Dalio Education

What Dalio Education does

Dalio Education is a private 501(c)(3) family foundation founded in 2015 by Barbara Dalio — the family foundation of Giving Pledge signatories Ray and Barbara Dalio — and operated by a six-person core team based in Greenwich, Connecticut. The foundation's mission is to improve outcomes for at-risk and disconnected youth ages 14-26 across Connecticut, a population it quantified at 119,000 individuals through a 2023 BCG-commissioned report. Since inception it has deployed more than $150 million in grants, programs, and partnerships.

The foundation operates as an incubator for two flagship enduring initiatives. The Connecticut RISE Network is a results-driven partnership with nine public high schools across eight districts (Stamford, Norwalk, Middletown, Meriden, Naugatuck, Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester), serving over 13,000 students; it provides partner schools with interactive data dashboards, custom-built web applications, professional learning fellowships, and cross-school improvement networks. The Connecticut Opportunity Project (CTOP) is a long-term social investment fund that delivers multi-year general operating support plus organizational coaching in seven capacity areas to non-profit organizations serving severely disconnected youth, including Domus Kids, COMPASS Youth Collaborative, Forge City Works, Roca, Our Piece of the Pie, Catalyst CT, and the Connecticut Violence Intervention Program. Recent program additions include the Academy for Career Readiness (a $5.1 million partnership with Nuvance Health in 2025 targeting healthcare careers for disconnected youth), the 119K Commission (convened with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities), and commissioned research with BCG, MDRC, and Community Science.

The foundation generates no earned revenue; all activity is funded by Dalio family philanthropy and deployed through grants, co-designed programs, commissioned research, and municipal partnerships (notably a $1.5 million Hartford mesh-network contribution matched by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving). Its go-to-market is relationship-led: ideas are sourced by listening to educators, youth, and community leaders rather than through unsolicited proposals. Reporting on outcomes is largely qualitative and impact-oriented rather than revenue-oriented.

Name

Dalio Education

Legal name

Dalio Education

Website

https://dalioeducation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dalio Education is a private Dalio family foundation operating exclusively in Connecticut, deploying philanthropic capital through the RISE Network (public high school data and improvement partnerships) and the Connecticut Opportunity Project (long-term grants and capacity-building for non-profits serving at-risk and disconnected youth ages 14-26).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Education philanthropy
• Youth development
• Nonprofit foundation
• Education grants
• Workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Connecticut

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Giving/Family Foundation: Dalio Education is the family foundation of Giving Pledge signatories Ray and Barbara Dalio. The foundation generates no earned revenue; it operates through philanthropic capital deployment via grants to schools, non-profits, and municipalities. The foundation has invested more than $150 million since 2015 in education and youth development initiatives across Connecticut.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Dalio Education operates as a non-profit family foundation that funds and operates two signature programs: RISE Network, which partners with Connecticut public high schools to facilitate improvement networks for high school redesign and student success, and Connecticut Opportunity Project (CTOP), a social investment fund that invests in and strengthens select non-profit organizations working to better identify, engage, and support opportunity youth in Connecticut. The foundation provides multi-year funding and intensive capacity-building support to its grantees.

Product overview

Dalio Education serves as an engine to incubate two signature initiatives: the Connecticut RISE Network and the Connecticut Opportunity Project (CTOP). RISE is a data-driven improvement network that partners with public school educators to achieve breakthrough results for high school students through interactive data dashboards, custom-built web applications, and professional learning opportunities. CTOP is a social investment fund that strengthens non-profit organizations serving disconnected youth through long-term partnerships, organizational coaching, and capacity-building support in seven areas of organizational development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RISE Network: Connecticut RISE Network - A results-driven partnership between Connecticut public school educators facilitating improvement networks across schools and districts.
• Connecticut Opportunity Project

Products and services

• RISE Network A results-driven partnership among Connecticut public high school educators that facilitates improvement networks focused on identifying and implementing best practices for high school redesign and student success. RISE Network partners with public schools to drive improvement, share best practices across districts, and enhance student outcomes.
• Connecticut Opportunity Project (CTOP) A social investment fund that invests in and strengthens select non-profit organizations in Connecticut that are working to better identify, engage, and support opportunity youth. CTOP provides multi-year funding and intensive capacity-building support to high-performing non-profits, while fostering peer-to-peer learning across the portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 2015, RISE partner schools improved Grade 9 on-track rates by 17 percentage points
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Nuvance HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2025Dalio Education awarded $5.1 million to Nuvance Health to support the Academy for Career Readiness, a workforce development initiative designed to engage, train, and employ at-risk young people in healthcare careers. The program will serve youth ages 18-26 experiencing disconnection in Norwalk and Danbury, Connecticut, with plans to employ up to 225 participants through an 18-month intensive program including case management, workforce readiness training, and on-the-job experience at Nuvance Health facilities.
• RISE NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Founded in 2015 in partnership with Barbara Dalio and Connecticut educators, the RISE Network is a standalone non-profit organization that facilitates improvement networks across schools and districts. RISE partners with nine high schools serving over 13,000 students in eight districts including Stamford, Norwalk, Middletown, Meriden, Naugatuck, Hartford, East Hartford, and Manchester. The network reached 30 high schools and 30,000 students through various partnerships in the past year.
• Connecticut Opportunity Project (CTOP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTOP is a social investment fund created by Dalio Education to invest in and strengthen non-profit organizations serving youth who are severely off-track or disconnected. CTOP provides long-term general operating support along with organizational coaching and technical assistance in seven areas of organizational development. Current investments include Connecticut Violence Intervention Program in New Haven, Domus Kids in Stamford, COMPASS Youth Collaborative and Forge City Works in Hartford, and Roca Hartford Young Women's Program.
• Fund for TeacherssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Fund for Teachers makes it possible for Connecticut educators to have professional learning fellowship experiences. Since 2016, Dalio Education has contributed more than $5 million to support 865 Connecticut educators through these fellowships.
• Vision To LearnsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide vision screenings to children across Connecticut. Vision screenings provided to 6,489 children with 2,105 eye exams and 1,802 eyeglasses prescribed at no cost to families.
• Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CCM and municipal leaders to expand high-speed internet access. Partnered with City of Hartford and Cisco to install approximately 800 outdoor high-speed internet hotspots creating a city-wide mesh network accessible to 124,000+ Hartford residents. Dalio Education provided $1.5 million matched by Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
• Domus KidscoreOthersCTOP grantee partner that builds loving relationships with young people facing adversity, empowering them to pursue their path to self-sufficiency. Based in Stamford.
• COMPASS Youth CollaborativecoreOthersCTOP grantee partner that interrupts violence in Hartford by building transformative relationships with youth at the center of violence. COMPASS Peacebuilders provide youth tools to create sustained behavior change and transition to adulthood.
• Roca Inc.coreOthersCTOP grantee partner through Roca Hartford Young Women's Program. Roca's mission is to be a relentless force in disrupting incarceration, poverty, and racism by engaging young people at the center of urban violence. The Young Women's Program serves young women and mothers ages 14-24 with over 60 young children.
• Forge City WorkscoreOthersCTOP grantee partner serving people in Hartford with barriers to employment by providing job training in food and hospitality industry to help achieve sustainable careers. Aligned with CTOP Pathways to Careers Framework for culinary industry careers.
• Our Piece of the Pie (OPP)coreOthersCTOP grantee partner that empowers youth with key competencies needed to overcome barriers and succeed in education and employment. Serves youth in Hartford and partners with CTOP on young people's programs.
• Catalyst CTcoreOthersCTOP grantee partner working to reduce youth and gun violence in Bridgeport through StreetSafe program redesign to improve outcomes for youth. Works to advocate for healthier communities and create positive impact for underserved and marginalized youth.
• Connecticut Violence Intervention Program (CTVIP)coreOthersCTOP grantee partner consisting of trusted, trained community members that disrupt, prevent, and stop violence through crisis intervention and proactive relationships with highest-risk youths in Greater New Haven area.
• Boston Consulting GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by Dalio Education to conduct research resulting in 'Connecticut's Unspoken Crisis' report (October 2023), which quantified for the first time the number of at-risk and disconnected youth in Connecticut: 119,000 young people ages 14-26.
• MDRCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned by CTOP to conduct National Landscape Scan of policies, practices, and systems affecting young people who are disconnected or reconnected after incarceration. The 2024 report reviews programs across the country that help or hinder young people in reconnecting to school and work.
• Community SciencesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned to conduct qualitative research 'Elevating the Voices of Young People' (April 2024), interviewing 74 young people ages 14-26 to understand lived experiences of those disconnected from work and school in Connecticut.
• City of HartfordsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Dalio Education and Cisco to install approximately 800 outdoor high-speed internet hotspots creating city-wide mesh network for Hartford residents. City contributed $1 million to the connectivity project.
• CiscosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner with Dalio Education and City of Hartford to install outdoor high-speed internet hotspots creating mesh network for Hartford residents.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Wallace Foundation: National philanthropy focused on education leadership, school improvement, and out-of-school learning. Comparable in funding data-driven K-12 improvement networks and education leadership development, with similar emphasis on research-backed programming.
• The Annie E. Casey Foundation: National private foundation focused on child welfare, education, and youth disconnected from school and work. Comparable in mission—improving outcomes for vulnerable youth—and in combining direct grantmaking with research, policy advocacy, and convening.
• The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation: National education and science philanthropy historically focused on public school improvement and charter/portfolio district reforms. Comparable in funding large-scale K-12 improvement strategies and data-driven accountability systems in public education.
• Ballmer Group: National philanthropic organization focused on economic mobility for children and families, including K-12 education and youth workforce pathways. Comparable in emphasis on data-driven interventions for disconnected youth and in combining grantmaking with operational program design.
• Carnegie Corporation of New York: National foundation focused on education, democratic engagement, and international peace. Comparable as a major education grantmaker funding research, policy, and K-12 improvement initiatives at scale, including improvement network models.

Direct peers

• Nellie Mae Education Foundation: New England's largest education-focused philanthropy, funding systemic improvement in public schools across the region. Directly comparable to Dalio Education as a regional grantmaking foundation with a data-driven K-12 improvement mandate and similar commitment to educator practice and student outcomes.
• The Joyce Foundation: Chicago and Great Lakes regional foundation investing in education, workforce, and economic mobility. Directly comparable as a regional grantmaker combining education grantmaking with workforce development and research-driven policy advocacy.
• StriveTogether (Cradle to Career Network): National network supporting place-based cradle-to-career partnerships that use data to improve youth outcomes from birth through career. Comparable in the data-driven, cross-sector community partnership model for at-risk youth, though operating as a network/intermediary rather than a foundation.

Regional players

• The William Penn Foundation: Philadelphia-based foundation with deep investments in public education, including school improvement networks and data infrastructure. Comparable as a regional foundation supporting K-12 improvement networks with data-driven practices and major capital deployment.
• Robin Hood Foundation: New York City-based poverty-fighting foundation that combines grantmaking with operating programs and evidence-building. Comparable as a regional philanthropic leader using data and long-term general operating support to build nonprofit capacity, though focused on NYC rather than Connecticut.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DalioEducation
• Facebookfacebook.com/DalioEducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dalio-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Dalio Education