FCHS, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

What FCHS, Rutgers Cooperative Extension does

FCHS (Family and Community Health Sciences) is an operating unit of Rutgers Cooperative Extension within the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), itself part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Its primary function is to deliver research-based family, nutrition, and community health education across all 21 New Jersey counties through a distributed network of FCHS educators embedded in county Cooperative Extension offices, alongside sibling programs in 4-H youth development and Agriculture and Natural Resources. Beyond direct extension delivery, FCHS sits inside a broader Rutgers ecosystem that includes the Rutgers Entrepreneurship Coalition, the NSF I-Corps Northeast Region Hub (Novus, Propelus, Ascendus, and National I-Corps cohorts), the Food Innovation Center in Bridgeton, the EcoComplex Clean Energy Innovation Center in Fieldsboro, and innovation spaces such as the Hatchery, CAVE, and Makerspace. Core technology is conventional rather than digital: extension is delivered through face-to-face agent engagement, county offices, structured cohort-based training (Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas curricula for I-Corps), and physical incubation facilities, with no proprietary software product or AI platform identified. The business model is government-funded and non-commercial: programs are provided free of charge, financed by USDA-NIFA capacity funding, state appropriations, county government partnerships, and federal grants (notably NSF for I-Corps), with NSF stipends of $1,500-$50,000 flowing to eligible participants. Customer segments are entirely public-serving: New Jersey families and communities (FCHS and 4-H), agricultural producers, and for the entrepreneurship layer, Rutgers students, faculty, staff, alumni, and regional innovators across the Northeast I-Corps Hub. Revenue is not publicly disclosed at the FCHS unit level.

Name

FCHS, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Legal name

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Website

https://njaes.rutgers.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1766

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FCHS (Family and Community Health Sciences) is a unit of Rutgers Cooperative Extension within Rutgers NJAES, delivering research-based nutrition, family wellness, and community health education across all 21 New Jersey counties through publicly funded extension agents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Extension Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Cooperative extension services
• Community health education
• Agricultural research
• Youth development programs
• Entrepreneurship training

Headquarters

HQ city

New Brunswick

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. USDA-NIFA Capacity Funding: Federal funding through USDA-NIFA Capacity Funding supports the agricultural research and extension programs at NJAES
2. Economic Development Services: The Office of Economic Development provides oversight and coordination of experiment station farms, centers, business incubators, and programs that support NJ businesses, communities, and residents
3. Agricultural Experiment Station Programs: Research, extension, and education programs serving the people of New Jersey through county-based Cooperative Extension offices

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FCHS, Rutgers Cooperative Extension delivers research-based education programs in family and community health sciences, agriculture and natural resources, and 4-H youth development through a statewide network of 21 county extension offices. It also operates entrepreneurship and innovation programs through the Rutgers Entrepreneurship Coalition, including NSF I-Corps training cohorts, food and clean energy business incubators, and student pitch competitions, providing free or subsidized services funded by USDA-NIFA and state appropriations.

Product overview

FCHS, Rutgers Cooperative Extension (Family and Community Health Sciences) is part of Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, providing research-based education programs across New Jersey's 21 counties. While the primary focus is on extension services in health, nutrition, and family wellness rather than a technology product portfolio, the broader Rutgers ecosystem includes entrepreneurship support programs through the Rutgers Entrepreneurship Coalition. The Coalition provides connections and programs for innovative minds, including I-Corps training programs (Novus, Propelus, Ascendus), business incubators (Food Innovation Center, EcoComplex), innovation spaces (The Hatchery, The CAVE, Makerspace), and student competitions (ScarletPitch, UPitchNJ). These programs support technology transfer and commercialization but are not directly branded as FCHS products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• I-Corps@Rutgers: NSF-funded experiential training program helping innovators transition technology concepts from lab to marketplace through customer discovery.
• ScarletPitch
• Food Innovation Center
• Rutgers EcoComplex
• The Hatchery Innovation Studio
• Rutgers Makerspace

Products and services

• Family and Community Health Sciences (FCHS) Education Programs Research-based health, nutrition, and family wellness education programs delivered to New Jersey residents, families, and communities through 21 county extension offices.
• Rutgers 4-H Youth Development Program Youth development programs delivered through county extension offices to New Jersey youth, including hands-on learning, leadership development, and STEM/agri-science activities.
• Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Programs Research-based agricultural technical assistance, crop management, pest control, and farm business planning services for New Jersey farmers and agricultural producers, delivered through county agents and field stations.
• I-Corps@Rutgers Training Programs Multi-tiered NSF I-Corps customer discovery training program (Novus half-day workshops, Propelus 4-session regional training, Ascendus 7-week advanced, National I-Corps Teams 7-week national) that helps students, faculty, and innovators transition technologies from lab to marketplace using Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas methodologies.
• Food Innovation Center (Bridgeton) Food business incubator and accelerator located at 450 E Broad St, Bridgeton, NJ, supporting food entrepreneurs from concept to commercialization with facilities and mentorship.
• Rutgers EcoComplex Clean Energy Innovation Center Clean Energy Innovation Center located at 1200 Florence Columbus Rd, Fieldsboro, NJ, dedicated to moving clean energy and environmental inventions from lab to real-world applications.
• ScarletPitch Competition University-wide pitch competition for Rutgers-New Brunswick undergraduates to present innovative ideas, with prizes and advancement opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 120+ teams trained, $7.7M+ follow-on funding generated by I-Corps alumni
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• NSF I-Corps Northeast Region HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-university consortium (11+ universities) providing I-Corps training programs, mentorship networks, and regional innovation ecosystem support. Rutgers serves as a partner institution offering programs to all regional innovators.
• Nokia Bell LabsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNokia Bell Labs provides sponsorship, mentoring to student teams, and judging for the UPitchNJ statewide competition. The partnership includes pairing student startup teams with Nokia Bell Labs senior executives as mentors.
• VentureWellsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerVentureWell's E-Team Program offers up to $25k in non-dilutive grants for student science and tech startups with social, health, or environmental impact, plus access to Early-Stage Innovator Training Program.
• Newark Venture Partners LabssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerNewark-based startup accelerator and coworking space (Audible building) accepting applications from digital technology startups with some sales and growth opportunity.
• Dreamit VenturessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerDreamit offers programs including Dreamit Dose - free monthly founder insight videos with actionable tips for entrepreneurs. Steve Barsh, Managing Partner, served as keynote speaker at Rutgers Innovation Expo.
• YCombinator (YC) Startup SchoolsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerYC Startup School provides free 8-week online course on how to start a startup, with resources used by Rutgers entrepreneurship programs.
• Rutgers Office for ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of Novus I-Corps Programs and partner in I-Corps Hub activities. Provides technology transfer and research commercialization support.
• Rutgers University (Multiple Campuses and Schools)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerI-Corps programs are available to faculty, staff, students, and alumni from ALL Rutgers campuses/schools. Programs are also open to innovators at partner schools in the Northeast Region.
• Rutgers NJAES Office of Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing oversight and coordination of experiment station farms, centers, business incubators, and programs across New Jersey. Supports the Rutgers Entrepreneurship Coalition.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• University of Florida IFAS Extension: UF/IFAS Extension is Florida's land-grant extension service, covering agriculture, natural resources, 4-H, and family/consumer sciences. Directly comparable to Rutgers in mandate, scope, and USDA-NIFA funding reliance.
• NC State Extension: NC State Extension is one of the largest U.S. land-grant extension services, covering agriculture, youth (4-H), and community resource development. Highly comparable in mandate and significantly more mature in scale and digital delivery.
• Cornell Cooperative Extension: Cornell Cooperative Extension is New York's land-grant extension system, offering programming in agriculture, 4-H, nutrition, and community development. It is one of the largest and most established cooperative extension networks in the U.S. and a near-perfect functional peer to Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
• University of Maryland Extension: University of Maryland Extension is the land-grant extension of UMD, providing agriculture, 4-H youth, and family consumer sciences programming across Maryland counties. Directly comparable to Rutgers in mission, structure, and Mid-Atlantic geographic context.
• Virginia Cooperative Extension: Virginia Cooperative Extension is the joint extension service of Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, providing 4-H, agriculture, and community viability programming. Comparable in structure and mid-Atlantic regional context to Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
• University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR): UC ANR operates California's land-grant extension and applied research network across agriculture, nutrition, and youth development. Highly comparable in scope and programming mix, though at significantly larger scale.
• Penn State Extension: Penn State Extension is the Cooperative Extension service of a fellow land-grant university (Penn State), delivering research-based education across agriculture, 4-H youth development, and family/community health — directly comparable to Rutgers Cooperative Extension in mandate and delivery model.
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is the Cooperative Extension arm of Texas A&M, one of the nation's largest land-grant systems. It provides agricultural, family/community health, and youth programming — a strong direct peer to Rutgers NJAES in scope.

Regional players

• University of Delaware Cooperative Extension: University of Delaware Cooperative Extension is a smaller, geographically neighboring land-grant extension serving Delaware. Comparable in mission but smaller in scale and not a direct competitor within New Jersey.

Broad incumbents

• NSF I-Corps Northeast Region Hub: NSF I-Corps Northeast Region Hub is the multi-university consortium (11+ universities including Rutgers) administering I-Corps training across the Northeast. Directly comparable as a peer ecosystem for the I-Corps commercialization programming that Rutgers delivers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RutgersU
• YouTubeyoutube.com/rutgers
• Facebookfacebook.com/RutgersUniversity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fchs-rutgers-cooperative-extension
• Instagraminstagram.com/rutgersuniv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about FCHS, Rutgers Cooperative Extension