The Pell Institute
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1981
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
The Pell Institute firmographics
Firmographics- 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
The Pell Institute industry classification
Industry- 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
Where The Pell Institute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Pell Institute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- 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
- Publication Sales: Sale of research publications including the TRIO Compensation Report ($49 for non-members, free for COE members) and Evaluation Toolkit bundles
- Corporate Partnerships and Fundraising: Financial contributions from corporate partners and funders to support research programs and operational activities
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | TRIO Compensation Report - COE Members |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | TRIO Compensation Report - Non-Members |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Toolkit for Equitable Evaluation - Digital PDF Only |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Toolkit for Equitable Evaluation - Bundle |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Pell Institute product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use The Pell Institute
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Pell Institute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Pell Institute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)Partner organization focused on higher education access and success; logo displayed on partners page
- PennAHEAD (Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, University of Pennsylvania)coreLong-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, BerkeleycoreResearch collaboration with UC Berkeley on study exploring TRIO learners' perceptions of postsecondary credential completion for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students
- NASPAsecondaryStudent affairs professionals organization partnership; logo displayed on partners page
- Council for Opportunity in Education (COE)corePell 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 ProgramscoreFederal 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
The Pell Institute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
The Pell Institute social profiles
Digital presenceThe Pell Institute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Pell Institute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
The Pell Institute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Pell Institute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Pell Institute
What does The Pell Institute do?
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.
Is The Pell Institute a public or private company?
The Pell Institute is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Pell Institute founded?
The Pell Institute was founded in 1981. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Pell Institute based?
The Pell Institute is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Pell Institute make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Foundation Grants and Research Funding is the primary driver. The others are publication Sales and corporate Partnerships and Fundraising.
Who are The Pell Institute's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Education Trust, National College Attainment Network (NCAN), Postsecondary National Policy Institute (PNPI) and Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP). Broad incumbents are American Council on Education (ACE), National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), Jobs for the Future (JFF), Lumina Foundation and Center for American Progress (Higher Education team). National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is listed as an others.
Does The Pell Institute have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Pell Institute.
What industry is The Pell Institute in?
The Pell Institute's product category is Higher Education Policy Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADADAF, Education Equity, Access & Inclusion Policy Research, with a secondary code of EDADAIAH, Equity, Inclusion & Civil Rights Reporting (Disparities, Access, Outcomes). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.