Central Valley Higher Education Consortium

What Central Valley Higher Education Consortium does

Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit consortium incorporated in 2002 that convenes 28 accredited public and private colleges, universities, and community college districts serving more than 250,000 students across California's ten-county Central Valley region. Headquartered in Fresno, California, CVHEC operates with a small core staff of approximately 10 employees led by Executive Director Dr. Benjamín T. Durán, functioning as a regional convenor rather than a service vendor. Its core products include the Program Pathways Mapper (PPM), a public web-based software that maps community college Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs) to upper-division requirements at four-year institutions; the CV Math Bridge dual enrollment initiative; the Central Valley Transfer Project; the MA Upskilling Project for high school teachers; the Regional Data Dashboard for analytics; and standing Math and English Task Forces that implemented California legislation AB 1705 and AB 705.

CVHEC's go-to-market motion is community-led: the organization brings together member institutions through task forces, committees, the annual CVHEC Summit, and shared initiatives, with K-12 district partnerships extending its reach into pre-college pipelines. Its revenue model relies on grants from foundations and government programs (notably the US DOE Rural Postsecondary & Economic Development grant, Fresno K-16 Collaborative funding, and College Futures Foundation sponsorship) plus member institution contributions. No fees are charged for services such as the PPM tool or summit registration, reflecting its non-profit, mission-driven structure focused on increasing higher education attainment, community college transfer rates, and dual enrollment access in an underserved region.

Name

Central Valley Higher Education Consortium

Legal name

Central Valley Higher Education Consortium

Website

https://cvhec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CVHEC is a 501(c)(3) consortium of 28 California Central Valley colleges and universities serving 250,000+ students. It convenes members through transfer pathway software, dual enrollment initiatives, task forces, and a regional data dashboard, funded by grants and member contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Consortium Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

Keywords

• Higher education consortium
• Dual enrollment programs
• Transfer pathway services
• Regional data analytics
• Teacher upskilling programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: CVHEC operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded primarily through grants from foundations and government programs. Examples include US DOE Rural Postsecondary & Economic Development grant, K-16 Partnership grants, and WE Will! K-16 Workforce and Education Collaborative Grant.
2. Membership Contributions: Funded by member institutions (28 colleges, universities, and community college districts) through consortium participation and shared initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CVHEC is a regional consortium that convenes 28 accredited public and private colleges, universities, and community college districts across California's ten-county Central Valley. It delivers collaborative programs spanning dual enrollment (CVDEEP), the Central Valley Transfer Project, the CV Math Bridge initiative, and the Master UpSkilling Project, supported by the Program Pathways Mapper (PPM) software and a Regional Data Dashboard. Its core service is acting as the single regional voice that aligns systems, policies, and practices to improve higher education attainment for over 250,000 students.

Product overview

CVHEC is a consortium of 28 accredited public and private colleges, universities, and community college districts serving over 250,000 students in California's Central Valley. The organization functions as a regional convenor offering multiple interconnected programs: the Central Valley Transfer Project with its Program Pathways Mapper software for student transfer planning; CV Dual Enrollment (CVDEEP) and CV Math Bridge initiatives for improving pathways; the Master UpSkilling Project for teacher development; a Regional Data Dashboard for regional analytics; and Task Forces for Math and English pathways. These programs are supported by a PIO Communicators Committee, an annual Summit event, and the "What the CV-HEC is Happening" blog. The consortium operates as a single unified platform addressing higher education attainment rather than separate modular products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Program Pathways Mapper (PPM) A public internet-based software application that presents students with pre-approved course sequences aligning community college Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs) with upper division requirements by major, supporting successful degree completion and transfer to four-year universities. Used by students, counselors, advisors, and parents.
• Regional Data Dashboard A dynamic, interactive platform that aggregates regional data to reveal trends, disparities, and opportunities for informed decision-making and health equity in the Central Valley.
• Central Valley Transfer Project Initiative increasing community college transfers to CSU and UC by convening faculty and staff to review Associate Degrees for Transfer, determining fulfillment of lower division requirements for UC Merced transfer, and using the Program Mapper for student education planning.
• CV Dual Enrollment (CVDEEP) The Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity task force working to remove barriers and provide unified approaches for dual enrollment across the region's community colleges.
• CV Math Bridge A strategic initiative aligning high school and college math pathways to create smooth transitions for students through credit-bearing academic interventions and collaboration between high school and college faculty teams in rural Central Valley.
• Master UpSkilling Project Project providing high schools with capability to partner with local community colleges for dual enrollment classes by enabling high school teachers to earn graduate degrees in English and math, with community college faculty serving as mentors.
• CVHEC Summit Annual flagship event bringing together higher education leaders, faculty, legislators, and partners from across the Central Valley's 10-county region to foster collaboration and advance student success strategies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transfer Project pilot with Merced College and Bakersfield College launched 2019 to address low CC transfer numbers to UC Merced
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• College BridgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023College Bridge partnered with CVHEC, Fresno Pacific University, and the Rand Corporation to develop the CV Math Bridge model with up to seven colleges and their respective high schools in California's rural Central Valley. The partnership creates a model for meaningful dual enrollment math pathways and expansion, identifying struggling students and designing targeted interventions that blend high school and college coursework.
• Fresno Pacific UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFresno Pacific University is a CVHEC member institution and partner in the MA Upskilling Project, providing graduate degree programs for high school teachers to qualify as dual enrollment instructors.
• Complete College AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational alliance lead partner for CVHEC executive director Dr. Benjamín Durán. Complete College America is a national advocate for dramatically increasing college completion rates, working with states, systems, institutions and partners to scale highly effective structural reforms.
• Dual Enrollment Coalition of California (DECC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCVHEC is a member of DECC steering committee alongside California Association of Black School Educators, California Coalition of Early and Middle Colleges, Career Ladders Project, and Education Trust-West. The coalition advances shared vision of high-quality dual enrollment for equity.
• College Futures FoundationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for the 2025 CVHEC Summit, providing free registration for approximately 150 participants including breakfast and lunch.
• Dana Center (University of Texas, Austin)supportingTechnology or IntegrationProvides technical assistance and shares best current national practices in teaching college math through collaboration with the Math Task Force.
• Rand CorporationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the CV Math Bridge model development alongside College Bridge and CVHEC.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dual Enrollment Coalition of California (DECC): California coalition advancing high-quality dual enrollment for equity. Directly comparable as a coalition of which CVHEC is a steering committee member, addressing overlapping dual enrollment policy and equity objectives.
• Career Ladders Project: California-based nonprofit designing educational career pathways for low-income adults. Comparable as a fellow DECC steering committee member addressing dual enrollment, career pathways, and equity in California community colleges.
• Complete College America: National nonprofit that works with states, systems, and institutions to scale structural reforms increasing college completion. Directly comparable as CVHEC's national alliance partner and the organization through which CVHEC's executive director connects to broader state-level reform efforts.
• California Competes: California-based nonprofit advocating for higher education equity and completion policy. Comparable as a California-focused higher education advocacy and research organization working to improve degree attainment for underserved populations, overlapping with CVHEC's mission.
• The Education Trust-West: West Coast education equity advocacy organization addressing achievement and attainment gaps. Comparable as a coalition partner in DECC with overlapping focus on equity in California higher education pathways and outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of System Heads (NASH): National organization of public higher education system heads focused on student success and system-level policy. Comparable as a higher education convening body working on completion, transfer, and equity issues at a system/governance level.
• WestEd: Nonprofit research, development, and service agency working on education, equity, and community development across the western US. Comparable as a regional education services provider with research capacity and K-12/higher ed focus, including data and policy work.
• College Futures Foundation: Major California foundation funding higher education equity and student success initiatives. Directly comparable as a key CVHEC funder and event sponsor, addressing similar equity and completion challenges at a statewide foundation level.
• California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office: State-level governing body for California's community college system. Comparable as the source of CVHEC's Champion of Higher Education recognition and the entity implementing the AB 1705/705 legislation that drives much of CVHEC's programmatic work.

Regional players

• Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC): A regional consortium of community colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area focused on workforce development, transfer pathways, and shared programs. Directly comparable as a California-based regional higher education consortium serving member colleges with collaborative pathway initiatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-valley-higher-education-consortium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Central Valley Higher Education Consortium