Marina Orth Foundation

What Marina Orth Foundation does

Marina Orth Foundation (Fundación Marina Orth) is a Colombian non-profit organization founded in 2005 by Maureen Orth, a former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, to improve public and rural education in Colombia. Headquartered in Medellín with a U.S. presence in Washington D.C., the foundation delivers free STEM education, English language instruction, digital literacy, socio-emotional skills training, vocational guidance, and university scholarships to children, youth, and teachers in vulnerable rural and underserved urban communities. As of 2025, it operates in 31 public schools across 11 municipalities in the departments of Antioquia and Chocó (including the Nuquí region), serving 8,000+ students and reaching 33,000+ beneficiaries (children, youth, and teachers) over its 20-year history.

The foundation's core technology is an integrated STEM education platform combining robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, IoT, 3D fabrication, and web design, embedded directly into public school curricula. Proprietary elements include the Techlish™ methodology (robotics taught via English instruction), TeachLabs teacher training capsules, the SparkTIC program (in partnership with Microsoft) for school dropouts aged 14-25, and the XO laptop-based digital literacy curriculum deployed with satellite internet in connectivity-limited areas. The foundation has trained 1,010 teachers and produced 33 robotics competition podiums including international wins at IYRC Korea 2025 and WRO Junior 2024. Its scholarship program has supported 122 students at Colombian universities, with 35 currently enrolled.

The foundation operates as a registered 501(c)(3) in the United States (EIN: 27-0115624) and is duly constituted under Colombian law (NIT: 900142115-2). All programs are free for beneficiaries. Revenue is generated entirely through donations, charitable contributions, corporate and institutional sponsorships, and municipal government co-funding. Major corporate partners include Microsoft, Intel, Chevron, Motorola, and Perficient, while municipal co-funders include the Alcaldía de Medellín, El Carmen de Viboral, La Ceja, and El Retiro. The foundation distributes programs through formal partnerships with the Secretaría de Educación de Medellín and municipal Secretariats of Education, reaching students via school-based clubs, teacher training, and scholarship pipelines. International donations are solicited through the foundation's website (fundorth.org) using a Wompi-integrated checkout portal.

Name

Marina Orth Foundation

Legal name

Fundación Marina Orth

Website

https://fundorth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marina Orth Foundation is a Colombian non-profit founded in 2005 that delivers free STEM, robotics, English, and teacher training programs to vulnerable children and youth in public schools across 11 municipalities in Antioquia and Chocó, supported by donations and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• STEM education nonprofit
• Public school programs
• Teacher professional development
• Educational scholarships
• Socio-emotional skills training

Headquarters

HQ city

Medellín

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN: 27-0115624) that relies primarily on donations from individuals, corporations, and government entities. It conducts annual fundraising campaigns (e.g., 20th anniversary campaign) and accepts tax-deductible contributions.
2. Corporate and Institutional Sponsorships: Major corporations including Microsoft, Intel, Chevron, Motorola, and Perficient provide financial and in-kind support. Municipal governments (Alcaldía de Medellín, municipalities of El Carmen de Viboral, La Ceja, El Retiro) co-fund specific programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Marina Orth Foundation is a Colombian nonprofit that delivers free, integrated educational programs — robotics, English language, STEM, socio-emotional skills, vocational guidance, and teacher training — embedded directly in public schools in rural and vulnerable urban communities. Services are funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and municipal co-funding, and include university and English scholarships for outstanding students. Programs are delivered at no cost to beneficiaries across 31 schools and 11 municipalities in Colombia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Robotics Program (Robótica) Free robotics education program embedded in public schools in rural and vulnerable Colombian communities, teaching children to build, program, and compete with robots. Includes student robotics clubs that have produced 33 competition podiums (8 international, 24 national).
• English Language Program (Inglés) English language instruction for children and youth in partner public schools using the proprietary Techlish™ methodology, which teaches robotics and technology vocabulary in English to build bilingual fluency alongside STEM skills.
• Scholarship Program (Becas) University tuition scholarships and English language learning scholarships for outstanding students who have come through the foundation's programs. 122 scholarships have been awarded over 20 years, with 35 students currently enrolled at Colombian universities.
• Nuevas Technologies — Bootcamp de Nuevas Tecnologías Intensive STEM bootcamp covering robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, Internet of Things, 3D fabrication, and web design for students and teachers in partner schools. Students develop practical projects addressing real community challenges (e.g., smart irrigation, urban recycling).
• Transformatic Vocational Guidance Program Vocational guidance and life-skills program for 9th–11th graders and out-of-school youth, covering personal finance, digital skills, and career planning to prepare students for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 65% of attendees apply to higher education and 35% begin studies.
• TeachLabs Teacher Training Program Continuous professional development program for public school teachers in rural communities, with five training capsules covering classroom environment, teacher emotional wellbeing, project-based learning, ICT tools, and bilingual pedagogy. 1,010 teachers have been trained over 20 years.
• Socio-Emotional Skills Program (Habilidades Para la Vida) Socio-emotional skills curriculum for children and youth in partner schools, building teamwork, resilience, creativity, innovation, and critical thinking as foundational 21st-century competencies.
• SparkTIC Program Microsoft-co-developed program teaching school dropouts aged 14–25 to create applications, code, and develop employable computer skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
• Nuquí Technology Program (XO Digital Literacy) Technology deployment program for the Litoral Pacífico Educational Institution in Nuquí, Chocó, providing XO laptops, smart TVs, satellite internet, and robotics clubs. 439 XO computers were delivered to students' homes and 100% of teachers were certified in technological competencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33,000+ children, youth, and teachers impacted over 20 years across 80 schools
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicrosoft partnered with the foundation on the SparkTIC program, which teaches 14-25 year old school dropouts to create apps, code, and develop employable computer skills. This is a flagship program demonstrating technology-based social impact.
• IntelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntel has provided support to the foundation as a major corporate partner recognizing the transformative power of the foundation's STEM education work in one of the world's most unequal countries.
• ChevronsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChevron is one of the major corporations that has supported the foundation's educational programs.
• MotorolasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMotorola has provided support to the foundation as a corporate partner.
• PerficientsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerficient is among the corporate partners supporting the foundation's educational mission.
• Alcaldía de Medellín (Medellín Mayor's Office)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Alcaldía de Medellín co-led the 5-day STEM Bootcamp training 720 students and 24 teachers in robotics, AI, VR, IoT, 3D fabrication, and web design. This is a major ongoing municipal partnership for program delivery.
• Municipio de El Carmen de ViboralsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government co-funder and co-implementer of foundation programs in its jurisdiction.
• Municipio de La CejasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government co-funder and co-implementer of foundation programs in its jurisdiction.
• Municipio de El RetirosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government co-funder and co-implementer of foundation programs in its jurisdiction.
• Fundación Bolívar DaviviendasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate foundation providing financial support to the foundation's educational programs.
• Fundación Rodrigo ArroyavesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate foundation providing support to the foundation's programs.
• Club Rotario de MedellínsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRotary Club of Medellín supporting the foundation's educational mission.
• AutecosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian company providing support to foundation programs.
• Corporación San BlassupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal corporate partner supporting foundation programs.
• Fundación Nicolás JordánsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate foundation supporting the foundation's educational work.
• MakaiasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing support to foundation programs.
• Ruta NsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedellín's innovation agency supporting the foundation's STEM and technology programs.
• CoopprogresasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative providing support to foundation programs.
• Cueros VélezsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian company supporting foundation educational programs.
• LEANTECHsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner supporting the foundation's robotics competition team and programs.
• NelitasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting the foundation's robotics programs.
• BigtronicasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting the foundation's programs.
• GR Logística IntegralsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogistics partner supporting the foundation's robotics team at international competitions.
• High TechsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner supporting foundation programs.
• Fundación Sofía Pérez de SotosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate foundation supporting the foundation's robotics and educational programs.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Code.org: US-based nonprofit driving K–12 computer-science education with corporate tech partners at scale. Comparable mission and partnership model (tech-corporate funded K–12 STEM adoption) and partial overlap with Marina Orth's robotics/code teaching footprint.
• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): Nonprofit running FIRST Robotics Competition and related K–12 STEM competition programs worldwide. Strong functional overlap with Marina Orth's robotics competition track (WRO, IYRC, Robotex LATAM); both rely on corporate tech sponsorship and tournament-based student recognition.
• Teach For All: Global network of independent national Teach For organizations recruiting and training teachers in underserved schools. Functionally comparable to Marina Orth's TeachLabs teacher training capsules and shows the donor-funded teacher-development scaling model relevant to this foundation's expansion path.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision Colombia: International NGO operating sponsorship-funded education, child protection, and community programs across Colombia, including Antioquia and Chocó. Comparable as a large incumbent in the same vulnerable-child beneficiary pool, with similar donor-funded model and school-embedded delivery.
• SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje): Colombian national government training institution delivering free vocational and technical education across the country. Comparable as a much larger public-sector incumbent in the same vocational-training and digital-skills space that Marina Orth's Transformatic and SparkTIC programs operate in.
• UNICEF Colombia: The Colombian country office of the UN children's agency delivers large-scale education, child protection, and equity programs targeting similar vulnerable children. Operates as a much broader incumbent in the same beneficiary pool with overlapping rural-education agenda.

Others

• She Is Foundation: US-based nonprofit running STEM programs for adolescent girls (including a 'She Is an Astronaut' partnership with NASA-adjacent providers). Marina Orth has run joint programming with She Is (beneficiary Sara Sofía was selected into She Is's astronaut program), making it an active adjacent ecosystem partner.

Regional players

• Fundación Luker: Medellín-based corporate foundation of the Luker group operating education and youth employability programs in Colombian coffee regions. Colombian regional peer sharing Medellín geography, the corporate-foundation funding pattern, and a vocational-training mission aligned with Marina Orth's Transformatic track.

Direct peers

• Fundación Escuela Nueva: Colombian nonprofit foundation that pioneered rural primary-school reform models now active in over 16 countries. Direct peer: operates education programs inside Colombian public schools serving vulnerable rural children, with comparable NGO-school co-delivery model and similar long-running track record.
• One Laptop Per Child (OLPC Association): Global nonprofit deploying the XO laptop for child-centered digital literacy in developing-country schools. Direct peer: Marina Orth's Nuquí program delivered 439 OLPC XO computers and trained teachers under this methodology, making the two organizations directly tied operationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCM1PinIlhoT2OddfM2_CW5A
• Facebookfacebook.com/Fundacionmarinaorth
• Instagraminstagram.com/fundacionmarinaorth
• Xx.com/fundaorth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Marina Orth Foundation