What Generation Next does

Generation Next is a nonprofit collective impact coalition founded in 2012 and headquartered in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, with an operational staff of approximately 20. The organization's mission is to close achievement and opportunity gaps between racial and ethnic groups by convening cross-sector partners — Minneapolis Public Schools, Saint Paul Public Schools, community-based organizations, philanthropic funders, city and county government, and higher education institutions — around a cradle-to-career framework that directly impacts more than 75,000 students. The organization operates under the StriveTogether national framework and its Theory of Action, and tracks outcomes across six goal areas: kindergarten readiness, early grade literacy, middle grade math, social-emotional learning, high school graduation, and postsecondary attainment. Generation Next is the only cradle-to-career backbone organization addressing systemic disparities in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

The organization delivers a portfolio of programs and convening services rather than a single technology product. Named programs include Pathways to Quality (early childhood improvement), the Literacy Tutoring Network (a coalition of 12 literacy organizations created in 2014), ParentPowered Texting, Screening at 3, GopherMath (built on the University of Minnesota's Rational Number Project), the 9th Grade On-Track Initiative, Gateway to College (with Saint Paul College), Dual Enrollment programs, Bridging the Equity Gap (with Minneapolis College), and the Youth as Champions teacher-diversity program with Elevate Teaching. Generation Next also operates a public Data Center and a co-created MSP Education Equity Data Hub that publish community-level outcomes data across the six goal areas, and previously issued region-wide annual report cards on student achievement in 2014-2016. The underlying "technology" is the StriveTogether Theory of Action framework and associated data analysis processes; no proprietary software, APIs, or AI/ML components are disclosed.

Generation Next does not sell products or services and has no disclosed revenue. It is funded by philanthropic grants, government sources, and member contributions, and operates a coalition membership go-to-market model in which partners commit to shared goals, data sharing, and collective action. The go-to-market is fundamentally relational: direct engagement with the superintendents of Minneapolis Public Schools and Saint Paul Public Schools, a leadership council and executive committee drawn from major Twin Cities philanthropic and civic institutions (Bush Foundation, Mortenson Family Foundation, Greater Twin Cities United Way, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, University of Minnesota, Think Small), and participation in the StriveTogether national network and the Minnesota Education Partnerships Coalition. The only quantified funding signal in the input is a $150,000 grant from StriveTogether awarded in January 2019.

Name

Generation Next

Legal name

Generation Next

Website

https://gennextmsp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Generation Next is a Minneapolis-Saint Paul nonprofit coalition that uses the StriveTogether collective impact framework to close educational achievement gaps, convening school districts, philanthropy, government, and higher education around six cradle-to-career goals serving 75,000+ students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Collective Impact Coalition

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

Keywords

• Collective impact coalition
• Education equity initiative
• Cradle-to-career network
• Nonprofit education coalition
• Cross-sector education coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis/Saint Paul

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: Generation Next operates as a nonprofit coalition funded by philanthropic foundations, government grants, and member contributions. They work with funding partners to align resources toward educational outcomes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Generation Next is a nonprofit collective impact coalition that convenes schools, school districts, community-based organizations, philanthropic foundations, city and county governments, and higher education institutions to close achievement and opportunity gaps for students in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Using the StriveTogether cradle-to-career framework, it runs coordinated programs across six goal areas (kindergarten readiness, early grade literacy, middle grade math, social-emotional learning, high school graduation, and postsecondary attainment) and three strategic levers (practice, policy, and funding). It also maintains a public Data Center and the MSP Education Equity Data Hub to track community-level outcomes.

Product overview

Generation Next is an education reform coalition, not a technology product company. The organization does not offer a software product or technology platform. Instead, Generation Next provides a portfolio of community programs and initiatives focused on closing achievement and opportunity gaps in Minneapolis-Saint Paul schools. Key programs include the Pathways to Quality (P2Q) early childhood initiative, the Literacy Tutoring Network for 3rd grade reading outcomes, the GopherMath math improvement program, 9th Grade On-Track Initiative, Gateway to College pathway programs, and Dual Enrollment programs. The organization also maintains a public Data Center and MSP Education Equity Data Hub for tracking community-level outcomes across six goal areas (kindergarten readiness, early grade literacy, middle grade math, social-emotional learning, high school graduation, and postsecondary attainment). Generation Next operates under a collective impact model using three strategic levers: practice, policy, and funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pathways to Quality (P2Q) Early childhood quality improvement program for licensed family child care providers in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, focused on improving quality ratings, reducing suspensions, and providing business supports to close the kindergarten readiness gap.
• Literacy Tutoring Network Network of 12 literacy organizations working together to close 3rd grade reading gaps for students of color in Minneapolis and Saint Paul through high-quality tutoring.
• ParentPowered Texting Text-message-based parent engagement service that delivers real-time, developmentally appropriate guidance to parents to support early childhood development.
• GopherMath Middle grade math improvement project focused on comprehension of fractions, decimals, and percentages, built on the University of Minnesota's Rational Number Project and piloted in Twin Cities schools.
• 9th Grade On-Track Initiative Partnership with Minneapolis and Saint Paul Public Schools using 9th grade data on course passage, attendance, and suspensions to keep students on track for high school graduation.
• Gateway to College Partnership with Saint Paul College providing guided pathway advising, monitoring of college-level coursework, and proactive intrusive advising for students re-engaging with postsecondary education.
• Dual Enrollment Programs Accelerated college coursework offered to high school students, particularly targeting students in the academic middle and lower achievement bands who may not otherwise see postsecondary enrollment as attainable.
• Generation Next Data Center Public-facing data platform providing community-level outcomes data across Generation Next's six goal areas, including kindergarten readiness, literacy, math, social-emotional learning, graduation, and postsecondary attainment.
• MSP Education Equity Data Hub Co-created community data platform developed with community members to track education equity outcomes across the Twin Cities.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• StriveTogethercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Generation Next is modeled on the StriveTogether National Network successes and uses their nationally recognized cradle-to-career collective impact framework and Theory of Action. Generation Next is in the Sustaining Gateway of StriveTogether, focusing on continuous improvement processes.
• Greater Twin Cities United WaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Wilgers, President & CEO of Greater Twin Cities United Way, serves on the Generation Next Executive Committee. United Way is a key partner in early childhood initiatives including ParentPowered Texting.
• Amherst H. Wilder FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeather Britt, Executive Director of Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, serves on Generation Next Executive Committee. Wilder Foundation provides research and evaluation support.
• Minneapolis Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuperintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams serves as Co-Chair of Generation Next Leadership Council. Direct engagement with 75,000+ students across the district.
• Saint Paul Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuperintendent Stacie Stanley serves on Generation Next Executive Committee. Direct engagement with students in the district.
• Think SmallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCisa Keller, CEO of Think Small, serves on the Leadership Council. Think Small partners on early childhood initiatives including ParentPowered Texting and Pathways to Quality.
• Saint Paul CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGateway to College program partnership; supports guided pathway advising and student monitoring. Also partner in iLEAD program for BIPOC students.
• Minneapolis CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Bridging the Equity Gap (BTEG) program; supports postsecondary transitions for BIPOC students. President Sharon Pierce actively supports Generation Next initiatives.
• University of MinnesotamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMercedes Ramírez Fernández, VP Equity and Diversity, serves on Leadership Council. CAREI provides research on teaching pathways. Rational Number Project supports GopherMath initiative.
• Elevate TeachingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRose Chu, Founder of Elevate Teaching, serves on Leadership Council. Youth as Champions program partnership engages students in teacher diversity conversations.
• ABC ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssuring Better Child Health & Development (ABCD) project partners with surrounding districts including MPS, Richfield, and Bloomington to support early childhood screening.
• Literacy Tutoring NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 12 literacy organizations created by Generation Next in 2014 to close gaps in 3rd grade reading outcomes for students of color in Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
• Education Partnerships Coalition (EPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneration Next is a member of the Minnesota Education Partnerships Coalition, collaborating with nine organizations across Minnesota on shared advocacy and communications.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• StrivePartnership: The original StriveTogether cradle-to-career backbone organization in Columbus, Ohio, and progenitor of the framework Generation Next uses. Functions as a direct peer in convening cross-sector partners around cradle-to-career outcomes and is the most cited comparable for any local StriveTogether member.
• The Mind Trust: Indianapolis-based education nonprofit that works with schools, communities, and funders to drive systemic improvement in student outcomes. Comparable as a backbone-style education organization that blends policy advocacy, funding alignment, and direct program work.
• Great Schools Partnership: A New England-based nonprofit that supports schools, districts, and communities in redesigning education systems for equity. Comparable in providing systemic support, coaching, and data tools to districts and community coalitions pursuing cradle-to-career improvements.
• All Hands Raised: A Portland, Oregon-based cradle-to-career collective impact coalition that also operates as a StriveTogether network member. Direct peer in function, scale, and backbone model, serving a single metropolitan region with cross-sector partners around shared student outcome goals.
• Boston Opportunity Agenda: A Boston-based cross-sector collective impact partnership tracking cradle-to-career outcomes across schools, higher education, and community organizations. Direct peer in mission, structure, and use of public data dashboards to drive equity-focused policy and practice.

Regional players

• Commit2Dallas: A Dallas-area collective impact partnership focused on cradle-to-career education and economic mobility outcomes. Functions as a structural peer in convening cross-sector partners around shared data and goals in a single metropolitan market.
• Metro Denver Partnership for Health: A Denver-metro backbone organization using a collective impact approach to address interconnected community outcomes through shared data and aligned cross-sector action. Comparable in structure and backbone-function even though its primary focus is health adjacent to education.

Broad incumbents

• Say Yes to Education: National education nonprofit working with cities (including Minneapolis) to combine scholarship, tutoring, and postsecondary supports through cross-sector coalitions. Comparable in combining cradle-to-career services with local backbone convening and data work.
• StriveTogether: National network and framework provider whose cradle-to-career Theory of Action Generation Next directly implements. StriveTogether is the operating system and convening standard for all member local coalitions, making it the closest comparable in mission and methodology.
• Living Cities: A national collaborative of foundations and financial institutions that funds cross-sector collective impact initiatives in cities. Comparable as a higher-level funder and convener of place-based equity work, including cradle-to-career pipelines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gennextmsp
• Facebookfacebook.com/gennextmsp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gennextmsp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Generation Next