What Education Strategy Group does

Education Strategy Group (ESG) is a U.S.-based, mission-driven consulting firm headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, that partners with K-12, higher education, and workforce leaders to improve student success and advance equity. The firm organizes its work around three practice areas — K-12, Higher Education, and Talent — and delivers services spanning policy development, program design and implementation, advocacy and communications, strategy facilitation, coalition building, and leadership development. ESG serves four primary customer segments: state education agencies, school districts, higher education institutions, and foundations/national organizations, with documented engagements across at least 28 states and a self-reported reach of all 50 states.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through professional services: project-based consulting engagements, technical-assistance contracts, and strategic partnerships with state agencies, districts, institutions, and philanthropies. Major foundation funding partners include JPMorgan Chase (New Skills Ready Network, backed by a $75 million JPMorgan commitment to the network), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Accelerate ED, now evolved into the Pathways Impact Collaborative with StriveTogether), Lumina Foundation (Great Admissions Redesign, $3.5M+ for a second cohort of 10 grantees), Arnold Ventures (EdValue Collaborative), Kresge Foundation (MI-RAISE), Ascendium Education Group and ECMC Foundation (Noncredit Mobility Academy), American Student Assistance (Middle School Career Exploration Network), Siemens Foundation (STEM social capital), and Walton, Joyce, and Strada. The firm employs 11–50 staff led by President & CEO Matt Gandal, four Principals, a COO, and a bench of directors and senior associates. ESG has no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no disclosed revenue figures; its core product is high-touch advisory and convening services augmented by an extensive branded content library (Forging Futures, The Great Value Shift, Aiding Attainment, Measurement for Mobility, Extending the Runway, Connected By Design) and a monthly newsletter ("Transition Points").

Name

Education Strategy Group

Legal name

Education Strategy Group

Website

https://edstrategy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Education Strategy Group is a U.S.-based consulting firm that partners with K-12, higher education, and workforce leaders across all 50 states to design, align, and scale strategies that improve educational and economic outcomes, funded primarily by philanthropic foundations and state/agency contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Consulting Services

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning, Training & Corporate Education Consulting (BPAHAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Advocacy & Lobbying Organizations (EDADADAB), Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

Keywords

• Education policy consulting
• K-12 strategy services
• Higher education consulting
• Workforce development consulting
• College career pathways

Headquarters

HQ city

Chevy Chase

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Education Strategy Group provides consulting services to state agencies, school districts, higher education institutions, foundations, and national organizations. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements, technical assistance contracts, and strategic partnership arrangements with public and private sector clients focused on education and workforce system improvement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Education Strategy Group is a mission-driven consulting firm that partners with K-12, higher education, and workforce leaders to design, align, and scale strategies that improve educational and economic outcomes. It delivers services across three practice areas (K-12, Higher Education, Talent) covering policy development, program design and implementation, advocacy and communications, strategy facilitation, coalition and collaboration networks, and leadership development. The firm also manages multi-state initiatives and publishes research reports, toolkits, and frameworks for the education and workforce field.

Product overview

Education Strategy Group (ESG) is a mission-driven consulting firm that works with K-12, higher education, and workforce leaders to improve student success and advance equity. The company offers consulting services organized around three practice areas: K-12, Higher Education, and Talent. Within these practice areas, ESG delivers specific services including Policy Solutions, Program Design & Implementation, Advocacy & Communications, Strategy & Facilitation, Coalitions & Collaboration Networks, and Leadership Development. ESG also manages several named initiatives and publishes research reports including Accelerate ED, Extending the Runway, The EdValue Collaborative, New Skills Ready Network, TalentReady, The Great Value Shift, Connected By Design, Forging Futures, Aiding Attainment, and Measurement for Mobility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-12 Practice Area Consulting Consulting services for K-12 leaders focused on modernizing high school, scaling work-based learning, elevating advising, and future-proofing college and career pathways; available to state agencies and K-12 districts.
• Higher Education Practice Area Consulting Consulting services for higher education institutions and systems to incentivize value, align with workforce needs, expand quality credentials, reignite enrollment, and modernize programs; available to colleges, universities, and state higher education systems.
• Talent Practice Area Consulting Consulting services to align talent systems, activate employer demand, build adaptive workforce, and strengthen intermediary infrastructure; available to state agencies, workforce boards, and employer-led coalitions.
• Policy Solutions Services Consulting services for state agencies and institutions on policy development, reform, and implementation across K-12, higher education, and workforce systems.
• Program Design & Implementation Services Technical assistance to design, launch, and implement education and workforce programs (e.g., career pathways, advising redesign, admissions redesign) for state agencies, districts, and institutions.
• Advocacy & Communications Services Communications and advocacy support to help state and institutional leaders build the case for education and workforce reforms.
• Strategy & Facilitation Services Strategy consulting and facilitation of cross-sector planning processes, convenings, and roadmap development for education and workforce leaders.
• Coalitions & Collaboration Networks Convening and management of multi-stakeholder coalitions and learning networks (e.g., LAUNCH coalition managed with Advance CTE, ExcelinEd, JFF, and New America).
• Leadership Development Services Capacity-building and leadership development engagements for state, district, and institutional leaders in education and workforce systems.
• Accelerate ED Initiative National initiative catalyzing the scale of strong education-to-career pathways work, bringing together teams from over 25 regions where K-12, higher education, industry, and community-based organizations build and scale accelerated pathways.
• New Skills Ready Network Multi-city initiative developing equitable, demand-driven career pathways for underserved students across six U.S. cities (Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Nashville), funded as part of JPMorgan Chase's $75 million commitment.
• TalentReady Initiative expanding career pathways in the Greater Washington Region, partnering with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and the Greater Washington Partnership.
• Middle School Career Exploration Impact and Learning Network Learning network bringing together states to develop model policies and resources for middle school career exploration, with five inaugural member states (Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Washington).
• EdValue Collaborative Community of practice helping states develop strategies to improve postsecondary value, with five member states (Iowa, Maryland, New York, Virginia, Washington) and Arnold Ventures support.
• Noncredit Mobility Academy Multi-state program supporting six states in building data and policy infrastructure for economic mobility from noncredit education programs, run with SHEEO and Opportunity America and funded by Ascendium Education Group and ECMC Foundation.
• MI-RAISE Design Lab Michigan Regional Adult Initiative for Skills and Education Design Lab helping colleges increase enrollment and success of adult learners, supported by the Kresge Foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73% of states have identified middle school career exploration as important, but few measure quality (20%), include in accountability plans (16%), or have strong ecosystem support (8%)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and emerging.

• American Student Assistance (ASA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2025ASA and ESG launched the Middle School Career Exploration Impact and Learning Network, bringing together five states (Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Washington) as inaugural members to develop model policies and resources based on their joint research report 'Extending the Runway: A 50-State Analysis of Middle School Career Exploration.'
• BriteboundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESG partnered with Britebound to conduct a 50-state analysis of middle school career exploration practices and create the Impact and Learning Network. Britebound provides generous support for the research and network activities.
• SHEEOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHEEO partnered with ESG and Opportunity America on the Noncredit Mobility Academy to support six states in building data and policy infrastructure for student economic mobility.
• Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESG and PAYA co-published 'Connected By Design: Embedding Youth Apprenticeship in High School Pathways Will Help Deliver on its Promise' exploring how youth apprenticeships can connect students to high-value workforce opportunities.
• Advance CTEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvance CTE collaborates with ESG as a lead partner in coordinating the New Skills Ready Network and providing coaching and technical assistance to the six sites.
• LAUNCH CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESG serves as manager of the LAUNCH coalition (with partners Advance CTE, ExcelinEd, JFF, and New America), a national college and career pathways initiative supporting states to tackle inequities in education and workforce outcomes.
• Pathways Impact Fund at StriveTogetheremergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2026, Accelerate ED evolved into the Pathways Impact Collaborative, a national learning community led by the Pathways Impact Fund at StriveTogether. ESG continues working closely with the PIF to enable the pathways movement's continued growth.
• Michigan Center for Adult College Success (MCACS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESG partners with MCACS, SOVA Solutions, CollegeAPP, and others to lead design labs supporting Michigan institutions' efforts to improve adult credential attainment through MI-RAISE and MI-LEARN initiatives.
• The City University of New York (CUNY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUNY collaborates with NYCPS and ESG on FutureReadyNYC, providing early college course opportunities and CollegeNow courses across career pathways as part of the initiative.
• Opportunity America at the Progressive Policy InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESG partnered with SHEEO and Opportunity America to design and offer the Noncredit Mobility Academy supporting states in building pathways from noncredit to credit-bearing credentials.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WestEd: A nonprofit research, development, and consulting firm serving K-12, higher education, and state agencies, with a similar focus on evidence-based policy and technical assistance across multiple states.
• FSG (Foundation Strategy Group): A social-impact consulting firm advising foundations and nonprofits on strategy, evaluation, and initiative design — comparable in working with the same set of major education philanthropies (Gates, Lumina, etc.) that fund ESG.
• New America: A think tank and policy organization operating its Education and Workforce Policy programs, comparable in policy research, advocacy, and multi-state technical assistance to ESG — also a LAUNCH coalition partner.
• ExcelinEd: A national education policy and consulting organization focused on K-12 reform, college and career pathways, and state policy support — highly comparable to ESG's K-12 practice and also a LAUNCH coalition partner.
• Bellwether Education Partners: A national education-focused nonprofit consulting firm offering strategy, policy, and program design services to education leaders, foundations, and states — the closest direct peer to ESG in mission, client base, and delivery model.
• Jobs for the Future (JFF): A national nonprofit that designs and scales career pathways and education-to-workforce solutions, directly overlapping with ESG's Talent practice and pathway initiatives. JFF is already a co-member of LAUNCH alongside ESG.
• Hanover Research: A subscription-based research and analytics firm serving education and public-sector clients, comparable in serving K-12, higher ed, and state agencies with research, benchmarking, and policy support.
• Advance CTE: A national nonprofit representing state CTE directors and providing policy and capacity-building support — directly comparable to ESG's career pathways work and a documented co-partner in New Skills Ready Network.

Broad incumbents

• ICF International: A large global consulting firm with a substantial education and workforce practice serving federal, state, and foundation clients — a broader incumbent offering overlapping services to ESG's federal/technical assistance clients.
• Mathematica Policy Research: A large research and evaluation firm with significant education and workforce policy work for federal agencies and foundations — comparable in research rigor and policy focus to ESG's evidence-based approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/edstrategygroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Education Strategy Group