggles to nurture character in the Digital Age.
• Greater Good Science Center, UC BerkeleyminorOthers · 1 January 2022Dr. Maryam Abdullah, Parenting Program Director at the Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley, serves on Character.org's Advisory Board and provided invaluable assistance in designing and analyzing the 'Raising Good Kids' national parent survey.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• EL Education: K-12 school network and curriculum provider emphasizing character, crew, and student achievement. Overlaps with Character.org's 11 Principles on culture-building and student leadership in schools, with comparable school recognition/distinction programs.
• Greater Good Science Center (UC Berkeley): Research and practitioner organization producing evidence-based resources on well-being, character, and parenting. Advisory board member of Character.org and partner on the Raising Good Kids parent survey; comparable in parenting-content and educator-resources offerings.
• Random Acts of Kindness Foundation: Nonprofit providing free K-12 kindness and character lesson plans, educator toolkits, and school recognition programs. Comparable target audience and free resource model, though narrower thematic focus on kindness.
• Character Lab: Research-based nonprofit that helps educators apply character science in classrooms, partnering with schools and producing actionable playbooks. Direct peer in bridging character research to K-12 classroom practice with similar audience and nonprofit funding model.
• Institute for Habits of Mind: Nonprofit promoting Habits of Mind as a framework for teaching thinking dispositions in K-12 schools. Comparable niche as a research-anchored, framework-based character/cognitive skills nonprofit targeting schools and educators.

Broad incumbents

• CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning): The leading U.S. SEL framework organization, serving K-12 districts with systemic SEL frameworks and district resources. Overlaps with Character.org in school culture and student development, though CASEL focuses specifically on social-emotional learning competencies.
• Aspen Institute (Education & Society Program): National Forum for Family Wealth and broader civic education initiatives targeting character, citizenship, and ethics. Larger, broader portfolio but overlapping focus on character development in education and society.

Direct peers

• CharacterPlus: St. Louis-based nonprofit that assumed Character.org's operations and IP in June 2025. Directly comparable mission, audience (K-12 schools), and product portfolio (Schools of Character, Promising Practices), with 35+ years of operating experience.
• National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC): Service-learning nonprofit that co-authored Character.org's Student Leaders eBook. Operates in K-12 schools with service-learning frameworks and educator training, directly overlapping Character.org's Promising Practices and student leadership programming.
• Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues: University of Birmingham (UK)-based research center co-developing the Character Education Framework with Character.org. Operates in 175+ countries with 350+ academic publications; the most internationally comparable character education peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/characterdotorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Characterdotorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/characterdotorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/characterdotorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/characterdotorg

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Character.org