City Neighbors Foundation

What City Neighbors Foundation does

City Neighbors Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2003 in Baltimore, Maryland, originally by 17 families seeking a progressive, constructivist educational alternative. The foundation operates a network of three public charter schools — two K-8 campuses and one high school covering grades 9-12 — serving 892 students total. Beyond operating schools, the foundation packages its pedagogical expertise into a portfolio of professional development and consultation services delivered to external educators and school systems, including a free annual Progressive Education Summit, Communities of Practice, DIY PD programming, and paid offerings such as Centering Joy ($155 per enrollment) and custom multi-year consultation engagements.

The foundation's revenue model combines philanthropic donations with earned income from consultation and PD services. School operations are funded substantially through per-pupil charter public funding administered at the school level, while the foundation itself operates as a relatively lean support and programmatic arm that aggregates fundraising and codifies the network's pedagogical methodology for external dissemination. Free programming (DIY PD, Communities of Practice, Summit) functions primarily as demand generation and ecosystem positioning for the paid consultation line. Performance signals are strong for the school network: a 90%+ graduation rate, standardized test scores above both Baltimore City and Maryland averages, and annual waitlists of hundreds of families indicate demand meaningfully exceeds capacity. Overall, City Neighbors functions as a mission-anchored nonprofit operator that has evolved from a single grassroots school into a small regional hub for progressive education, with an emerging fee-for-service practice layered on top of its core school operations.

Name

City Neighbors Foundation

Legal name

City Neighbors Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://cityneighborsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

City Neighbors Foundation is a Baltimore-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a network of three public charter schools serving 892 K-12 students and provides paid professional development and consultation services in progressive, constructivist pedagogy to external educators and school systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary and Secondary Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Networks (Multi-Site) (EDAJACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

Keywords

• Progressive education services
• Charter school network
• Education professional development
• School consultation services
• Teacher training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: City Neighbors Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Federal Tax ID: 27-0601145) that relies on tax-deductible donations from the public to support its three schools and public education initiatives in Baltimore.
2. Consultation and Professional Development Services: The foundation offers paid consultation services to other schools including extended consultancies (1-2 years), mini-consultancies (2-3 months), workshops, and leadership or teacher coaching. These are fee-for-service offerings where schools or organizations pay for professional development support.
3. Professional Development Programs: Some professional development programs have associated fees, such as the 'Centering Joy' design experience costing $155 for all three days.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

City Neighbors Foundation operates three progressive public charter schools in northeast Baltimore City — City Neighbors Charter School (K-8), City Neighbors Hamilton (K-8), and City Neighbors High School — serving more than 800 students through arts-integrated, project-based, Reggio Emilia-inspired education with a parent cooperative governance model. Beyond operating schools, the foundation delivers fee-based consultation services, paid professional development programs, and free convenings (including the annual Progressive Education Summit, DIY PD events, Communities of Practice, and the FLIP-ED podcast) to help other schools and educators implement progressive education practices.

Product overview

City Neighbors Foundation operates a network of three public charter schools in northeast Baltimore City — City Neighbors Charter School (K-8, opened 2005), City Neighbors Hamilton (K-8, opened 2009), and City Neighbors High School (opened 2010) — serving over 800 students total. The Foundation supports these schools and impacts public education through a portfolio of professional development and educational services including the FLIP-ED Podcast, Progressive Education Summit, DIY PD workshops, Communities of Practice, and Consultation Services. The schools share a progressive education philosophy centered on project-based learning, arts integration, Reggio Emilia inspiration, parent cooperative governance, and the vision of students as 'Known, Loved, and Inspired.'

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• City Neighbors Charter School: K-8 arts-integrated, project-based charter school located in the Cedmont neighborhood of northeast Baltimore City, opened in 2005 and serves 232 students in grades K-8.
• City Neighbors Hamilton
• City Neighbors High School
• FLIP-ED Podcast

Products and services

• City Neighbors Charter School K-8 progressive public charter school in the Cedmont neighborhood of northeast Baltimore City, serving 232 students through arts-integrated, project-based, Reggio Emilia-inspired education with test scores surpassing Baltimore City and state averages. Families apply via lottery-based enrollment.
• City Neighbors Hamilton K-8 progressive public charter school in the Hamilton neighborhood of northeast Baltimore City, sharing a campus with City Neighbors High School, serving 250 students with several hundred on waitlists annually. Families apply via lottery-based enrollment.
• City Neighbors High School Public charter high school in northeast Baltimore City serving 410 students through a unique pod structure and a vision of students as Known, Loved, and Inspired. Graduated first senior class in May 2014 with a more than 90 percent graduation rate. Families apply via lottery-based enrollment.
• Consultation Services Fee-based school consultancy services led by a City Neighbors team including school leaders and classroom practitioners. Available as extended consultancies (1-2 years), mini-consultancies (2-3 months), workshops, or leadership and teacher coaching. Supports schools in arts integration, project-based learning, Reggio Emilia approaches, play-based early childhood education, workshop model, and democratic leadership. Specific rates are quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
• Centering Joy Summer Design Experience Three-day in-person summer design experience priced at $155 for all three days, payable upon acceptance, limited to 30 participants. Held at City Neighbors High School. Designed for educators seeking to design learning experiences that center student joy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Test scores at City Neighbors Charter School far surpass those of Baltimore City and often state averages
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maryland Alliance of Public Charter SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Neighbors Foundation partnered with the Maryland Alliance of Public Charter Schools over two years to deliver a 16-hour workshop series for prospective and new charter school founders, reimagined for online engagement to promote interaction and provide a roadmap for creating distinctive programming and strong State applications. This partnership supported charter school development across Maryland.
• Calvin Rodwell Elementary/Middle School (Baltimore City Schools)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalvin Rodwell Elementary/Middle School partnered with City Neighbors Foundation to receive professional development support. Teachers at the school received training on classroom setup, classroom instruction, and project-based learning. The school has been honored to have City Neighbors as partners in the educational work.
• Baltimore Montessori Public Charter SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Neighbors Foundation collaborates with Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School on professional development as part of the 'Experience Baltimore Schools' initiative. The collaboration included hosting a 'Sprouting Seeds - Growing a Seed To Table Program' visit and learning event on April 15, 2025.
• Lillie May Carroll Jackson Public Charter SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Neighbors Foundation collaborates with Lillie May Carroll Jackson Public Charter School on professional development as part of the 'Experience Baltimore Schools' initiative. The collaboration included hosting an 'Activism in Action: Taking Action for Equity in Our City' event on May 22, 2025.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Achievement First: Multi-state charter network operating K-12 public charter schools with a focus on college readiness. Achievement First is comparable on the multi-site charter operating model and the urban community focus, though its pedagogy is more traditional than City Neighbors'.
• EL Education: National K-12 education nonprofit that partners with schools on project-based learning, character development, and progressive pedagogy. EL Education is highly comparable to City Neighbors on the progressive education philosophy and the consultancy/PD delivery model, though it does not directly operate its own schools.
• National Heritage Academies: Charter management organization operating public charter schools across multiple states. NHA is comparable as a multi-site charter school operator with a centralized management approach, though it does not focus on progressive/Reggio Emilia pedagogy.
• Green Dot Public Schools: Multi-state charter network operating multiple public charter schools. Green Dot is comparable on the multi-site charter operating model and on serving urban populations, but is much larger and does not center the progressive/Reggio Emilia pedagogical approach.
• BASIS Charter Schools: Network of public charter schools emphasizing an accelerated academic curriculum across multiple sites. BASIS is comparable as a multi-site charter operator pursuing differentiated academic outcomes, though its content model is the opposite of City Neighbors' progressive/arts-integrated approach.
• IDEA Public Schools: Large multi-state charter network operating K-12 public charter schools across the southern U.S. IDEA is comparable on the multi-site charter network model and emphasis on college-ready outcomes, but operates at vastly greater scale with a different curricular focus.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: Large charter network operating K-12 public charter schools in New York City. Success Academy is comparable as a multi-site charter network with strong academic outcomes, but its instructional philosophy is highly standardized rather than progressive/arts-integrated.
• KIPP: One of the largest U.S. charter networks operating multiple K-12 schools across many cities. KIPP is a broad incumbent comparable on the multi-site charter school model, though it operates at vastly greater scale and does not focus on the Reggio Emilia/arts-integrated niche that defines City Neighbors.

Regional players

• Baltimore Curriculum Project: Baltimore-based nonprofit operating multiple public charter schools in Baltimore City. BCP is the closest regional peer, sharing City Neighbors' Baltimore geography, charter operating model, and nonprofit structure, though it focuses on different curricular approaches.
• LEARN Charter Schools: Chicago-based charter network operating multiple public charter schools. LEARN is comparable as a multi-site urban charter operator pursuing differentiated outcomes, with overlapping professional development and community engagement work, though it serves a different geography than City Neighbors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-neighbors-foundation-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries3 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 City Neighbors Foundation