The Pell Institute

What The Pell Institute does

The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research organization founded in 1981 as the research arm of the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE). It produces data, research, and policy analysis on college access, affordability, persistence, and completion for low-income, first-generation, and disabled students, with a particular focus on the federal TRIO programs (Upward Bound, Student Support Services, McNair, Talent Search, Education Opportunity Centers, and Veterans Upward Bound).

The Institute's core outputs are research publications and data tools. Flagship products include the annual Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States Historical Trend Report (now in its 9th/10th edition, tracking 50 years of equity data), the interactive Equity Indicators Dashboard with 55 published indicators, the Postsecondary Education Opportunity (PEO) monthly research newsletter maintained by Senior Scholar Tom Mortenson, the Opportunity Matters Journal, the biannual TRIO Professionals Compensation Survey, the Toolkit for Equitable Evaluation, and research reports such as 'Is College Worth It?' and 'The Meltdown of Higher Education.' Distribution channels include direct website publication, the COE store for paid products, the annual Student Financial Aid Research Network (SFARN) conference, Capitol Hill briefings, webinars, and a Community of Practice platform.

The Institute operates on a nonprofit, grant-funded model. Primary funding comes from foundation grants (Lumina Foundation, Ascendium Education Group, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Trellis Foundation), supplemented by corporate partnerships and modest publication/conference revenue (e.g., TRIO Compensation Report at $49 for non-COЕ members; SFARN conference registration $125-$375). Pricing on most research publications is free, with paid products targeted at non-COЕ members. The customer base comprises 1,000+ COE member institutions, federal TRIO programs, higher-education policymakers, and education researchers and advocates.

Name

The Pell Institute

Legal name

The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education

Website

https://pellinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Pell Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research organization that produces longitudinal data, reports, and policy analysis on college access and success for low-income, first-generation, and disabled students, operating as the research arm of the Council for Opportunity in Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Policy Research

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Equity, Access & Inclusion Policy Research (EDADADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Equity, Inclusion & Civil Rights Reporting (Disparities, Access, Outcomes) (EDADAIAH), Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender (EDADALAF)

Keywords

• Higher education equity
• Education policy research
• TRIO program research
• College access research
• Postsecondary opportunity

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Research Funding: Primary funding through grants from foundations such as Lumina Foundation ($250,000 grant mentioned) and Ascendium Education Group for specific research projects
2. Publication Sales: Sale of research publications including the TRIO Compensation Report ($49 for non-members, free for COE members) and Evaluation Toolkit bundles
3. Corporate Partnerships and Fundraising: Financial contributions from corporate partners and funders to support research programs and operational activities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Pell Institute conducts policy research and publishes data-driven reports, dashboards, briefs, and tools that measure and promote higher education equity for low-income, first-generation, and students with disabilities. As the research arm of the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), it produces annual equity indicators, hosts conferences and communities of practice, and supplies evidence to inform TRIO programs and federal higher education policy.

Product overview

The Pell Institute is a research institute focused on higher education equity for low-income, first-generation, and disabled students. It operates as a research organization rather than a technology product company. Its portfolio consists primarily of research publications (annual equity indicators reports, research briefs, fact sheets), data tools (interactive equity dashboard), professional resources (evaluation toolkit, compensation survey), an academic journal (Opportunity Matters Journal), a monthly newsletter (Postsecondary Education Opportunity), and an annual conference (SFARN). The core offering is the Indicators of Higher Education Equity Report series, supplemented by the Equity Indicators Dashboard for data visualization. These products collectively support policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in understanding and addressing educational disparities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Opportunity Matters Journal: An open-access academic and creative journal where scholars, practitioners, students, parents and community leaders involved with educational opportunity programs can share their research, reports, ideas and creative works.
• Student Financial Aid Research Network (SFARN)
• Equity Indicators Dashboard
• Toolkit for Equitable Evaluation
• TRIO's Capacity for Career Development Partnerships

Products and services

• Indicators of Higher Education Equity Report

Quantifiable outcome

• Bachelor's degree attainment is more than 4x higher for students from highest-income families compared to lowest-income families (2026 Indicators Report)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)Strategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization focused on higher education access and success; logo displayed on partners page
• PennAHEAD (Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, University of Pennsylvania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing co-publishing partner for Indicators of Higher Education Equity reports since 2015; both organizations share core mission to promote equitable higher education
• University of California, BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with UC Berkeley on study exploring TRIO learners' perceptions of postsecondary credential completion for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students
• NASPAsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent affairs professionals organization partnership; logo displayed on partners page
• Council for Opportunity in Education (COE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPell Institute is the research arm of COE; shares mission to advance and defend equal opportunity in postsecondary education; COE has 1,000+ institutional members
• TRIO ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal TRIO programs including Upward Bound, Student Support Services, McNair, Talent Search, EOC, and Veterans Upward Bound are the primary focus of Pell Institute's research and advocacy

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Education Trust: Nonprofit advocacy and research organization promoting high academic achievement for students of color and low-income students from preschool through college. Highly comparable mission and constituency to Pell Institute, with similar research-publication and policy-brief distribution models.
• National College Attainment Network (NCAN): Nonprofit membership organization supporting college access and success programs serving low-income, first-generation students. Shares Pell's TRIO-adjacent constituency and produces comparable research, advocacy, and convening outputs.
• Postsecondary National Policy Institute (PNPI): Nonprofit policy research organization providing nonpartisan analysis of federal higher-education policy. PNPI's focus on federal policy data, fact sheets, and briefings closely parallels Pell's research-publication and policymaker-audience model.
• Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP): Nonprofit, nonpartisan research and policy organization focused on postsecondary access and success for underserved students. IHEP and Pell Institute both produce equity-focused research for federal and state policymakers, and IHEP is explicitly listed as a Pell partner.

Broad incumbents

• American Council on Education (ACE): Major higher-education association representing presidents and chancellors of U.S. colleges. ACE conducts broad policy research and convening similar to Pell, but operates at a much larger scale across the entire higher-ed spectrum, of which equity is one part.
• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA): Membership association for financial aid professionals that produces research, surveys, and policy analysis on student aid. Comparable audience (aid administrators and policymakers) and comparable research-publication model, though broader in scope than Pell.
• Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit driving workforce and postsecondary transformation for underserved learners. JFF overlaps with Pell in college access and equity research but spans a wider set of workforce and credentialing topics.
• Lumina Foundation: Major private foundation focused on postsecondary attainment and equity. Lumina both funds Pell Institute's research (e.g., $250K grant) and independently publishes major equity and credentials research, making it both a strategic partner and a comparable thought leader.
• Center for American Progress (Higher Education team): Public policy think tank with a Higher Education division producing research on affordability, equity, and completion. Operates a similar research-to-policy pipeline targeting federal policymakers, with comparable reports and indicator-style publications.

Others

• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): Federal statistical agency that is the primary source of official U.S. education data. NCES provides the underlying datasets Pell's Indicators report uses, making it a critical data-infrastructure peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/COETalk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCVcLrUp-XPcyiR-FvHMq_Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/councilforopportunityineducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pell-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/coeworks

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 The Pell Institute