RootEd Alliance

What RootEd Alliance does

RootEd Alliance is a Chicago-based 501(c)-style nonprofit organization founded in 2018 by Byron D. Trott that places dedicated college and career advisors directly inside rural high schools to help seniors define and pursue postsecondary pathways — including four-year degrees, workforce credentials, apprenticeships, or military service. The core product is a one-on-one advising model supported by an internal data system that tracks deadlines and student milestones; the advisor pool of approximately 280 is hired from within the communities served, and the program is paired with an Employer Partnership Program that connects students to roughly 1,500 local and national employers for internships, job shadowing, and talent pipelines. State-level delivery is organized through branded programs in Missouri, Texas, Idaho, Arkansas, and Alaska, each embedded as a public-private partnership with state education agencies, workforce development boards, community colleges, and regional education service centers.

The business model is hybrid funding: private philanthropy — convened by BDT & MSD Partners and including Trott Family Philanthropies, Steward Family Foundation, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, the Carl and Marilyn Thoma Foundation, Barbara and Andy Taylor, and the William T. Kemper Foundation — funds program design and demonstration, after which states convert proof of impact into public appropriations such as Missouri Governor Kehoe's $3.5 million line item in 2025. Additional revenue-adjacent products include the rootEd Undergraduate Scholarship (up to $12,000 annually) and the rootEd Community College Transfer Scholarship administered with The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis. Reporting outcome metrics include 29% more students pursuing college or career training, 54% fewer pursuing low-skill/low-wage jobs, a 27% increase in FAFSA completion, a 7% rise in college enrollment against national declines, 30% greater apprenticeship participation, and ~70% of served students crediting their advisor with a stronger perceived future; management is led by Founder Byron D. Trott, Board Chair Noa Meyer, and President Lisa MacDougall, with Steven Fouse as the first executive director of rootEd Missouri.

Name

RootEd Alliance

Legal name

rootEd Alliance

Website

https://rootedalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RootEd Alliance is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 2018 that places dedicated college and career advisors in rural U.S. high schools, serving approximately 90,000 students across 280 schools in seven states through private philanthropy and state public-private partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural College and Career Advising Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)

Keywords

• Rural college advising
• Career pathway programs
• Workforce development services
• FAFSA completion support
• Apprenticeship placement programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Philanthropy: Funding from a group of philanthropists convened by BDT & MSD Partners, including Trott Family Philanthropies, Steward Family Foundation, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Carl and Marilyn Thoma Foundation, Barbara and Andy Taylor, William T. Kemper Foundation, and others. Philanthropic investment allows building and refining the model with local partners and demonstrating results.
2. State Government Partnerships: With strong evidence of impact from private philanthropy, states confidently expand rootEd's reach through public funding partnerships. State budgets fund the expansion of rootEd programs in states like Missouri ($3.5 million from Governor Kehoe) and Arkansas.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RootEd Alliance is a nonprofit that places dedicated college and career advisors in rural high schools to provide one-on-one support to seniors in defining and achieving career goals via college, workforce credentials, apprenticeship, or military service. The model pairs locally-hired advisors with employer-partner relationships (1,500+ partners) and is delivered through state-specific public-private partnerships across Missouri, Texas, Arkansas, Idaho, and Alaska. The organization also administers 'last dollar' scholarships (rootEd Undergraduate Scholarship, rootEd Community College Transfer Scholarship) for graduating seniors.

Product overview

RootEd Alliance is a single, unified service offering—a nonprofit that places dedicated college and career advisors in rural high schools. The core product is the Dedicated Advising Program, through which rootEd advisors work one-on-one with seniors to help them explore careers, apply to colleges or training programs, and access financial aid. This advising program is offered in partnership with over 1,500 employers through the Employer Partnership Program. State-specific variants operate in Missouri, Texas, Arkansas, Idaho, and Alaska. The organization also administers scholarship programs including the rootEd Undergraduate Scholarship (up to $12,000/year for 4-year college) and the rootEd Community College Transfer Scholarship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dedicated College and Career Advising Program Places dedicated college and career advisors in rural high schools to work one-on-one with seniors, helping them explore careers, find the right college or technical training programs, complete applications, and access financial aid. Targets rural high school students and is delivered at no cost through state and philanthropic funding.
• Employer Partnership Program Partners with more than 1,500 national and local businesses and organizations to connect rural high school students with career pathways aligned with high-wage, high-demand industries in their communities, delivered through internships, job shadowing, training programs, and part-time work experience.
• rootEd Undergraduate Scholarship A 'last dollar' scholarship providing up to $12,000 annually for graduating seniors from rootEd Missouri high schools enrolling in a 4-year college, filling unmet financial need after other aid sources.
• rootEd Community College Transfer Scholarship A 'last dollar' scholarship intended to fill a student's unmet financial need based on their full cost of attendance after other sources of financial aid are taken into account, supporting community college transfer students.

Quantifiable outcome

• 29% more students pursuing college and career training
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState education agency partnering with rootEd through rootEd Missouri public-private partnership to expand college and career advising in rural high schools.
• Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic community college in Springfield, MO partnering with rootEd as administrative partner for rootEd Missouri, helping students access postsecondary education and training.
• Heartland ForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit policy think-and-do tank partnering with rootEd Alliance to launch rootEd Arkansas, focused on strengthening talent pipelines in Arkansas's rural communities.
• Arkansas Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState education agency partnering in rootEd Arkansas initiative launched in fall 2024, initially focusing on Ozark Mountains and Arkansas River Valley.
• Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState workforce development agency leading Alaska Career Guide initiative with rootEd Alliance, aligning education and workforce services.
• Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState education agency partnering on Alaska Career Guide initiative to bring career guidance to Alaska's rural schools.
• Bristol Bay Regional Career and Technical Education (BBRCTE) ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional CTE consortium partnering in Alaska Career Guide initiative, grounding work in Alaska's cultural and regional strengths.
• Sealaska Heritage InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural organization partnering in Alaska Career Guide initiative, providing cultural grounding for rural student career guidance.
• Region One Education Service CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional education service center in deep South Texas partnering with rootEd to expand college readiness to rural youth across seven county areas.
• Education to Employment Partners (E2E)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based nonprofit in Coastal Bend, Texas partnering with rootEd to place postsecondary advisors in rural high schools.
• Kilgore CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic community college in East Texas partnering with rootEd to help rural students access educational and career opportunities.
• Workforce Solutions of West Central TexascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development organization covering 19-county region, partnering with rootEd to strengthen postsecondary advising and connect students to local employers.
• Missouri Chamber of Commerce and IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState chamber partnering on Show-Me Careers initiative to bring educators directly into Missouri workplaces and strengthen workforce pathways.
• Teton School District 401coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIdaho school district partnering with rootEd Alliance since 2021, serving students at Teton High and Basin High Schools.
• The Scholarship Foundation of St. LouisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing rootEd Undergraduate Scholarship and rootEd Community College Transfer Scholarship to rural Missouri students.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• College Possible: Nonprofit deploying near-peer coaches in high schools to guide low-income students through college access and persistence. Comparable in mission, near-peer coaching model, and K-12-to-college pipeline focus.
• iMentor: Nonprofit pairing low-income high school students with college-educated mentors for college access and success. Comparable in pairing-based advising model, though iMentor uses volunteer mentors rather than embedded staff advisors.
• QuestBridge: Nonprofit connecting high-achieving, low-income students with selective colleges and scholarships. Comparable in supporting rural/low-income students through the college application and financial aid process, though QuestBridge focuses on highly selective 4-year institutions.
• Bottom Line: Nonprofit providing one-on-one college access and success advising to students from low-income backgrounds, with a strong outcome-tracking and persistence focus. Comparable advising intensity and postsecondary outcomes orientation.
• uAspire: Nonprofit focused on helping students overcome financial barriers to college through advising, scholarship support, and policy work. Overlaps with rootEd on FAFSA completion, scholarship navigation, and serving under-resourced students.
• OneGoal: Nonprofit delivering a multi-year college and postsecondary success program in partner high schools, focused on low-income students. Comparable school-based advising model and emphasis on postsecondary persistence rather than just access.
• College Advising Corps: National nonprofit placing recent college graduates as near-peer advisors in underserved high schools to expand college access. Closest direct peer to rootEd's dedicated-advisor model, though College Advising Corps focuses more on college enrollment versus rootEd's broader college-plus-career framing.

Broad incumbents

• Year Up: Large national workforce-development nonprofit providing skills training and career pathways for young adults, with strong employer partnerships. Comparable in employer-network model and workforce outcomes focus, but serves postsecondary-age youth rather than high schoolers.

Others

• National College Attainment Network (NCAN): Membership and advocacy organization for college access programs, sharing best practices, policy advocacy, and outcome tracking. Adjacent — not a direct operator like rootEd but a peer in the same ecosystem, and a likely convener/knowledge partner.
• Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit driving education and workforce transformation, including rural and apprenticeship initiatives. Adjacent peer as a policy and systems-change partner in the same rural workforce development space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rooted-alliance
• Xx.com/rootedalliance

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 RootEd Alliance