State Legislative Leaders Foundation
The State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF), founded in 1972, is a nonpartisan nonprofit that delivers annual conferences, leadership summits, and specialized workshops to state legislative leaders across all 50 U.S. states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersCenterville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What State Legislative Leaders Foundation does
The State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1972 and headquartered in Marstons Mills, Massachusetts. It is dedicated exclusively to professional development for U.S. state legislative leaders—Speakers of the House, Senate Presidents, Majority Leaders, Minority Leaders, and Leaders Pro Tempore—across all 50 states. SLLF operates no technology products; its core deliverable is a recurring calendar of in-person conferences and educational programs, including the Spring and Fall Leadership Summits, the National Speakers Conference, the Conference of State Majority Leaders, the New Speakers Orientation, the Melissa Hortman Emerging Leaders Program (delivered at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business), international programs, and state-specific workshops on civility, ethics, and coalition building developed in partnership with the National Institute for Civil Discourse.
SLLF's portfolio is structured around an annual event cadence plus on-demand state-level engagements. Programs are delivered at university campuses (UVA Darden, Stanford), conference venues, and partner sites (The Carter Center), drawing 30–45+ leaders from 25–35 states per program. The organization partners with the Darden School, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (Vanderbilt/UVA Batten), NICD, and the American Swiss Foundation to extend its curriculum without proportional headcount growth. Total staff is in the 11–50 range, led by President Stephen G. Lakis, Director of Curriculum Development and Research Thomas H. Little, Ph.D., and Director of Strategic Outreach Kate Levin.
As a nonprofit, SLLF does not disclose revenue; it is funded through a mix of membership support, event/program fees, and corporate partnerships. No public API, proprietary technology platform, or AI/ML capabilities are offered—the organization is an events- and content-driven nonprofit whose principal asset is a 50-year-old cross-partisan community of sitting state legislative leaders.
State Legislative Leaders Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- State Legislative Leaders Foundation
- Legal name
- State Legislative Leaders Foundation
- Website
- https://sllf.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF), founded in 1972, is a nonpartisan nonprofit that delivers annual conferences, leadership summits, and specialized workshops to state legislative leaders across all 50 U.S. states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
State Legislative Leaders Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Government Leadership Professional Development
- NAICS
- Political Organizations (813940), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (9211), Executive and Legislative Offices, Combined (921140)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Services (8741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Executive Leadership Summits (C-Suite, Board, Strategy Offsites) (THAHAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO), Public Policy, Public Administration & Nonprofit Management Schools (within Business Schools) (EDAHAHAK)
Keywords
Where State Legislative Leaders Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Centerville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
State Legislative Leaders Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership and Program Fees: SLLF operates as a nonprofit organization serving state legislative leaders through educational programs. Revenue is generated through membership support, event registration fees, and potentially corporate sponsorships for programs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
State Legislative Leaders Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that provides professional development programs for state legislative leaders across all 50 states. Its core offerings include annual leadership summits, conferences, orientations, and specialized programs such as the Melissa Hortman Emerging Leaders Program held at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, covering public policy, leadership skills, civility, ethics, and bipartisan collaboration.
Product overview
The State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of professional development programs for state legislative leaders. The core offerings include annual conferences (National Speakers Conference, Spring Leadership Summit, Fall Leadership Summit, Conference of State Majority Leaders), specialized orientations (New Speakers Orientation), the Melissa Hortman Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, international programs, and state-specific workshops on civility, ethics, and coalition building developed with the National Institute for Civil Discourse. All programs focus on objective examination of public policy issues and essential leadership principles across partisan lines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Melissa Hortman Emerging Leaders Program: An annual program at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business for emerging state legislative leaders, recently renamed in honor of Speaker Melissa Hortman.
- Conference of State Majority Leaders (CSML)
- National Speakers Conference
- New Speakers Orientation
- Leadership Summits (Spring and Fall)
Products and services
- New Speakers Orientation
Quantifiable outcome
- SLLF's Emerging Leaders Program graduates have been selected for prestigious leadership programs, with 5 graduates selected for the Governing Institute Women in Government Leadership Program (out of only 10 legislative participants)
Companies that use State Legislative Leaders Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
State Legislative Leaders Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
State Legislative Leaders Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD)coreSLLF formed a partnership with NICD to develop programs and workshops offered to state legislative leaders across the country focused on civility, ethics, and coalition building. Sessions include civil engagement workshops, training for new members, ethical behavior conversations, and coalition building exercises.
- The Darden School of Business (University of Virginia)coreSLLF partners with the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business to deliver the annual Melissa Hortman Emerging Leaders Program. The program offers rising state legislators expert faculty instruction and leadership development at the Charlottesville, Virginia campus.
- Center for Effective LawmakingminorCo-sponsored by Vanderbilt University and University of Virginia Batten School, CEL offers interactive sessions on strategies and tools for being an effective legislator, including defining agendas, building coalitions, and engaging partners within and beyond the legislative institution.
- American Swiss FoundationminorThe American Swiss Foundation's annual Young Leaders Conference brings together 50 rising star Americans and Swiss for a week in Switzerland of intensive discussion and exchange. SLLF shares information about this opportunity with legislative leaders for potential participation.
- The Carter CenterminorThe Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia serves as a venue for SLLF's Fall Leadership Summit events.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
State Legislative Leaders Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Aspen Institute: Nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization running high-profile leadership programs (e.g., Aspen Strategy Group, Rodel Fellowships). Comparable because it convenes senior leaders across sectors with nonpartisan, residential-style executive programs analogous to SLLF's leadership summits.
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL): Larger, established nonpartisan organization serving all state legislators across the U.S. NCSL is comparable because it offers professional development, convenings, and policy research for state legislative leaders, the same core audience SLLF serves, but at a broader scale and with a wider mandate.
- The Council of State Governments (CSG): Multistate, nonpartisan association serving all three branches of state government, including legislators, executives, and judges. Comparable because it provides leadership development, policy research, and convenings targeted at the same state-level public officials SLLF serves.
- National Governors Association (NGA): Bipartisan organization providing policy and leadership development for U.S. governors. Comparable because it is a parallel nonpartisan leadership-development organization serving a related but higher-level set of state political leaders, with similar convening, training, and partnership models.
Regional players
- National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP): Nonpartisan professional organization for state health policy leaders. Comparable because it provides similar convening, training, and technical assistance for a specialized subset of state policy officials, operating with a similar nonprofit, nonpartisan, education-and-convening model.
Emerging players
- American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC): Membership organization of state legislators focused on policy development. Comparable because it also convenes and provides programming for state legislators, though via a more conservative, ideologically aligned model versus SLLF's strict nonpartisan posture.
- United States Association of Former Members of Congress: Nonpartisan organization for former U.S. members of Congress focused on civic education and leadership. Comparable because it shares the nonpartisan, leadership-development, and convening model with SLLF, targeting an adjacent audience of elected officials and political leaders.
Others
- Darden School of Business Executive Education (University of Virginia): Executive education arm of UVA's Darden School hosting leadership programs. Comparable because it is the institutional partner that hosts SLLF's flagship Melissa Hortman Emerging Leaders Program, providing curriculum and faculty in an analogous high-touch executive-education format.
Direct peers
- National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD): Nonpartisan organization focused on civility and effective governance in American political life. Direct peer because NICD is an actual SLLF strategic partner delivering joint civility, ethics, and coalition-building workshops to state legislators, operating in the same content and audience space.
- Center for Effective Lawmaking: Joint Vanderbilt and UVA Batten School initiative providing research and training on effective legislating. Direct peer because it co-sponsors SLLF programming, working with the same audience on legislative effectiveness, coalition building, and agenda setting.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
State Legislative Leaders Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceState Legislative Leaders Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
State Legislative Leaders Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
State Legislative Leaders Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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State Legislative Leaders Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about State Legislative Leaders Foundation
What does State Legislative Leaders Foundation do?
The State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that provides professional development programs for state legislative leaders across all 50 states. Its core offerings include annual leadership summits, conferences, orientations, and specialized programs such as the Melissa Hortman Emerging Leaders Program held at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, covering public policy, leadership skills, civility, ethics, and bipartisan collaboration.
Is State Legislative Leaders Foundation a public or private company?
State Legislative Leaders Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was State Legislative Leaders Foundation founded?
State Legislative Leaders Foundation was founded in 1972. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is State Legislative Leaders Foundation based?
State Legislative Leaders Foundation is headquartered in Centerville, United States, in the North America region.
How does State Legislative Leaders Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership and Program Fees.
Who are State Legislative Leaders Foundation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Aspen Institute, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), The Council of State Governments (CSG) and National Governors Association (NGA). National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and United States Association of Former Members of Congress. Darden School of Business Executive Education (University of Virginia) is listed as an others. Direct peers are National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD) and Center for Effective Lawmaking.
Does State Legislative Leaders Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for State Legislative Leaders Foundation.
What industry is State Legislative Leaders Foundation in?
State Legislative Leaders Foundation's product category is Government Leadership Professional Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAMAA, Executive Leadership Summits (C-Suite, Board, Strategy Offsites), with a secondary code of BPAGAFAO, Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes. Its NAICS code is 813940 and its SIC code is 8600.