COPAFS

What COPAFS does

COPAFS (Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1981 and headquartered in Washington, DC. The organization serves as the primary convening body and advocate for the U.S. federal statistical system, linking the 13 principal federal statistical agencies—including the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Center for Health Statistics, and National Center for Education Statistics—with 12 member professional associations, 20+ organizational affiliates, and individual researchers, educators, and policymakers who depend on federal data quality and accessibility. COPAFS does not develop or sell technology products; its role is fundamentally relational and policy-oriented, focused on facilitating dialogue, advocating for adequate funding and independence of statistical agencies, and educating Congress on the value of federal statistics through testimony, letters, and direct engagement.

COPAFS generates revenue through a membership-based model consisting of annual member dues from professional associations and organizational affiliates (amounts set by the Board of Directors and not publicly disclosed), individual supporter contributions at $150 per year, and restricted grants from foundations such as the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The organization delivers value through quarterly public meetings held in Washington, DC in a hybrid in-person and virtual format, monthly stakeholder email updates, action alerts, educational workshops and webinars on topics including data confidentiality, tiered data access, and federal data modernization, and ongoing policy advocacy via testimony, coalition leadership, and public statements. The organization co-chairs or participates in several agency-specific coalitions, including Friends of BLS, Friends of NCHS, The Census Project, Friends of Agricultural Statistics and Analysis (FASA), and Friends of IES.

The organization is led by Executive Director Paul Schroeder (appointed May 2020) and governed by a Board of Directors that includes representatives from the American Association for Public Opinion Research (Chair: Andy Weiss), the American Statistical Association (Treasurer: Ron Wasserstein), the American Sociological Association, the American Economic Association, the National Association for Business Economics, and the Population Reference Bureau, among others. In June 2026, the board expanded with the addition of three high-profile members: former U.S. Census Bureau Director Rob Santos, former NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr, and Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau. COPAFS operates with a small staff of 1-10 employees, does not disclose revenue or financial results, and is incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia while operating exclusively within the United States.

Name

COPAFS

Legal name

Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics

Website

https://copafs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

COPAFS is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1981 that convenes 12 professional associations and 20+ research affiliates to advocate for the 13 principal U.S. federal statistical agencies through quarterly meetings, education, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual member dues from professional associations, organizational affiliates, and individual supporters fund COPAFS operations. Member associations and organizational affiliates pay dues determined by the Board of Directors.
2. Donations and Grants: COPAFS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accepts tax-deductible donations. The organization has received funding from foundations such as the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for specific workshops and initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

COPAFS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that advocates for the development and dissemination of high-quality federal statistics. It convenes quarterly public meetings, publishes stakeholder updates and reports, educates Congress on the value of federal statistics, and operates an individual and organizational membership program that provides access to briefings, recordings, and policy updates.

Product overview

COPAFS offers a unified suite of services centered on advocacy, education, and community-building for the federal statistical system. The organization does not operate as a technology product company. Its core offerings consist of Quarterly Meetings (public forums on federal statistics topics), News and Director's Blog (stakeholder updates), Advocacy Services (policy work and coalition building), Membership Program (access to briefings and recordings), and Educational Workshops/Reports. These services are delivered through its website and in-person/hybrid events, with no standalone software products, APIs, or AI-powered tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quarterly Meetings Public meetings held quarterly covering policy information, new research and methodologies, and agency updates relevant to public data users. Provides networking opportunities between federal statistics producers and users.
• Advocacy Services Policy advocacy activities including protecting the independence and integrity of federal statistics, increasing funding for statistical agencies, supporting modernization initiatives, and educating Congress on the value of federal statistics through testimony, letters, and direct engagement.
• Membership Program Individual and organizational membership providing access to exclusive briefings with key officials, taped recordings of quarterly meetings, monthly stakeholder updates, and representation in communications to statistical agencies. Individual supporters join by donating $150 or more annually.
• Educational Workshops and Reports Educational programs on uses of statistics in policy formulation, public and private decision-making, research, and resource allocation. Includes workshops on data access, confidentiality, and federal data modernization, including the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation-funded workshops on tiered data access.
• News and Director's Blog Monthly stakeholder updates and news articles covering developments in federal statistics, policy updates, agency announcements, and organizational statements on matters affecting the federal statistical system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Represents all 13 principal federal statistical agencies
• +1 more outcomes

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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friends of BLScoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCOPAFS collaborates with the Friends of BLS coalition, which works to strengthen the community of Bureau of Labor Statistics data stakeholders. Co-Chairs include former BLS Commissioners Erica Groshen and Bill Beach, along with COPAFS Executive Director Paul Schroeder.
• Friends of NCHScoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCOPAFS co-chairs the Friends of NCHS coalition supporting the National Center for Health Statistics, chaired by Meg Riley of NAPHSIS and co-chaired by KJ Hertz of March of Dimes.
• The Census ProjectcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCOPAFS collaborates with The Census Project, a coalition working to ensure adequate funding and support for the U.S. Census Bureau. Co-Directed by Howard Fienberg and Mary Jo Hoeksema of PAA.
• Friends of Agricultural Statistics and Analysis (FASA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCOPAFS supports FASA, which works to strengthen the community supporting ERS and NASS. Chaired by Caron Gala of AAEA.
• Friends of Institute of Educational Sciences (includes NCES)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCOPAFS participates in the Friends of IES coalition supporting the Institute of Educational Sciences and NCES. Contact: Christy Talbot of AERA.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Statistical Association (ASA): ASA is one of COPAFS's 12 member associations and represents professional statisticians whose work depends on federal statistical output. ASA operates a similar advocacy-plus-education mission on a larger scale, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Population Association of America (PAA): PAA is a professional association for demographers and population researchers and a COPAFS coalition partner (co-directed with The Census Project). Both organizations serve overlapping research communities that depend on federal statistics, making PAA a directly comparable peer in mission and audience.
• American Economic Association (AEA): AEA is a COPAFS member association representing economists who rely on BLS, BEA, and Census data. AEA operates adjacent advocacy and publication services for a similar professional community.
• American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR): AAPOR is a COPAFS member association whose research and polling community is heavily reliant on federal statistical infrastructure. AAPOR's policy and standards work closely mirrors COPAFS's advocacy and education focus.
• Population Reference Bureau (PRB): PRB is a COPAFS organizational affiliate with nearly identical goals: communicating demographic and federal statistics to policymakers and the public. Its programmatic structure (reports, policy communications) directly parallels COPAFS.
• American Educational Research Association (AERA): AERA is a COPAFS member association and leads the Friends of IES coalition supporting NCES. AERA mirrors COPAFS in serving education researchers whose work depends on federal statistics.
• Association of Public Data Users (APDU): APDU is a coalition partner of COPAFS (joint statement on Commerce DAO 216-26) and represents users of federal government data. It overlaps directly with COPAFS in mission to advocate for accessible, high-quality federal statistics.
• Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR): ICPSR is a COPAFS coalition partner (joint statements on data access) and a primary data archive serving the same social-science research community. Both organizations focus on preserving and providing access to federal and social science data.

Broad incumbents

• Research!America: Research!America is a larger advocacy nonprofit that champions broader U.S. research funding and policy. While not narrowly focused on federal statistics, it operates a comparable advocacy-plus-grant-revenue model and lobbies Congress on research data issues.
• National Association for Business Economics (NABE): NABE is represented on the COPAFS board and serves business economists who depend on federal data. It offers a parallel mix of member meetings, publications, and policy engagement in an adjacent professional community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/copafsK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/copafs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about COPAFS