Mizzen by Mott

What Mizzen by Mott does

Mizzen by Mott, operated by Mizzen Education, Inc., is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Flint, Michigan, that provides a free digital platform of curated K-12 learning resources to out-of-school time (OST) educators and youth-serving professionals. The platform hosts 1,700+ vetted activities spanning STEM, arts, youth voice, digital and media literacy, social-emotional learning, and career readiness, organized into themed collections and supplemented by the QIPs (Quality Instructional Practices) library of educator tips. Core product modules include the main Mizzen Platform, Mizzen for Teams (collaboration and scheduling tools for multi-site programs), and the Summer Programming Hub. Content is supplied through 30+ partnerships with national organizations including Pulitzer Center, PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Nature Conservancy, VentureLab, National Wildlife Federation, Nickelodeon, MLS, and MLB Players Trust.

The platform is delivered as a self-serve, web-based product accessible at mizzen.org. There are no paid tiers; all resources, tools, and content are provided free of charge to individual educators and program staff, who can independently sign up, browse, assign, and schedule content. Mizzen for Teams layers on shared calendars, activity assignment, and program-wide usage tracking for managers coordinating across sites. The organization is funded entirely through charitable donations and grants, with the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation named as the primary funder and Ridgway White (Mott Foundation President) serving on Mizzen's board. Independent 501(c)(3) status is preserved through a separate CEO (Carlos Santini, since 2021) and Board of Directors.

Mizzen's go-to-market motion is product-led and community-led: growth is driven by individual educator sign-ups, word-of-mouth within the practitioner community, conference participation (NAA, BOOST, state afterschool network events), and endorsement by the 50 State Afterschool Network. The organization serves a distributed base of 4,000+ OST programs and 18,000-27,000+ practitioners nationwide (figures vary across sources), with addressable demand estimated at 500,000+ educators who lack access to high-quality, OST-specific tools. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer via the website; no third-party reseller or enterprise sales channel is indicated.

Name

Mizzen by Mott

Legal name

Mizzen Education, Inc.

Website

https://mizzen.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mizzen by Mott is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a free, curated digital platform of K-12 learning resources for out-of-school time educators, serving 4,000+ programs and 27,000+ practitioners nationwide through content partnerships and self-serve access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Out-of-School Time Educational Platform

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Digital Classrooms (EDAJAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Digital Curriculum & Interactive Lessons (EDAGAEAA), Online Math Enrichment Platforms & Courses (EDAMAEAF)

Keywords

• Afterschool educator resources
• Out-of-school time learning
• Youth development curriculum
• K-12 activity library
• Nonprofit educational platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Flint

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Grants: Mizzen Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates entirely on charitable donations and grants. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is explicitly named as a major funder. All platform access is free to users due to this funding model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mizzen Education operates a free digital platform that delivers curated K-12 learning activities and professional resources for out-of-school time (OST) educators. The platform offers thousands of standards-aligned activities across STEM, arts, literacy, youth voice, and digital/media literacy, plus team collaboration tools for program planning and scheduling. All access is provided at no cost to educators and youth-serving programs thanks to charitable donations and grants from funders led by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

Product overview

Mizzen Education operates as a digital platform offering curated learning resources for out-of-school time (OST) educators. The core Mizzen Platform serves as the primary product, providing thousands of K-12 activities across STEM, arts, literacy, health and wellness, social-emotional learning, and career readiness. The product portfolio includes Mizzen for Teams (collaboration tools for program staff), QIPs (Quality Instructional Practices library of educator tips), and the Summer Programming Hub (ready-to-use seasonal activity bundles). Content is organized through Collections and an Activities Library, while The Mizzen Minute newsletter and Mizzen in a Minute resources support community engagement. The platform is 100% free thanks to partner support and serves over 18,000 practitioners nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mizzen by Mott: A digital platform and app that delivers outstanding content to afterschool providers nationwide at no cost, developed in collaboration with the Mott Foundation.

Products and services

• Mizzen Platform A free digital platform offering thousands of curated K-12 learning activities for out-of-school time programs, spanning STEM, art, literacy, youth voice, digital/media literacy, social-emotional learning, and career readiness. Designed for afterschool and summer program educators and practitioners serving youth outside of regular school hours.
• Mizzen for Teams All-in-one team collaboration module on the Mizzen Platform enabling program staff to co-plan, build shared calendars, assign activities to staff, share content, and track usage across program sites. Targeted at program managers and team leaders of out-of-school time programs.
• QIPs (Quality Instructional Practices) A library of bite-sized tools and quick tips for educators to refine instructional techniques, support positive culture, and enhance preparation in out-of-school time settings. Designed for OST practitioners seeking practical professional development resources.
• Summer Programming Hub A dedicated hub of ready-to-use summer activity bundles, themes, and planning tools designed for summer camps and out-of-school time programs. Enables summer program staff to quickly assemble low-prep, engaging programming for youth during summer months.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saves educators hours of planning time with ready-to-use, low-prep resources
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Farm to Table KidscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Farm to Table Kids, founded by Stephanie 'Farmer Steph' McDonough, partnered with Mizzen in 2025 to bring free, joyful, hands-on garden-based learning to educators and families nationwide. Content includes 'Things to Know Before You Grow' and 'How to Grow Dahlias' modules.
• After-School All-StarscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025After-School All-Stars collaborated with Mizzen on staff development days and the 'Power of Presence' workshop series. Multiple team members joined Mizzen from After-School All-Stars.
• Pulitzer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPulitzer Center is an official education partner for The 1619 Project and provides content on Mizzen's platform including journalism and media literacy activities for grades 2-12. Their content explores the legacy of slavery in contemporary U.S. systems and celebrates Black Americans' contributions to democracy.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Nature Conservancy provides nature and wildlife-focused content including the Disappearing Bees collection that teaches youth about ecosystem conservation and the importance of pollinators.
• PBS NewsHour Student Reporting LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPBS NewsHour SRL provides journalism and media literacy content including the Building a NewsHour 6-module series teaching youth how to create their own news productions and understand journalism ethics.
• Jazz at Lincoln CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJazz at Lincoln Center provides arts and music education content including the 'I'm Beginning to See the Light' module and 'The Big Easy' series that teach jazz elements while engaging with science, social studies, math, and art.
• VentureLabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVentureLab provides entrepreneurship education content including the Intro to Entrepreneurship series and Creativity: Play activities that teach entrepreneurial mindset and creative thinking skills to youth.
• 50 State Afterschool NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMizzen is trusted by the 50 State Afterschool Network, representing state-level afterschool organizations across all U.S. states that advocate for and support quality out-of-school time programming.
• City Parks FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Parks Foundation provides environmental education content including the 'Design a Park Project' module where students create action plans to improve community green spaces.
• ArtsConnectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtsConnection provides arts education content including the 'Teens Curate Teens' series that teaches youth to create art exhibitions and understand curation.
• Learn Fresh (NBA Math Hoops)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLearn Fresh provides NBA Math Hoops, a sports-based STEM and social-emotional learning program using basketball to teach math skills to grades 3-8.
• Major League Soccer (MLS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLS provides the 'MLS STEM Goals' program, an interactive sports-based learning experience connecting math, strategy, and social-emotional learning through soccer.
• MLB Players TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLB Players Trust provides the MLB Players STEM League, combining a board game and curriculum to teach math and social-emotional skills through baseball.
• NickelodeonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNickelodeon's 'Our World' program includes the Play Lab module where youth design games for Worldwide Day of Play, promoting health, wellbeing, and youth agency.
• National Wildlife FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Wildlife Federation provides nature and wildlife content including the 'Our Watershed' playlist teaching youth about ecosystems and biodiversity.
• California Academy of SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia Academy of Sciences provides community science content teaching youth to use scientific observation tools and contribute to global biodiversity research.
• Active Kids and MindsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive Kids and Minds provides the Functional Fitness 12-week program with functional fitness activities, mindfulness, and nutritional education for grades K-8.
• Youth GuidanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth Guidance partnered with Mizzen at NAA's 2024 Convention in Dallas, transforming Mizzen's trademark popup lounge into an innovative space for youth.
• South Carolina Afterschool AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMizzen joined the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance for the network's first SC STEM Extravaganza and Lights On Afterschool celebration.
• Foundations, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMizzen CEO Carlos Santini and Foundations, Inc. co-led a free virtual workshop on identity, belonging, and community design.
• PLUS ME ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPLUS ME Project provides the 'Story Spark Series' featuring personal storytelling content to build youth confidence in pursuing college, career, and life goals.
• The Flourish LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Flourish Lab co-presented 'The Ripple Effect' workshop with Mizzen at Utah Afterschool Network's Jump Start 2025 Conference.
• Go2ScienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGo2Science provides the 'Mission: Rainforest!' module with video-based activities following researchers in Panama studying blue Morpho butterflies.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNFTE provides 'Operation: Mindset' activities teaching entrepreneurial mindset and behaviors through challenges designed to activate different entrepreneurial domains.
• OregonASKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOregonASK provides the 'Making Comics!' series with lessons on storytelling, character, setting, action, and plot for creating complete comic books.
• National Summer Learning AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMizzen features content from the 2020 National Summer Learning Association Awardees, celebrating Excellence in Summer Learning winners.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mizzeneducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mizzen-by-mott
• Instagraminstagram.com/mizzeneducation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Mizzen by Mott