What Florida Education Foundation does

The Florida Education Foundation is a Tallahassee, Florida-based nonprofit established in 1984 by the Florida Legislature as a direct support organization to the Florida Department of Education. It operates a portfolio of education programs targeting Florida's pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade system, with named beneficiaries including Florida K-12 students, classroom teachers, and school administrators. The Foundation's stated mission is to promote student achievement to strengthen Florida's globally competitive workforce, organized around three focus areas identified in a 2015 strategic plan: Systems for Standards and Accountability, Closing Achievement Gaps, and Improving Outcomes in Early Grade Reading.

The Foundation's core "products" are programs rather than technology products, including Florida Teacher of the Year (which disburses $820K annually to top educators), Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (active in 100+ schools), Sunshine State Scholars (honoring 400+ STEM students), Celebrate Literacy Week, Summer Literacy Institute, Commissioner's Business Recognition Awards, Dr. Brian Dassler Leadership Academy, Purple Star Teacher Leadership, and Dr. Brian Dassler High Impact Teachers Corp. It also convenes conferences including the FFEA Conference, Florida Charter School Conference, and the National School Safety Summit. There is no proprietary technology platform; the Foundation's digital presence is a Wix-hosted website and standard social media accounts used for outreach and donations. A permanent endowment was established in 2012 through a gift from Mary Murdock.

The Foundation operates as a donation-and-sponsorship-funded nonprofit rather than a commercial entity. Revenue streams consist of tax-deductible contributions from individuals, corporations, and organizations, alongside in-kind support from a coalition of 20+ named partners spanning financial services, utilities, telecommunications, healthcare, retail, and academia — including AT&T, Comcast, Florida Power & Light, KPMG, Publix Charities, Helios Education Foundation, Florida Lottery, PNC Bank, HCA Florida Healthcare, State Farm, and academic partners such as Florida State University College of Education and the Florida College System. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors (chaired by Steve Crisafulli) with Ex-Officio representation from the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations and the sitting Florida Teacher of the Year. Day-to-day operations are run by a lean internal team of 1–10 employees led by Executive Director Lindsey Zander, with the Foundation's office co-located within the Florida Department of Education at 325 W Gaines St, Suite 1524, Tallahassee.

Name

Florida Education Foundation

Legal name

Florida Education Foundation

Website

https://floridaeducationfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Florida Education Foundation is a Tallahassee-based nonprofit direct support organization to the Florida Department of Education that funds teacher recognition, literacy, civics/debate, and STEM programs across Florida's K-12 system through donations and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Support and Advocacy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD)

Keywords

• K-12 education programs
• Teacher recognition awards
• Literacy development services
• Civics and debate initiative
• STEM scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and organizations to support Florida education programs. Every dollar goes toward recognizing and supporting teachers, learners, and leaders.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Florida Education Foundation is a nonprofit direct support organization to the Florida Department of Education that provides educational programs and resources to strengthen Florida's K-12 education system. It delivers literacy development, civics and debate, STEM recognition, and teacher leadership programs, while also recognizing outstanding educators and business supporters through awards. The Foundation raises and invests financial resources through donations, sponsorships, and corporate partnerships to fund these statewide programs.

Product overview

The Florida Education Foundation operates as a portfolio of educational programs supporting Florida's pre-kindergarten to 12th grade education system. The Foundation offers multiple distinct programs organized around four focus areas: literacy development (Celebrate Literacy Week, Summer Literacy Institute), civics and debate (Florida Civics and Debate Initiative), STEM education (Sunshine State Scholars), and teacher recognition/leadership (Florida Teacher of the Year, Dr. Brian Dassler Leadership Academy, Purple Star Teacher Leadership, Dr. Brian Dassler High Impact Teachers Corp.). Additionally, the Foundation organizes conferences (FFEA Conference, Florida Charter School Conference, National School Safety Summit) and recognition awards (Commissioner's Business Recognition Awards). These programs work together to strengthen student achievement, recognize outstanding educators, and develop future leaders across Florida's education system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (FCDI) A statewide program that creates opportunities for Florida K-12 students to engage in civics and debate activities, supporting the launch of civics and debate teams at schools across the state.
• Florida Teacher of the Year An annual recognition program that celebrates outstanding Florida K-12 educators, awarding a total of $820K to the best teachers each year.
• Commissioner's Business Recognition Awards A recognition awards program honoring businesses and corporate partners that support Florida education through financial contributions, sponsorships, and partnerships with the Foundation.
• Celebrate Literacy Week An annual week-long event promoting literacy development for Florida K-12 students and engaging schools across the state in literacy-focused activities.
• Summer Literacy Institute A professional development program for Florida educators focused on evidence-based literacy instruction strategies, delivered as an institute during the summer.
• Sunshine State Scholars A recognition program that honors Florida's brightest STEM scholars, with over 400 scholars honored, designed to strengthen the state's globally competitive workforce.
• Dr. Brian Dassler Leadership Academy A leadership development program for Florida education professionals, named in honor of Dr. Brian Dassler, designed to develop leadership capacity among educators.
• National School Safety Summit An annual summit focused on school safety issues and best practices, convening educators, administrators, and stakeholders to address safety in Florida schools.
• FFEA Conference An annual Florida Foundation for Excellence in Achievement conference that brings together Florida educators, school administrators, and education stakeholders.
• Florida Charter School Conference An annual conference supporting and connecting Florida's charter school community, providing professional development and networking for charter school educators and operators.
• Purple Star Teacher Leadership A program that recognizes and develops teacher leaders who support military-connected students in Florida schools, addressing the unique needs of this student population.
• Dr. Brian Dassler High Impact Teachers Corp. A program supporting high-impact Florida teachers in improving student achievement outcomes, recognizing and developing educators with demonstrated effectiveness.

Quantifiable outcome

• $820K awarded annually to Florida's Best Teachers
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting partner, academic partner, program partner and core partner.

• AT&Tsupporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAT&T is listed as a generous partner of the Florida Education Foundation, providing sponsorship support for education programs.
• Comcastsupporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerComcast is listed as a corporate partner supporting the Foundation's education initiatives.
• Florida Power & Light (FPL)supporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFPL is listed as a generous partner and has expressed pride in supporting the Foundation's educators and schools programs.
• Florida State University College of Educationacademic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSU College of Education partners with the Foundation on education initiatives and programs.
• HCA Florida Healthcaresupporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerHCA Florida Healthcare partners with the Foundation for community impact and education support.
• Herff Jonessupporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerHerff Jones partners with the Foundation, providing graduation and achievement products.
• Kyra Solutionssupporting partnerTechnology or IntegrationKyra Solutions partners with the Foundation for education technology initiatives.
• Limbitless Solutionsprogram partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimbitless Solutions partners with the Foundation for innovative educational programs.
• SeaWorld Orlandosupporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerSeaWorld Orlando partners with the Foundation for education and conservation programs.
• State Farmsupporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerState Farm is a corporate partner supporting the Foundation's initiatives.
• Sunshine Healthsupporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerSunshine Health partners with the Foundation for community health and education programs.
• Florida College Systemacademic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida College System partners with the Foundation on higher education alignment with K-12 initiatives.
• Consortium of Florida Education Foundationscore partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Consortium of Florida Education Foundations has Ex-Officio representation on the Foundation's board through Amity Schuyler, President/CEO.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• DonorsChoose: National nonprofit that channels donations to public-school classroom needs. Comparable as a donation-driven education-support organization serving Florida K-12, but with a national technology platform delivery model rather than FEF's direct-delivery programs.
• AdoptAClassroom.org: National nonprofit that funds K-12 classroom needs via donations, similar mission-adjacent role of channeling private philanthropy to public-school teachers and classrooms.

Broad incumbents

• Foundation for Excellence in Education: Florida-headquartered national education reform organization that influences state K-12 policy. Comparable theme and Florida base, but its scope is policy/advocacy rather than donor-driven program grants.

Direct peers

• Helios Education Foundation: A regional education-focused philanthropy with deep Florida operations (and listed FEF partner). Comparable on mission (college access and educator outcomes), geography, and donor-base overlap.
• Public Education Foundation (Las Vegas, NV): Statewide/local education foundation that raises private funds to support public K-12 teachers, students, and schools. Operates the same direct-support-of-public-schools model as FEF, with teacher recognition and grant programs.
• Consortium of Florida Education Foundations: The statewide umbrella for local Florida education foundations, with Ex-Officio representation on FEF's board. Operates the same donor-supported K-12 education model across Florida, sharing overlapping statewide reach and corporate partner relationships.

Regional players

• Public Education Foundation of West Liberty: Community-level education foundation supporting public schools through teacher grants and recognition, illustrative of the many state/county education foundations that share FEF's nonprofit funding-plus-recognition model in different geographies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FLEduFoundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/educationfl
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/educationfl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/florida-education-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Florida Education Foundation