The Economist Educational Foundation
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
The Economist Educational Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Economist Educational Foundation
- Legal name
- The Economist Educational Foundation
- Website
- https://economistfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Economist Educational Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Educational Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Public Speaking & Debate Programs (Live/Recorded) (EDAMAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing (MPAJABAG), Open Lesson Plans & Teaching Units (K–12) (EDAGAJAI), Education, Research & Academic Congresses (THAHAJAD)
Keywords
Where The Economist Educational Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Economist Educational Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations from Individuals: Individual donations are processed through JustGiving (UK and international) and CAF America (US). Donations range from £50 to £5,000+ and support direct program delivery to children. Regular monthly giving options are available. UK taxpayers can use Gift Aid to increase donation value by 25%.
- Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with corporations include teaching resources co-development, in-person student workshops, volunteer programs, and work experience content. Partners include KPMG UK, PA Foundation, Rolex (main partner), Eranda Rothschild Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, UBS, Infosys, and Ashurst.
- Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from trusts and foundations supports specific programs and geographic expansion. Key funders include Eranda Rothschild Foundation (founding funder since 2013), Portal Trust (supports Topical Talk Festival), and The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust.
- Festival Registration Fees: Topical Talk Festival costs £349 (+VAT) per class of 34 students for non-fee-paying schools. Prices are adjusted depending on school type with some subsidized places available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free teaching resources - available to all teachers globally |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Topical Talk Festival - £349 (+VAT) per class of 34 students |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Economist Educational Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Economist Educational Foundation delivers Topical Talk, a free educational programme providing weekly classroom resources on current affairs for students aged 10-16, combining pedagogical expertise with The Economist's journalistic content. Core offerings include weekly Headline lessons, the annual Topical Talk Festival (a global news festival connecting classrooms worldwide), and the Leadership for Change Prize (an annual competition where students develop solutions to global challenges). All teaching resources are free, with fee-based participation in the Festival (£349+VAT per class) and Prize.
Product overview
The Economist Educational Foundation offers Topical Talk, a comprehensive educational programme designed to bring current affairs into classrooms worldwide. The portfolio consists of four core products: Topical Talk (the main programme providing weekly lessons), Topical Talk Headlines (weekly news lessons created by teachers and journalists), Topical Talk Festival (an annual global news festival connecting classrooms), and the Leadership for Change Prize (an annual competition where students develop real-world solutions to global challenges). Additional sub-products support specific curriculum areas including media literacy, oracy skills, and English curriculum objectives. All resources are free for teachers and schools, with the Festival and Prize having optional participation fees.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Topical Talk: Flagship programme providing free classroom resources, global conversations, training and events designed to amplify young voices and inspire open-minded discussions about the news.
- Topical Talk Festival
- Topical Talk Prize (Leadership for Change Prize)
- Topical Talk Headlines
Products and services
- Topical Talk The flagship educational programme providing free weekly classroom resources on current affairs, designed to help students aged 10-16 develop critical-thinking, communication, and media literacy skills through structured discussions about the news.
- Topical Talk Headlines Free weekly lesson on a topic in the news, created by expert teachers and journalists from The Economist. Each Headline lesson is designed to spark discussion and build students' critical-thinking and communication skills.
- Topical Talk Festival Annual global news festival connecting classrooms around the world. Through classroom activities, online discussions and awards, students explore important issues including equity, sustainability, climate and global justice. Costs £349 (+VAT) per class of 34 students for non-fee-paying schools.
- Topical Talk Prize (Leadership for Change Prize) Annual competition (in partnership with Rolex) that helps students build skills and confidence to tackle global challenges, guided by expert judges. Students create real-world projects with potential for global impact.
- Media Literacy Resources Collection of lessons specifically focused on media literacy, helping students identify misinformation, evaluate source credibility, and critically engage with news content. Covers conspiracy theories, deepfakes, and social media regulation. Mapped against Ofcom's media literacy outcomes across five areas.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1 million children reached in 2025-26, doubling from 500,000 in 2024
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use The Economist Educational Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Economist Educational Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Economist Educational Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core partner, principal partner and association.
- Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership (KCSP)core partnerPartnership developed in 2025 focusing on building primary teacher confidence and practice. Includes bespoke training, supported classroom action-research projects, and engagement of over 300 children through Topical Talk Festival and Summer Oracy Project.
- PA Foundationprincipal partnerPartnership with The PA Foundation gives young people STEM knowledge and skills needed for the modern world. Series of focused resources allow students to learn about big STEM news stories. In-person events feature world-renowned experts and PA volunteers.
- KPMG UKcore partnerPartnership delivers 'Numeracy in the News' events where schoolchildren discuss how numbers and statistics are used in news stories. KPMG volunteers take part in Topical Talk Festival, supporting children globally to develop critical-thinking and communication skills.
- Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS)core partnerUS school district partnership including Teacher Leadership Programme with training sessions and action-research projects. Students from Georgia schools participate in Topical Talk Festival and Prize.
- British Councilcore partnerRecruits schools internationally for Topical Talk participation. Partnership brings schools in India, Nigeria, and other countries into the program, supporting global expansion.
- Skills Builder PartnershipassociationTopical Talk uses the Skills Builder Universal Framework to guide skill development and track student progress over time. Framework ensures consistent measurement of speaking, listening, problem-solving, and creativity skills.
- Fair Education AllianceassociationMember of alliance focused on educational equality. Committed to supporting schools and young people in underserved communities to prepare for new curriculum requirements.
- News Literacy NetworkassociationMember of network focused on news literacy education. Collaboration to maximize impact in media literacy space.
- Media and Information Literacy AllianceassociationMember of alliance working on media and information literacy. Partnership supports global efforts in this area.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Economist Educational Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentPeers
Direct peers
- News Literacy Project: US-based non-profit (Checkology e-learning platform) that teaches news literacy to middle and high school students. Directly comparable to TEEF in mission, target audience, and free classroom resource model, but US-centric.
- Common Sense Education: Non-profit arm of Common Sense Media providing free K-12 digital citizenship, media literacy, and news literacy curricula. Closely comparable mission (media literacy for schools) and free distribution model.
- Newsela: Ed-tech company providing current-affairs articles and instructional content for K-12 with leveled reading. Strongly comparable in offering current events content to schools; differentiates via paid subscription and broader subject coverage rather than news-only.
- First News: UK children's newspaper and current-affairs resource aimed at 7-14 year olds. Comparable audience and news-for-schools positioning, distributed via subscription and school partnerships rather than free-only.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Economist Educational Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceThe Economist Educational Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Economist Educational Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
The Economist Educational Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Economist Educational Foundation 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 The Economist Educational Foundation
What does The Economist Educational Foundation do?
The Economist Educational Foundation delivers Topical Talk, a free educational programme providing weekly classroom resources on current affairs for students aged 10-16, combining pedagogical expertise with The Economist's journalistic content. Core offerings include weekly Headline lessons, the annual Topical Talk Festival (a global news festival connecting classrooms worldwide), and the Leadership for Change Prize (an annual competition where students develop solutions to global challenges). All teaching resources are free, with fee-based participation in the Festival (£349+VAT per class) and Prize.
Is The Economist Educational Foundation a public or private company?
The Economist Educational Foundation is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Economist Educational Foundation founded?
The Economist Educational Foundation was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Economist Educational Foundation based?
The Economist Educational Foundation is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Economist Educational Foundation make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations from Individuals are the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships, trust and Foundation Grants and festival Registration Fees.
Who are The Economist Educational Foundation's main competitors?
Facing History & Ourselves is listed as a peer. Direct peers are News Literacy Project, Common Sense Education, Newsela and First News.
Does The Economist Educational Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Economist Educational Foundation.
What industry is The Economist Educational Foundation in?
The Economist Educational Foundation's product category is K-12 Educational Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAOAD, Online Public Speaking & Debate Programs (Live/Recorded), with a secondary code of MPAJABAG, Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.