Forever Learning Institute
Forever Learning Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1974 in South Bend, Indiana, offering semester-based continuing education courses, travel programs, and arts initiatives for nearly 2,000 adults aged 50+ annually, delivered through volunteer instructors across a main campus and nine satellite community partner locations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersSouth Bend, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Forever Learning Institute does
Forever Learning Institute (FLI), legally The Forever Learning Institute, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1974 by Fr. Louis J. Putz, C.S.C., a former University of Notre Dame professor, to deliver continuing education and community programming for adults aged 50+ ("Third Agers") in the South Bend, Indiana / Michiana region. Headquartered at the Little Flower Parish Center (54191 N Ironwood Rd, South Bend, IN 46635), FLI offers a semester-based curriculum of in-person and Zoom-delivered courses spanning arts, languages, fitness, technology, history, humanities, and travel, supplemented by ancillary programs including the Silvertones choir, Solid Silver Dancers, Forever Travel excursions, Forever Connected, and the recently launched Forever Creative arts initiative. As of the 2025-26 school year, FLI reports record enrollment of nearly 2,000 unique students, 5,000+ class enrollments, and 340+ course and travel options, delivered through a main campus plus nine satellite community partner locations across senior living communities, libraries, parks, and (pilot) South Bend Community School Corporation sites.
The organization is structurally volunteer-driven: all 200+ instructors are unpaid, contributing over 5,000 volunteer hours annually, while only five paid staff (Executive Director, Office Assistant, Grant Writer, Program Coordinator, Program Assistant) handle operations. FLI generates revenue through course tuition ($35 for 6-week courses, $55 for 10-week courses, plus a $2.49 online processing fee), individual and recurring donations, gift certificate sales, multi-tiered corporate sponsorships ($500-$10,000+), and periodic grants (notably the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County endowment in 2018 and Senior Living Grant in 2025). It does not use proprietary technology, relying on CourseStorm for enrollment, Zoom for remote instruction, Bloomerang for gift certificate transactions, and Sigma Voice for automated outreach.
FLI is governed by a Board of Directors (Leighton Schmitt, President) and led by Executive Director George Azar (M.Ed), and is supported by a network of financial, community, and institutional partners including the University of Notre Dame, Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, Indiana Trust Wealth Management, and several regional sponsors. The organization's mission explicitly targets senior isolation and intellectual disengagement, and it has never turned away a student for inability to pay, maintaining a substantial scholarship and free-class program.
Forever Learning Institute firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forever Learning Institute
- Legal name
- The Forever Learning Institute, Inc.
- Website
- https://foreverlearninginstitute.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Forever Learning Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1974 in South Bend, Indiana, offering semester-based continuing education courses, travel programs, and arts initiatives for nearly 2,000 adults aged 50+ annually, delivered through volunteer instructors across a main campus and nine satellite community partner locations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forever Learning Institute industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Adult Continuing Education
- NAICS
- All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lifelong Learning Institutes (Osher/OLLI-style) & Senior Academies (EDAAAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Senior/Third-Age Lifelong Learning Institutes (EDAAAEAJ), University- or College-Affiliated Senior Learning Programs (EDAAAMAC)
Keywords
Where Forever Learning Institute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- South Bend
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices9 records
Markets served
Forever Learning Institute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Tuition and Registration Fees: Course tuition fees ranging from $35-$55 per course. Additional $2.49 processing fee per online enrollment. Not publicly funded by any federal, state, or local programs.
- Donations and Fundraising: Relies on individual donor contributions, both one-time and monthly recurring donations. 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Annual corporate sponsorships at various levels ($500-$10,000+) providing recognition benefits including website, social media, newsletter, and course guide visibility.
- Grants: Received $10,000 Senior Living Grant from Community Foundation of St. Joseph County for Forever Creative arts programming initiative.
- Gift Certificates: Course certificates sold as gifts, redeemable for future courses at any time.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | 10-week courses (Spring and Fall semesters) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | 6-week courses (Summer and Winter semesters) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 1-day presentations and courses |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Scholarship-funded courses |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Forever Learning Institute product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forever Learning Institute delivers non-credit continuing education courses for adults aged 50+ (referred to as "Third Agers"), taught entirely by volunteer instructors, across four semesters per year. Programs span arts, languages, fitness, technology, history, and humanities, complemented by organized travel experiences and arts/performing groups, with scholarships ensuring no senior is turned away due to financial constraints.
Product overview
Forever Learning Institute operates as a single unified educational program for adults aged 50+, offering an integrated portfolio of in-person and remote courses, travel experiences, and arts programming. The core offering consists of courses spanning diverse subjects (arts, languages, fitness, technology, humanities) delivered across four annual semesters, supplemented by the Forever Travel program for experiential learning excursions and the Silvertones choir program for musical enrichment. Scholarships and gift certificates support accessibility and gifting within the program ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Forever Creative: A new FLI initiative designed to expand access to arts programming by removing barriers to participation. Combines instruction, hands-on creative experiences, and community engagement to help older adults explore and enjoy the arts.
- Silvertones
- Solid Silver Dancers
- Forever Connected
- Forever Travel
Products and services
- Forever Learning Courses
- Forever Travel
- Silvertones Choir
- Gift Certificates
- Forever Creative
Quantifiable outcome
- 2025-26 school year: Over 5000 class enrollments, nearly 2000 students, 340 different classes and travel opportunities
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Forever Learning Institute
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Forever Learning Institute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Forever Learning Institute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- South Bend Community School CorporationminorPartnership for satellite classroom space at Clay High School during summer 2026. Also determines school closure policy for weather-related closures.
- Little Flower Parish CentercoreLong-term rental agreement for school facilities attached to the church. Main campus location since 2006. Note: FLI is not affiliated with the church; purely a space rental arrangement.
- Southfield VillageminorSatellite location for classes serving senior living community residents.
- Holy Cross VillageminorSatellite location for classes serving retirement community residents.
- The Howard Park Event CenterminorSatellite location for classes and movie screenings (partnered for classic movie presentations).
- The Jewish Federation of St. Joseph ValleyminorSatellite location for classes and programs serving the Jewish community. Includes Israeli emissary Omer Karavani as instructor.
- St. Joseph County ParksminorSatellite location for nature and outdoor-related classes. Joint programming with park naturalists.
- St. Paul's Life Plan CommunityminorSatellite location for classes serving senior living community residents.
- The Beacon Resource CenterminorSatellite location for community classes.
- St. Joseph County Public LibraryminorSatellite location for educational classes.
- CourseStormcoreOnline enrollment platform provider for class registration and course management.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Forever Learning Institute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- OLLI at University of Notre Dame: An Osher Lifelong Learning Institute serving South Bend-area adults 50+ with non-credit courses, lectures, and travel. Operates in the exact same geography and target demographic as FLI, making it the closest direct competitor for both learners and volunteer instructors.
- OASIS: National nonprofit that activates older adults in health, wellness, and lifelong learning through community-based programs. Comparable in mission (combating senior isolation, volunteer-driven, classroom-based courses) and in target demographic.
- Lifelong Learning Institute at CCAC (Pittsburgh): Community-college-affiliated LLI offering non-credit courses for older adults. Closely matches FLI's volunteer-instructor model, modest per-course fees, and community-based satellite locations.
- Learning in Retirement (LIR) network: National consortium of community-based lifelong learning programs for retirees, typically affiliated with community colleges. Closely comparable in structure (peer-led, volunteer-driven, modest fees) and target audience (active retirees seeking intellectual engagement).
Regional players
- University of the Third Age (U3A): International movement of senior self-help learning cooperatives, dominant in the UK, Australia, and parts of Europe. Same core model — peer-taught, low-cost courses for older adults — but operates primarily outside FLI's U.S. geography.
Emerging players
- Elderhostel / Exploritas: Reinvented Road Scholar-style nonprofit focused on educational travel programs for adults 50+. Comparable via the experiential travel + learning intersection that FLI's Forever Travel program also addresses.
- Encore.org: Nonprofit focused on encore careers and second-act purpose for adults 50+. Comparable in framing the over-50 segment around continued contribution and learning, and a potential referral / partnership channel for FLI alumni.
Broad incumbents
- Road Scholar: Largest U.S. provider of educational travel and learning experiences for older adults. Comparable through FLI's Forever Travel program, sharing the senior experiential-learning customer and the model of combining intellectual content with travel.
- Senior Planet (AARP Foundation): AARP-affiliated nonprofit providing technology training, arts, and wellness classes for adults 60+. Overlaps FLI's mission of intellectual engagement and combating senior isolation, though with stronger technology and national-center focus.
- Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (National Network): Network of 125+ Osher Institutes at universities across the U.S. offering structured non-credit courses for adults 50+. Functions as the broad incumbent peer: similar mission, course-based model, and senior learner segment, but hosted within larger university infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Forever Learning Institute social profiles
Digital presenceForever Learning Institute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forever Learning Institute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles22 records
Forever Learning Institute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forever Learning Institute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forever Learning Institute
What does Forever Learning Institute do?
Forever Learning Institute delivers non-credit continuing education courses for adults aged 50+ (referred to as "Third Agers"), taught entirely by volunteer instructors, across four semesters per year. Programs span arts, languages, fitness, technology, history, and humanities, complemented by organized travel experiences and arts/performing groups, with scholarships ensuring no senior is turned away due to financial constraints.
Is Forever Learning Institute a public or private company?
Forever Learning Institute is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Forever Learning Institute founded?
Forever Learning Institute was founded in 1974. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Forever Learning Institute based?
Forever Learning Institute is headquartered in South Bend, United States, in the North America region.
How does Forever Learning Institute make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Registration Fees are the primary driver. The others are donations and Fundraising, corporate Sponsorships, grants and gift Certificates.
Who are Forever Learning Institute's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OLLI at University of Notre Dame, OASIS, Lifelong Learning Institute at CCAC (Pittsburgh) and Learning in Retirement (LIR) network. University of the Third Age (U3A) is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Elderhostel / Exploritas and Encore.org. Broad incumbents are Road Scholar, Senior Planet (AARP Foundation) and Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (National Network).
Does Forever Learning Institute have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forever Learning Institute.
What industry is Forever Learning Institute in?
Forever Learning Institute's product category is Adult Continuing Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAMAA, Lifelong Learning Institutes (Osher/OLLI-style) & Senior Academies, with a secondary code of EDAAAEAJ, Senior/Third-Age Lifelong Learning Institutes. Its NAICS code is 61169 and its SIC code is 8200.