Michigan Alliance For Families

What Michigan Alliance For Families does

Michigan Alliance for Families is a Michigan-based nonprofit designated as the state's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), operating as an IDEA Grant Funded Initiative of the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education. Founded in 2005, the organization provides free information, support, and education to Michigan families of children and young adults (birth through age 26) who receive or may be eligible to receive special education services. Its core offerings span the IEP process, eligibility, behavior, dispute resolution, and transition to adulthood, with content organized across a website portal (All Topics A-Z, Eligibility, IEP, Behavior, Dispute Resolution, Transition), a YouTube video library, Zoom-based webinars and workshops, a monthly e-newsletter, and a regional network of parent mentors with lived experience navigating the special education system.

The underlying technology is a modest content-and-communications stack rather than a proprietary platform: a CMS-based website, Zoom webinar integration for virtual events, the third-party Recite Me accessibility toolbar (text-to-speech, language translation, font customization, screen mask), and YouTube as the video host. Multilingual access is provided via dedicated Spanish and Arabic phone lines alongside the English toll-free helpline, and content is offered at no cost to families. No mobile app, API, SDK, or commercial product line is offered; the portfolio is informational and service-based, not software-based.

The revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial. The organization is supported primarily through U.S. Department of Education (OSEP) grant H328M200015, administered via the Michigan Department of Education, with co-funding from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential. All services are provided free of charge to end users; there is no pricing tier, no subscription, and no revenue from families. The go-to-market is community-led, relying on parent-to-parent support, word-of-mouth referrals, school and community partnerships, and digital self-serve channels (website, YouTube, Facebook, newsletter) to reach families across Michigan without a sales motion.

Name

Michigan Alliance For Families

Legal name

Michigan Alliance for Families

Website

https://michiganallianceforfamilies.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Michigan Alliance for Families is a Michigan-based nonprofit that provides free information, support, and education to Michigan families of children and young adults (birth to 26) eligible for special education services, funded primarily through a federal IDEA Parent Training and Information Center grant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Family Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Services (611), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parenting Education for Special Needs & Developmental Differences (EDACALAK), Family-School Collaboration & Inclusion Planning Support (EDAKABAK)

Keywords

• Special education support
• Disability information services
• Parent mentor network
• IEP advocacy resources
• Early intervention services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding (IDEA): Funded as a Michigan Department of Education IDEA Grant Funded Initiative. Michigan's federally funded Parent-Training and Information Center (PTIC) funded by U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Grant number H328M200015. All services provided at no cost to families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Michigan Alliance for Families provides free information, education, and one-on-one support to Michigan families of children and young adults (birth through age 26) who receive or may be eligible for special education services. Its core deliverables include a topic-organized website resource portal covering the 13 IDEA eligibility categories, IEP processes, behavior, dispute resolution, and transition to adulthood; live and recorded webinars; an on-demand video library; and a statewide parent mentor network offering lived-experience peer support in English, Spanish, and Arabic.

Product overview

Michigan Alliance for Families is an informational and support services organization, not a technology product company. It provides a website-based resource offering free information, education, and support for families of children with disabilities who receive or may be eligible for special education services. The organization offers web-based educational content, webinars, videos, and one-on-one support through parent mentors. The portfolio consists of informational resources organized by topic (IEP, behavior, transition, disability-specific information), event/workshop registration, and video content library. There are no distinct commercial software products, modules, or platform offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Website Resource Portal

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDEA Grant Funded Initiative of the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education. The organization serves as Michigan's federally funded Parent-Training and Information Center (PTIC).
• Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and PotentialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funding partner along with Michigan Department of Education for the IDEA Grant Funded Initiative.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PACER Center: PACER is Minnesota's Parent Training and Information Center serving families of children with disabilities. It is structurally identical to MAF — federally funded PTIC providing parent training, IEP support, and transition resources at the state level.
• PEAL Center: PEAL is Pennsylvania's Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership Center — a PTIC providing family-driven support, training, and advocacy for children with disabilities. Mirrors MAF's role at the state level with similar focus on underserved families.
• Federation for Children with Special Needs: FCSN is Massachusetts' PTIC, offering parent training, IEP advocacy, and special education resources. Closely comparable to MAF in mission (family support, IDEA navigation) and delivery model (workshops, parent mentors, statewide coverage).
• Matrix Parent Network & Resource Center: Matrix is a Northern California PTIC serving families of children with disabilities, including IEP support, parent training, and transition planning. Operates a near-identical model to MAF at the state level.
• SPAN Parent Advocacy Network: SPAN is New Jersey's PTIC, providing parent training, special education advocacy, and family support. Directly comparable in scope, funding source (federally funded PTIC), and target population.
• PAVE (Partnerships for Action, Voices for Empowerment): PAVE is Washington state's PTIC offering special education support, parent training, and youth/family advocacy. Operates with the same federal PTIC structure and parent-mentor model as MAF.

Broad incumbents

• Understood.org: Understood is a national digital resource for parents of children with learning and attention issues, providing expert content, tools, and community. It competes with MAF for parent attention and search traffic but operates at much larger national scale.
• Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR): CPIR is the national OSEP-funded hub for the PTIC network that includes MAF. It serves as the central resource, training, and coordination body for all state PTICs — making it a parent-organization-level incumbent to MAF.
• Family Voices: Family Voices is a national family-led organization for children and youth with special healthcare needs. It overlaps with MAF's family-advocacy mission but operates nationally with broader healthcare (not just education) focus.

Regional players

• Disability Rights Michigan: Disability Rights Michigan is the state's federally funded protection and advocacy organization. Adjacent to MAF in serving Michigan families with disabilities but focused on legal advocacy and rights protection rather than parent training.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MichiganAlliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/122989664388554
• Xx.com/mialliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Michigan Alliance For Families