Black Teacher Collaborative

What Black Teacher Collaborative does

Black Teacher Collaborative (BTC) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The organization provides professional development programs specifically designed to build the mindsets, skills, and knowledge of Black K-12 educators serving Black student populations in high-poverty, racially isolated schools. Its core offerings include the K-3 Literacy Academy (a two-year PD experience), the Algebra 1 Academy (a cohort-based program for Black Algebra I teachers), the i3 Workshop series (a 10-part virtual program), and the Salon Series (virtual conversations on Black education, social justice, and education innovation). Underlying these programs is a proprietary Black Liberatory Pedagogy (BLP) framework centered on Shared Racial Identity Learning Environments (SRILE), delivered via third-party learning platforms TORSH and TalentLMS.

BTC's business model is philanthropic rather than fee-for-service. The organization funds operations through grants and donations from a broad coalition of institutional foundations, including Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Gates Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Casey Foundation, Kendeda Fund, Schusterman Foundation, New Profit, 1954 Project, Sartain Lanier, Roy Hunt, and Dobbs Foundation. The most significant disclosed capital infusion was a $5M New Profit venture philanthropy commitment in 2023, structured as unrestricted funding plus capacity-building support over a four-year term. Individual donations are accepted in tiers ranging from $10 to $500.

The organization goes to market through direct partnerships with school districts and charter organizations (e.g., Clayton County Public Schools in Georgia), delivering in-school PD during the school day, supplemented by virtual events and community-building channels. The named team is small (1-10 employees), led by Founder and CEO Hiewet Senghor, and includes functional leads across program implementation, organizational design, and development operations. Operating geography is concentrated in the Southeastern United States.

Name

Black Teacher Collaborative

Legal name

Black Teacher Collaborative

Website

https://blackteachercollaborative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Teacher Collaborative is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that provides professional development programs for Black K-12 educators through its proprietary Black Liberatory Pedagogy framework, serving school districts and charter organizations primarily in the Southeastern United States via philanthropic funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Professional Development Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Instructional Coaching & Teacher Professional Learning (School-Embedded) (EDAJAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Educator professional development
• Culturally responsive teaching
• Black education equity
• K-12 literacy training
• Liberatory pedagogy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: BTC operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through grants and donations from foundations and individual contributors. The organization has received significant funding from major philanthropies including Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Gates Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, and New Profit ($5M investment).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Black Teacher Collaborative designs and delivers professional learning programs—including academies, workshops, and learning tracks—for Black K-12 educators and the school systems that employ them. Its offerings blend academic content such as K-3 literacy and Algebra 1 instruction with the Black Liberatory Pedagogy framework to support Black student achievement and educator practice.

Product overview

Black Teacher Collaborative (BTC) is a nonprofit organization that operates as a platform of professional development programs designed to build great Black teachers for Black children. The core offerings include the K-3 Literacy Academy (2-year literacy training program), the Algebra 1 Academy (Algebra I teacher development), the i3 Workshop series (virtual workshop series), and the Salon Series (virtual conversation series on Black education). These programs are complemented by single-session workshops, multi-session learning tracks, and custom professional development services. BTC's approach is grounded in its Black Liberatory Pedagogy framework, which centers Shared Racial Identity Learning Environments (SRILE) and aims to maximize the unique impact of Black teachers on Black students' academic and socio-emotional outcomes. The organization also publishes the State of Black Education Report with a national data tool for examining teacher and student diversity demographics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• K-3 Literacy Academy: A 2-year professional development experience for elementary teachers focused on K-3 literacy theory, effective literacy instructional practices, and BTC's Pedagogical Framework.
• Algebra 1 Academy
• i3 Workshop
• Salon Series

Products and services

• K-3 Literacy Academy A cohort-based academy for K-3 educators delivering literacy instruction training integrated with the Black Liberatory Pedagogy framework, designed for Black teachers and partner school districts.
• Algebra 1 Academy A cohort-based academy equipping Black secondary educators with Algebra 1 content knowledge and culturally responsive instructional strategies.
• i3 Workshop A workshop experience for Black educators centered on instructional identity, pedagogy, and community engagement.
• Salon Series A series of salon-style convenings providing Black educators with facilitated dialogue, racial affinity community, and reflective learning opportunities.
• Single-Session Workshops Standalone professional development workshops delivered to districts, schools, and educator cohorts on targeted topics in BTC's areas of expertise.
• Multi-Session Learning Tracks Extended learning sequences that move educators through a series of connected sessions to deepen practice over time.
• Custom Professional Development Bespoke professional development engagements designed in collaboration with school districts, charter networks, and partner organizations to address specific educator and student goals.
• State of Black Education Report An annual research and advocacy publication documenting conditions, trends, and outcomes affecting Black educators and Black students across the United States.
• Black Liberatory Pedagogy Framework A pedagogical framework developed and disseminated by BTC that centers Black identity, history, and liberatory practice in instructional design and educator development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving 20-25 Black Algebra I teachers per cohort in partner districts
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AlongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlong partnered with BTC as a content creator and thought leader for their platform. BTC contributed to research, development, and content creation for Along's partner spotlight series, focusing on how belongingness is critical for relationship building with students of color.
• Clayton County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTC partnered with Georgia's Clayton County Public Schools district to serve 20-25 Black Algebra I teachers through the Algebra I Academy, combining BTC's Black Liberatory Pedagogy with Common Core curriculum.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• The 1954 Project: Organization that awarded BTC the 2021 Luminary Awards, focused on recognizing excellence in education and Black communities. Adjacent peer with overlapping equity mission and recognition footprint, though narrower programmatic depth than BTC.

Broad incumbents

• National Center for Teacher Residencies: Nonprofit network developing teacher residency programs in high-need districts. Comparable as a nonprofit building teacher pipeline and PD infrastructure with district partners, though focused on pre-service preparation rather than BTC's in-service Black teacher development.
• Learning Forward: Professional association advancing professional learning for educators through standards, training, and coaching. Comparable as a teacher PD thought-leader and standards-setter; BTC's pedagogical framework aligns with Learning Forward's effective PD principles.
• Relay Graduate School of Education: Graduate school and PD provider focused on training teachers and leaders for high-need schools. Comparable as a teacher preparation and professional development organization working with districts, though Relay is degree-granting and operates at a larger scale.
• TNTP: National nonprofit focused on teacher training, retention, and effectiveness, working with districts and states. Comparable as a teacher PD provider serving district partners with cohort and coaching-based programs, though at much broader scale and without BTC's race-specific framing.
• Teach For America: Large-scale teacher recruitment and development organization placing educators in high-need schools. Comparable because BTC's CEO spent six years in TFA leadership and BTC's K-12 educator development model overlaps with TFA's training and retention focus, though TFA operates at much greater scale and broader scope.
• National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: Organization that sets standards and provides advanced certification for accomplished teachers. Comparable in supporting teacher effectiveness and development through structured standards and PD, though at a broader national scale without identity-specific framing.
• EdTrust: Education equity advocacy and research organization addressing gaps for underserved students. Comparable through its equity-focused research and policy work, paralleling BTC's State of Black Education Report approach.

Direct peers

• Center for Black Educator Development: Nonprofit dedicated to recruiting, developing, and retaining Black educators. Direct peer because it shares BTC's explicit focus on increasing the pipeline, retention, and impact of Black teachers in K-12 schools.
• New Teacher Center: Nonprofit focused on teacher induction, coaching, and professional development for educators. Highly comparable as a mission-driven teacher PD provider delivering in-school coaching and cohort-based programs to districts, similar to BTC's district-embedded model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BlkTeachCollab
• Facebookfacebook.com/blackteachercollaborative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-teacher-collaborative
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackteachercollab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Black Teacher Collaborative