What Mac Admins Foundation does

The Mac Admins Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2021 and headquartered in Washington, DC, dedicated to advancing the global community of professionals who manage Apple devices. It was created following Salesforce's acquisition of Slack to assume fiscal responsibility for the Mac Admins Slack workspace, which originated in 2015 and has grown to 82,000+ members across 1,447 channels. The foundation operates entirely on volunteer governance: a 7-member elected board (Co-Chairs Erin Merchant and Chris Dawe, Treasurer Diego Iaconelli, Secretary Rebecca Latimer, and members Scott Blake, Collin Elliott, and John Mahlman) plus 14 volunteer administrators moderating the Slack workspace, with no paid staff.

The foundation's core product is the free Mac Admins Slack Workspace, including a searchable archive dating to 2015, vendor-neutral moderation, and topic-specific channels covering every Apple IT discipline. Around this community hub, the foundation operates four primary programs: Conference & Travel Grants ($2,500 per recipient covering registration, travel, lodging, and childcare for events such as MacAdmins at Penn State, MacAD.UK, and MacSysAdmin); the Charles S. Edge Jr. Speaker Grant for first-time conference speakers; a structured three-month Mentorship Program (scaling to 50 participants in 2026); and Apple Certification exam grants (195 recipients in the inaugural 2023 cohort). Open-source tools and documentation are hosted at macadmins.io and via GitHub repositories.

The foundation is funded through corporate sponsorships across four tiers (Supporting $7,500, Major $15,000, Premier $35,000, Visionary $50,000+), individual recurring monthly donations ($50-$200/month tiers), merchandise sales via Cotton Bureau, and a device recycling partnership with Phobio. The corporate sponsor roster includes Apple device management vendors (Jamf, Addigy, Mosyle, Fleet, Scalefusion, SimpleMDM, Setyl, MacStadium), security and IT platforms (CrowdStrike, Watchman Monitoring, Rippling IT, SHI), and AI-native ITSM vendors (Console as the first Visionary, Risotto as Major). Annual operational costs for the Slack infrastructure exceed $400,000, funded by this diversified but sponsor-dependent revenue base. Recent strategic activity has been concentrated on upgrading the sponsor pipeline (3-4 new Major-tier and one Visionary-tier sponsor added across late 2025 and 2026), geographic expansion into India via Scalefusion and the Mac Admins India Connect conference, and program scaling across mentorship, certification, and content (new blog launched April 2026).

Name

Mac Admins Foundation

Legal name

Mac Admins Foundation

Website

https://macadmins.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Mac Admins Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the global community of Apple device administrators through a free 82,000+ member Slack workspace, conference and speaker grants, mentorship, certification funding, and open-source tools, funded entirely by corporate sponsorships and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional IT Community Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Mentorship, Coaching & Office-Hours Platforms (MPACALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Apple device management
• IT professional community
• Nonprofit community platform
• Conference grants program
• Professional mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Individual recurring monthly donations at tiered levels ($50, $100, $200/month) with member benefits including digital membership card, stickers, and merch store discounts. One-time donations also accepted.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors at multiple tiers (Supporting $7,500, Major $15,000, Premier $35,000, Visionary $50,000+) providing recognition, visibility, engagement opportunities, and strategic access.
3. Merchandise Sales: Cotton Bureau store selling branded merchandise including limited edition 10th anniversary items.
4. Device Recycling Program: Partnership with Phobio for device donations - proceeds from resale/recycling of donated devices go toward funding foundation programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Mac Admins Foundation operates the free Mac Admins Slack Workspace, the largest Apple-admin community on the planet with 82,000+ members across 1,447 channels. Around this central community hub, it runs a portfolio of grant and development programs: Conference & Travel Grants ($2,500 stipends plus registration), the Charles S. Edge Jr. Speaker Grant for first-time speakers, a structured three-month Mentorship Program, Apple Certification Grants, a Community Calendar, and open-source tools and resources.

Product overview

The Mac Admins Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (est. 2021) that serves as the central hub for the global Mac Admins community. The Foundation's core offering is the free Mac Admins Slack Workspace — a collaboration platform with 82,000+ members across 1,447 channels. Around this central community hub, the Foundation runs multiple programs including Conference & Travel Grants (providing $2,500 stipends plus registration for events like MacAdmins at Penn State, MacAD.UK, and MacSysAdmin), the Charles S. Edge Jr. Speaker Grant (mentorship and travel funding for first-time conference speakers), the Mentorship Program (structured three-month mentor-mentee pairings), Apple Certification Grants, and a Community Calendar. The Foundation is funded entirely by corporate sponsors, individual recurring donors, merchandise sales through Cotton Bureau, and a device recycling program with Phobio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mac Admins Slack Workspace Free, vendor-neutral Slack workspace with 82,000+ members across 1,447 channels and a searchable archive back to 2015; the largest Apple-admin community on the planet, moderated 24/7 by volunteers, for individual Apple device management professionals worldwide.
• Conference & Travel Grants Financial assistance covering conference registration plus $2,500 USD for travel, lodging, food, childcare, and other conference-related expenses for Apple admins who could not otherwise attend conferences such as MacAdmins at Penn State, MacAD.UK, and MacSysAdmin.
• Charles S. Edge Jr. Speaker Grant Mentorship, $2,500 travel funding, and guaranteed speaker slots for first-time conference speakers in the Apple admin community, named in honor of Apple community veteran Charles Edge.
• Mentorship Program A structured three-month pairing program connecting experienced Mac Admins with emerging professionals for skills development and career guidance, run in quarterly cohorts.
• Apple Certification Grant Financial assistance program providing Apple IT certification exam codes to support professional development in the Apple administration ecosystem.
• Community Calendar

Quantifiable outcome

• 82,000+ members connected through the platform
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• ConsoleflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 July 2026Console joined as the inaugural Visionary Sponsor (highest tier at $50,000+) - the first company to reach this level. Console is an AI-native ITSM platform that secured nearly $30 million in Series A funding in 2025. The partnership provides enhanced visibility, conference representation, and support for foundation programs.
• RavennacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 June 2026Matching sponsor in 2026 Summer Giving Drive - matching first $5,000 in donations. Also provides help-desk ticketing for Slack access requests.
• IrucoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 June 2026Matching sponsor in 2026 Summer Giving Drive - matching first $3,000 in donations.
• Nudge SecuritycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 June 2026Matching sponsor in 2026 Summer Giving Drive - matching first $2,500 in donations. Also a Supporting Sponsor.
• AlectronaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 June 2026Matching sponsor in 2026 Summer Giving Drive - matching first $1,000 in donations. Also a Supporting Sponsor.
• AddigyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 June 2026Matching sponsor in 2026 Summer Giving Drive - matching first $1,000 in donations. Also a Major Sponsor.
• WorkbrewminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 June 2026Matching sponsor in 2026 Summer Giving Drive - matching first $1,500 in donations alongside Fleet. Also a Supporting Sponsor.
• RisottocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 May 2026AI-powered IT support platform upgraded to Major Sponsor ($15,000 tier) in 2026, expanding partnership that began in early 2024. Raised $10 million seed round in January 2026 led by Bonfire Ventures.
• ScalefusioncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 March 2026UEM platform headquartered in Pune, India joined as Major Sponsor ($15,000 tier). Serves IT teams worldwide with unified endpoint management across macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, ChromeOS, and Linux.
• SetylminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 October 2025Supporting Sponsor ($7,500 tier) - Apple device and hardware asset management platform.
• Fleet Device ManagementcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 October 2025Open device management platform joined as Major Sponsor ($15,000 tier). Open-source focused platform serving thousands of organizations including MrBeast, Stripe, and Uber.
• PhobiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 September 2025Device recycling partnership allowing community members to donate old Macs, iPhones, and iPads. Proceeds from resale/recycling fund foundation programs while supporting environmental sustainability.
• AddigycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor Sponsor - Apple device management platform.
• CrowdStrikecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor Sponsor - Cybersecurity platform.
• MosylecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor Sponsor - Apple MDM platform.
• Rippling ITcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor Sponsor - HR and IT management platform.
• SHIcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor Sponsor - Technology solutions provider.
• MacStadiumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting Sponsor - Mac cloud infrastructure.
• SimpleMDM by PDQminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting Sponsor - MDM solution.
• Watchman MonitoringminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting Sponsor - Mac monitoring solution.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NumFOCUS: 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting open-source scientific computing projects; similar small nonprofit model with corporate sponsorship and community programs.
• Apache Software Foundation: Volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) that funds and protects an open-source professional community, very similar structure to Mac Admins Foundation with elected board, sponsorships, and conferences.
• Python Software Foundation: Nonprofit that funds and stewards the global Python developer community, with sponsorships, grants, and events — structurally similar to the Mac Admins Foundation's model of community support plus grants and mentorship.
• OWASP Foundation: 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation running a large global community of security professionals; analogous to Mac Admins Foundation in being a vendor-neutral, volunteer-run professional community with corporate sponsorship tiers and conference support.
• Dronecode Foundation: Nonprofit foundation supporting a vendor-neutral open-source technology community with corporate members; smaller-scale but very similar operating model to Mac Admins Foundation.

Broad incumbents

• Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF): Foundation (under the Linux Foundation) that stewards the cloud-native/Kubernetes professional community; analogous in running a vendor-neutral community funded by enterprise sponsors, but at significantly greater scale.
• The Linux Foundation: Much larger nonprofit umbrella for open-source technology communities; comparable in that it stewards professional communities via membership, sponsorships, and events, though it operates at significantly greater scale.
• CompTIA: Nonprofit IT industry association offering certifications, grants, and community resources; operates Apple-adjacent IT certification programs comparable to the Mac Admins Apple Certification grant.
• ACM (Association for Computing Machinery): Long-standing membership organization for computing professionals with conferences, grants, and member resources; a broader incumbent analogue to the Apple-admin-specific focus of Mac Admins Foundation.
• (ISC)² (International Information System Security Certification Consortium): Nonprofit IT membership and certification body for security professionals with sponsorships and member benefits — a structural analogue for an IT-professional 501(c)(3)-style community organization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/macadmins
• Xx.com/MacAdmFound
• Facebookfacebook.com/macadmfound
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mac-admins-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Mac Admins Foundation