Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning - ACSP

What Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning - ACSP does

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium founded in 1969 and headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida. It aggregates more than 100 university departments and programs offering degrees in urban and regional planning, primarily in the United States and Canada, alongside thousands of individual faculty, student, and retired members worldwide. ACSP serves as the institutional home for planning academia in North America, distinct from professional practice organizations like the American Planning Association.

ACSP's core products are programmatic rather than technological: the ACSP Annual Conference (66th edition scheduled in Pittsburgh, October 8-10, 2026, drawing 1,000+ attendees from 30+ countries with 250+ research sessions), the peer-reviewed Journal of Planning Education and Research (JPER, co-edited through 2028 and published via SAGE), the ACSP Career Center job board, and StudyUrbanPlanning.com as a student recruitment directory. Educational programming includes annual workshops (Doctoral, Pre-Doctoral for Underrepresented Students of Color, International Students, JPER Writing) and the Junior Faculty of Color Workshop. Specialized communities operate through four interest groups (FWIG, GPEIG, POCIG, QT-IG), eight working groups (covering climate, urban data science, hazard mitigation, AI, and others), and committees on anti-racism and climate action. Technology stack consists of YourMembership for membership management, Zoom for webinars, Google Groups for listservs, and social platforms (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube) for community engagement — none of which constitute proprietary AI or core technology.

ACSP's business model combines recurring membership dues (Full, Affiliate, and Individual categories), tiered annual sponsorship ($2,500 Association to $10,000+ Alliance), conference registration and exhibitor fees, advertising (ranging from $500 quarter-page program ads to $1,250 pre-conference video messaging to $6,500 Tier 1 plenary sponsorships), and donations via Venmo and the General Fund. The organization employs eight staff members under Executive Director Donna Dodd (announced phased retirement fall 2027) and operates without external equity, funding rounds, or parent ownership. Strategic positioning rests on co-sponsorship of the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) with APA and AICP, mutual agreements with AESOP and GPEAN for international coordination, and adoption of its first-ever Strategic Plan (2025-2030).

Name

Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning - ACSP

Legal name

Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Inc.

Website

https://acsp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) consortium of 100+ university planning programs, providing an annual conference, the JPER journal, workshops, interest groups, and accreditation coordination for planning educators, researchers, and students primarily in North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services for Planning Education

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHACAE

Academic & Education Conference Organizers

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs) & Meeting Planners

SECONDARYTHAHACAA

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs) & Meeting Planners

Keywords

• Professional membership association
• Planning education consortium
• Academic conference services
• Scholarly journal publishing
• University program accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallahassee

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual member dues vary by category. Full membership is open to not-for-profit academic units in US or Canada offering planning degrees. Affiliate membership for academic units with interest in planning. Individual membership for persons participating in ACSP activities.
2. Conference Registration & Sponsorship: Annual conference attracts faculty, researchers, and students from US and 30+ countries. Revenue generated from conference registration fees, exhibitor fees, and sponsorship packages at multiple tier levels.
3. Year-Round Sponsorships: Four sponsorship levels: Association ($2,500/year), Core ($5,000/year), Patron ($7,500/year), Alliance ($10,000+/year). Includes year-round and annual conference benefits such as job postings, newsletter placements, digital advertising, and complimentary registrations.
4. Donations: General Fund donations support ACSP initiatives focused on students. Interest group-specific donations support FWIG, GPEIG, POCIG, and QT-IG initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ACSP is a nonprofit consortium of 100+ university departments and programs offering urban and regional planning degrees. The organization provides professional association services including the annual conference (1000+ attendees, 250+ research sessions), the Journal of Planning Education and Research (JPER) peer-reviewed quarterly publication, the ACSP Career Center job board, and StudyUrbanPlanning.com directory for prospective students. Membership is offered in Full, Affiliate, and Individual categories, supported by workshops, interest groups, working groups, and a Faculty Mentoring Program.

Product overview

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) is a nonprofit consortium of over 100 university planning programs offering credentials in urban and regional planning. ACSP operates as a professional association rather than a traditional product company, providing a unified platform of services that connect planning educators, researchers, and students. The core offerings include the ACSP Annual Conference (the flagship event attracting 1000+ attendees with 250+ research sessions), the Journal of Planning Education and Research (JPER) as the official quarterly peer-reviewed journal, the ACSP Career Center job board, and StudyUrbanPlanning.com directory for prospective students. ACSP delivers educational programming through workshops including the Doctoral Workshop, Pre-Doctoral Workshop for Underrepresented Students of Color, Junior Faculty of Color Workshop, and JPER Writing Workshop. The association fosters specialized communities through four Interest Groups (Faculty Women's Interest Group/FWIG, Global Planning Educators Interest Group/GPEIG, Planners of Color Interest Group/POCIG, and Queer and Trans People in Planning Interest Group/QT-IG) and multiple Working Groups covering climate action, urban data science, AI, and other topics. Additional programs include the Administrators Conference, Faculty Mentoring Program, and the Climate Community Exchange syllabus repository.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACSP Annual Conference Annual conference attracting 1000+ faculty, researchers, and students from 30+ countries featuring 250+ research sessions, roundtables, workshops, career information sessions, and networking opportunities. AICP CM credits available.
• ACSP2026 Annual Conference The 66th ACSP Annual Conference scheduled for Pittsburgh, PA, October 8-10, 2026.
• Journal of Planning Education and Research (JPER) ACSP's official peer-reviewed journal published quarterly covering planning education and research. Available online to members with subscription access to quarterly issues.
• ACSP Career Center Online job board serving as the primary resource for academic and professional planning positions, connecting employers with qualified diverse job seekers.
• StudyUrbanPlanning.com Online directory for prospective students to search 100+ universities offering degrees in urban and regional planning. Students can explore schools, degree options, and career information.
• Administrators Conference Conference for planning program administrators addressing issues facing department chairs and program directors. Includes Chairs Academy for new administrative leadership.
• ACSP Member Schools Network Consortium of 100+ university departments and programs offering planning degrees, including Full Members (US/Canada accredited programs) and Affiliate Members (academic units with planning interest).
• ACSP Student Network Student resource hub with two student representatives on the Governing Board. Includes peer mentoring program, 'The Doctor is In!' Graduate Student Clinic, and conference sessions.
• Faculty Mentoring Program 1-on-1 mentor-mentee matching program for mid-career and junior faculty focusing on career development, tenure and promotion, and balancing research/teaching.

Named customers8 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

Integration13 records

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Planning Association (APA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA is an independent not-for-profit educational organization providing leadership in developing vital communities. ACSP and APA share the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB) sponsorship. APA has offices in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. APA and ACSP coordinate on accreditation standards and professional development.
• Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAESOP established in 1987 in Belgium with over 150 members. AESOP strengthens the profile of European planning schools and promotes agenda with professional bodies. ACSP and AESOP have a Memorandum of Understanding for mutual benefit of both organizations. Joint activities include virtual mentoring circles and joint sessions.
• Global Planning Educators Association Network (GPEAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGPEAN is promoted by APSA, AESOP, ACSP, and ANSAPS. The network organized the World Planning Schools Congress with the first held at Tongji University in 2001. GPEAN includes 11 member organizations from different regions including ACUPP (Canada), AAPS (Africa), AESOP (Europe), APSA (Asia), ANZAPS (Australia/NZ), and others.
• Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAB is jointly sponsored by ACSP, American Planning Association, and American Institute of Certified Planners. PAB's mission is to ensure high quality education for future urban planners. PAB maintains independence for accreditation activities. ACSP appointees to PAB Board are non-voting members of ACSP Governing Board.
• Lincoln Institute of Land PolicycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLincoln Institute of Land Policy is a Patron Sponsor of ACSP. The nonprofit private operating foundation (origins dating to 1946) researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. They support through education, training, publications, and events.
• SAGE PublishingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSAGE Publishing is a Core Sponsor of ACSP. Founded in 1965 by Sara Miller McCune, SAGE is a leading international provider of content publishing over 1000 journals and 800+ new books annually. SAGE supports dissemination of usable knowledge to a global community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP): AESOP is the European counterpart to ACSP, established in 1987 in Belgium with over 150 member schools. ACSP and AESOP operate under a Memorandum of Understanding for joint activities including virtual mentoring circles. Direct peer in mission, structure, and approach to planning education.
• Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA): ACSA is a closely analogous consortium of architecture schools in North America, with a comparable membership model, annual conference, and peer-reviewed journal. Highly relevant structural peer for understanding how a discipline-specific academic association operates.
• Urban Affairs Association (UAA): UAA is an interdisciplinary academic association focused on urban scholarship that hosts an annual conference and journal. Overlaps with ACSP on urban planning research dissemination and faculty networking, serving a complementary but related academic community.

Broad incumbents

• American Planning Association (APA): APA is the largest US planning organization, focused on professional practice rather than academia. ACSP and APA jointly sponsor the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB), making APA a strategic partner for ACSP and a channel into practicing planners, while serving a broader (practice + policy) mandate.
• International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP): ISOCARP is a global association of urban and regional planning professionals based in the Netherlands. Broader geographic and practice-oriented scope than ACSP; useful peer for understanding international planning professional community engagement.

BLBROAD_INCUMBENTs

• Society for College and University Planning (SCUP): SCUP serves higher education planning professionals (campus planners and facilities leaders) rather than urban planning schools. Comparable organizational model (membership, annual conference, publications) but a different customer focus (institutional planning vs. urban/regional planning academia).

Regional players

• Global Planning Education Association Network (GPEAN): GPEAN is the global umbrella network that ACSP co-founded, comprising 11 regional planning education associations. Operates at the global level while ACSP remains the North American regional association; comparable mission and overlapping governance.
• Planning Institute of Australia (PIA): PIA is the Australian peak body for planning professionals and a GPEAN member organization. Comparable structure to ACSP but focused on professional practice and policy advocacy in the Australian context; relevant for understanding peer regional planning associations.

Emerging players

• Council of Urban Professionals (CUP): CUP is a nonprofit developing diverse urban leaders through mentoring, networking, and professional development. Adjacent to ACSP's interest group work (FWIG, POCIG, QT-IG) but focused on practice rather than academia; useful thematic peer for DEI pipeline programs.

Others

• International Association for Urban Planning (under GPEAN umbrella): Through GPEAN, ACSP is connected to regional planning school associations including APSA (Asia), ANZAPS (Australia/NZ), AAPS (Africa), and ACUPP (Canada). These collectively form the peer ecosystem for ACSP's global planning education collaboration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/The_ACSP
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheACSP
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheACSP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theacsp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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