Ayni Institute

What Ayni Institute does

Ayni Institute, Inc. is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit training and research institute founded in 2012 (originally as Movement Mastery, rebranded in 2018) that delivers social movement education, political education, and organizational development training to social change leaders, activists, and movement organizations. Its core curriculum is organized around three proprietary frameworks — Movement Ecology, Seasons of Leadership, and Modes of Exchange — developed over a decade of practice and informed by intergenerational indigenous wisdom from Andean and Amazonian elders. The product portfolio includes self-paced online courses (Social Movements Course, Craft of Coordination Course, Seeds Course, and three mini-courses), live cohort trainings (most recently the Organizational & Project Design Lab), the Movement Training Center in Revere, MA (opened 2023 with NUBE), and cultural preservation projects such as the Mysteries of the Andes documentary series and the Memory Program.

The operating model is a hybrid of paid training and philanthropic support. Courses are sold directly to consumers through a WordPress-based learning platform built on LearnDash LMS, WooCommerce, BuddyBoss, H5P, Mailchimp, and PayPal, with tiered sliding-scale pricing ($75-$700 for mini-courses, $200-$700 for full courses) and scholarship tiers for those with financial need. Revenue is supplemented by grants from foundations such as Open Philanthropy and Just Impact Advisors, individual donations, and merchandise/cultural product sales through a Shopify-based Ayni Store. Live training delivery is supported by the Movement Training Center (240 Harris Street, Revere, MA), which can host up to 75 people per floor, and a training pool system that schedules sessions based on demand-side sign-ups.

The organization reports having trained over 13,000 people in movement building, political education, and organizational development since founding, with a leadership team of 9 formerly drawn from immigrant rights organizing (Movimiento Cosecha, Student Immigrant Movement, United We Dream, Faith in Action/PICO). Ayni has explicitly declined to accept funding that constrains its political mission, instead sustaining operations through a mix of earned training revenue, grants, donations, and merchandise.

Name

Ayni Institute

Legal name

Ayni Institute, Inc.

Website

https://ayni.institute

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ayni Institute is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit training and research institute that delivers social movement education, political education, and organizational development training to social change leaders, activists, and movement organizations, built on proprietary frameworks and intergenerational indigenous wisdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Movement Education and Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors) (EDANAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Training Delivery Services (Onsite/Virtual Instruction, Workshops, Coaching) (BPAEANAN)

Keywords

• Social movement education
• Leadership development training
• Political education courses
• Organizational development training
• Ancestral wisdom preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

East Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Self-Paced Online Courses: Revenue from course enrollments including full courses ($200-$700) and mini-courses ($75-$350) with tiered pricing based on ability to pay.
2. Live Trainings and Workshops: Fees from live training sessions, cohort experiences, and retreat programs offered both in-person and online.
3. Donations and Grants: Grant funding from foundations and donations from supporters to cover operations and generational support.
4. Merchandise and Cultural Products: Sales through Ayni Store including books, documentaries, and indigenous art products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ayni Institute is a nonprofit training and research institute that delivers self-paced online courses, live cohort trainings, workshops, and tailored organizational programs focused on social movement building, leadership development, and ancestral indigenous wisdom. Its curriculum combines strategic frameworks such as Movement Ecology, Seasons of Leadership, and Craft of Coordination, delivered via a WordPress-based learning management system and supplemented by a physical Movement Training Center in Revere, MA.

Product overview

Ayni Institute is a training and research institute offering a portfolio of self-paced online courses, live trainings, workshops, and community projects focused on social movement building, leadership development, and indigenous wisdom. The core products include the Social Movements Course, The Craft of Coordination Course, and Seeds Course (available in full 18-module and condensed 11-module versions), supplemented by mini-courses on Movement Ecology, Leadership Seasons, and Reciprocity vs. Empire. The institute also offers live training programs like the Organizational & Project Design Lab, a Training Pool for demand-driven scheduling, and tailored organizational trainings. Broader projects include the Memory Program preserving indigenous wisdom, the Community Counseling mutual aid movement, the Modes of Exchange political education project, and a physical Movement Training Center in Revere, MA. Content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Movements Course

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained over 13,000 people in movement building, political education, and organizational development since founding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Neighbors United for a Better East Boston (NUBE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Partnership to purchase the building at 240 Harris Street in Revere, MA for the Movement Training Center. NUBE is a sister organization and fiscal sponsorship recipient of Ayni Institute. Both organizations share roots in East Boston immigrant communities.
• Boston University Center for Latin American StudiessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated to host the Yachay Seminar at Boston University's Photonics Center in 2018, bringing together over 100 participants for trainings and film premieres.
• Lesley UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered for the Day of Learning event featuring indigenous authors, educators, and artists with Native elders in New England.
• Marshall GanzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentor and contributor to themes and frameworks developed in the Craft of Coordination Course. Distributed leadership model inspired by Ganz's snowflake leadership model.
• Faith in Action (PICO) NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovement space where Ayni team members learned and honed the craft of coordination. Many team members came from PICO organizing backgrounds.
• Indigenous Elders (Andes and Amazon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary elders include Jose Huaman Turpo, Alejandrina Calancha Monge, Alberto Manqueriapa Vitente, and Zadir Milla Euribe from Peru. They provide teachings, guidance, and blessings for courses and programs. Ayni supports their individual projects financially.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Forge: The Forge is a network of progressive movement-building organizations that provides leadership programs, peer learning, and shared infrastructure. It parallels Ayni's mission of supporting movement leaders and organizations through structured training, retreats, and community-of-practice programming.
• CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: CompassPoint provides leadership development, management training, and executive coaching to nonprofit leaders and movement-aligned organizations. It mirrors Ayni's focus on training/development for social change leaders through cohort-based programs and tailored engagements.
• Race Forward: Race Forward is a national racial justice organization that runs trainings, publications, and convenings for movement leaders and allies. It is comparable to Ayni in its blend of structured training programs, framework development, and tailored organizational support for social change practitioners.
• Re:power: Re:power (formerly Wellstone Action) is a progressive political training organization that delivers organizer, candidate, and campaign training to movement leaders. It is directly comparable to Ayni in audience (social change leaders), model (multi-format courses, workshops, tailored training), and funding profile (501(c)(3) with major foundation support).
• Interaction Institute for Social Change: IISC builds the capacity of social change initiatives through facilitation, training, and network weaving, with a focus on equity and collaboration. It is directly comparable to Ayni in its training and capacity-building work for mission-driven leaders and organizations.
• Center for Story-Based Strategy: Center for Story-Based Strategy trains organizers, campaigners, and culture workers in narrative, messaging, and movement strategy. It overlaps directly with Ayni's focus on training movement practitioners in strategic frameworks and tactical design.
• Leading Change Network: Leading Change Network, founded by Marshall Ganz, trains leaders in public narrative, organizing, and movement building — the same intellectual lineage that informs Ayni's Craft of Coordination Course. The two organizations share a directly comparable model of training distributed movement leadership and even share named contributors (Ganz is a mentor/partner of Ayni).
• Midwest Academy: Midwest Academy is one of the longest-standing direct community organizing training institutes in the US, offering signature workshops on organizing strategy and tactics. It directly parallels Ayni's mission of training organizers and social movement leaders through cohort-based, expert-led instruction.
• People's Action Institute: People's Action Institute is a national network that trains, develops, and mobilizes leaders across member organizations on organizing, policy, and movement strategy. It is comparable to Ayni in offering curriculum, training, and leader development to social change organizations.

Broad incumbents

• Marshall Ganz Programs at Harvard Kennedy School: Marshall Ganz's academic and executive education programs at HKS teach the public narrative, organizing, and leadership frameworks that Ayni has adapted into its Craft of Coordination curriculum. It is a broader, institutional incumbent that both informs Ayni's intellectual lineage and competes for the same organizer-learner audience at a higher price point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AyniInstitut
• Facebookfacebook.com/ayni.institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/ayni.institute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ayni-institute-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Ayni Institute