Minnesota Association of Charter School Authorizers

What Minnesota Association of Charter School Authorizers does

MACSA is the Minnesota-based non-profit membership organization serving the state's 14 approved charter school authorizers. Incorporated in 2017 as the successor to the 2003-vintage Sponsors Assistance Network, the association provides quality standards, policy advocacy, and informational resources supporting charter school oversight in Minnesota. Its core deliverables are the Principles & Standards for Quality Authorizing (approved December 2018 with NACSA facilitation and Minnesota Comeback funding), annual reports, a charter schools map, public policy resources, and family-facing guidance tools.

The organization does not sell a unified technology product or platform; its offerings are primarily informational, advisory, and advocacy-oriented, distributed through its website (mncharterauthorizers.org), a LinkedIn page, blog content, monthly board meetings, and the annual Charter Day at the Capitol. Revenue is sourced from annual membership dues paid by authorizer members and grants/donations, with no publicly disclosed fee schedule or financial filings.

MACSA's operating geography is restricted to Minnesota. Its primary institutional customers are the 14 state-approved authorizers (school districts, universities, and non-profits); its secondary audiences are the 165 charter schools under authorizer oversight and families seeking charter school information. As of September 2019, member authorizers collectively oversaw schools serving over 56,200 K-12 students, approximately 6.5% of the state's K-12 public enrollment. The organization is governed by an 11-member board drawn from member authorizers and led by Executive Director Sawsan Natsheh.

Name

Minnesota Association of Charter School Authorizers

Legal name

Minnesota Association of Charter School Authorizers

Website

https://mncharterauthorizers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Minnesota Association of Charter School Authorizers (MACSA) is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit membership organization serving Minnesota's 14 state-approved charter school authorizers, providing quality standards, policy advocacy, and informational resources for charter school oversight.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Association Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Authorizers & Oversight Boards (EDADABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Governance Bodies & Board/Trustee Administration (EDADAKAL), Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC)

Keywords

• Charter school authorizing
• Education policy advocacy
• Nonprofit membership association
• School oversight standards
• Authorizer quality standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: MACSA operates as a membership organization for approved Minnesota charter school authorizers, suggesting membership dues as a primary revenue stream.
2. Grants and Donations: The organization mentions capacity building grants (such as from Minnesota Comeback) and accepts donations. Refund policy for donations is posted on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MACSA is a nonprofit membership organization that develops and identifies practices and policies ensuring effective oversight and evaluation of Minnesota charter schools. It advances quality authorizing through its Principles & Standards for Quality Authorizing framework, provides annual reports, policy documents, and serves as the centralized voice for the state's 14 approved authorizers.

Product overview

The Minnesota Association of Charter School Authorizers (MACSA) is a non-profit membership organization that does not offer a unified technology product or platform. Instead, it provides a portfolio of informational resources, guidance documents, and support services for charter school authorizers in Minnesota. The core offerings include authorizing resources and standards, MACSA Reports and Documents, Charter School Resources for schools and families, an Education Policy resource hub, a Charter Schools Map, a Meeting Calendar with board minutes, and FAQ/Helpful Links. These services are primarily informational and organizational in nature, designed to support quality charter school authorizing rather than functioning as a software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Principles & Standards for Quality Authorizing
• MACSA Annual Reports and Documents
• Charter Schools Map
• Education Policy Resources Hub
• Charter School Startup Guidance

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 authorizers and 165 charter schools supported across Minnesota
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Education Alliance (EdAllies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation alliance partner listed on MACSA's Our Partners page, supporting the charter school ecosystem in Minnesota.
• Great MN SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting quality charter schools in Minnesota, listed on MACSA's partnership page.
• Minnesota Association of Charter Schools (MACS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMACS is an association that promotes high-quality education and charter schools in Minnesota. MACS provides advocacy, resources, events, and the Innovation Award for charter schools.
• Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState education department that oversees charter school authorization in Minnesota. MDE implements MAPES (Minnesota Authorizer Performance Evaluation System) and maintains lists of approved and withdrawn authorizers.
• National Alliance for Public Charter SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization that promotes the rights and needs of charter school students. Provides Charter Law Database, Charter School Trailblazers awards, and advocates for charter school legislation.
• National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNACSA developed the Principles & Standards for Quality Authorizing that MACSA adapted for Minnesota. NACSA facilitators supported MACSA's Principles & Standards Committee in developing MACSA's quality authorizing framework.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: The leading national advocacy organization for the charter school sector. MACSA is a state-level counterpart within the broader charter ecosystem, though NAPCS focuses on national policy and operates at much larger scale.
• California Charter Schools Association (CCSA): Largest state-level charter school association in the U.S., serving California's extensive charter sector. Operates a parallel state-charter membership function to MACSA but at materially greater scale and with broader scope.

Others

• Education Evolving: Minnesota education policy nonprofit that created MACSA's predecessor (Sponsors Assistance Network) in 2003. Operates in the same Minnesota education policy space and shares historical roots with MACSA.
• EdAllies (Education Alliance): Minnesota education equity advocacy organization. A listed MACSA partner working on overlapping charter school policy and equity issues in the same state.
• Minnesota Department of Education (MDE): State regulatory body that approves authorizers and implements the Minnesota Authorizer Performance Evaluation System (MAPES). MACSA's primary public-sector counterpart and partner in the Minnesota charter authorizing ecosystem.
• Great MN Schools: Minnesota nonprofit promoting high-quality charter school options. Listed as a partner of MACSA and works on the same charter quality agenda from a parent/family advocacy perspective.
• Minnesota Association of Charter Schools (MACS): Minnesota-based advocacy and resource association for charter schools (the schools, not the authorizers). A close ecosystem partner addressing the same state-level charter audience from the school perspective rather than the authorizer perspective.

Regional players

• Colorado League of Charter Schools: Colorado-based charter school membership and advocacy organization. Provides a parallel state-level charter support structure, comparable to MACSA's role in Minnesota.
• Tennessee Charter School Center: State-level charter school support and advocacy organization in Tennessee. Operates a comparable state-level function (charter quality/authorizer support) in a different geography, making it a relevant structural parallel to MACSA.

Direct peers

• National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA): The national membership association for charter school authorizers. NACSA is the parent/peer organization from which MACSA adapted its Principles & Standards framework, making it the most directly comparable peer operating at the national level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mn-association-of-charter-school-authorizers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Minnesota Association of Charter School Authorizers