Schumacher Center For New Economics

What Schumacher Center For New Economics does

The Schumacher Center for a New Economics is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization founded in 1980 and headquartered in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It operates as a think tank, educational institution, and program incubator focused on envisioning and applying concepts for a just and regenerative economy, with particular emphasis on localism, community-based economics, and ethical finance. The Center's audience comprises academics, community organizers, educators, and policy thinkers seeking frameworks beyond conventional economics that address environmental sustainability and social justice.

The Center's core offerings are organized into "Envision" (research, lectures, library, legacy materials), "Apply" (practical programs), and "Share" (curriculum, speakers bureau, newsletters). Applied programs include the Community Land Trust Program (with associated toolkits, directory, and Indian Line Farm), Reinventing the Commons, Local Currencies Program (supporting models such as BerkShares), Community Supported Industry, SHARE Microcredit, and the World Game Workshop. The Center maintains a research library containing the E.F. Schumacher Library, Robert Swann Library & Archives, Local Currency Archives, and Special Collections, and hosts the annual E.F. Schumacher Lectures. The Center accepts donations in cash, stocks, BerkShares local currency, and cryptocurrency.

The Center employs 1-10 staff and is governed by a Board of Directors with an Advisory Board. It generates no commercial revenue; all operating support comes from donations (one-time and recurring), with suggested contribution tiers ranging from $15 to $1,000. Notable personnel include Greg Watson (Curator of World Game Workshop and former Massachusetts Commissioner of Agriculture) and Bayo Akomolafe (W.E.B. Du Bois Fellow for Trans-public Intellectualism). Operational partnerships include October Mountain Financial Advisors and Charles Schwab for stock gift processing, and BerkShares for local-currency-based donations.

Name

Schumacher Center For New Economics

Legal name

Schumacher Center for a New Economics

Website

https://centerforneweconomics.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Schumacher Center for a New Economics is a 501(c)3 nonprofit think tank and educational organization founded in 1980 that develops and disseminates community-based economic models, including community land trusts, local currencies, and microcredit, for academics, organizers, and educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Research and Education

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Economics, Finance & Funding Policy Research (EDADADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Circular Economy & Sustainable Products (Reuse, Repair, Upcycling) (BPAGALAF), Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD)

Keywords

• Nonprofit economics research
• Sustainable economics education
• Community land trust
• Local currency programs
• Economic policy lectures

Headquarters

HQ city

Great Barrington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The Schumacher Center for a New Economics is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Donations are tax-deductible and can be made for general support or for specific programs. The organization accepts one-time and monthly recurring donations, as well as donations by check, BerkShares local currency, stocks and mutual funds, and cryptocurrency.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Schumacher Center for a New Economics operates as a nonprofit educational organization that delivers programs, lectures, publications, and library resources aimed at envisioning and implementing locally-applicable concepts for a just and regenerative economy. Its core offerings include a specialized research library (with E.F. Schumacher's Library, Robert Swann Archives, and Local Currency Archives), the annual E.F. Schumacher Lectures and pamphlets, and applied programs such as Community Land Trusts, Local Currencies, Reinventing the Commons, Community Supported Industry, SHARE Microcredit, and the World Game Workshop.

Product overview

The Schumacher Center for a New Economics operates as a non-profit educational organization offering a portfolio of programs focused on envisioning and implementing locally-applicable concepts for a just and regenerative economy. The core offerings include a Library (with specialized archives), Lectures & Publications (including the annual E.F. Schumacher Lectures), and programs covering Community Land Trusts, Reinventing the Commons, Local Currencies, Community Supported Industry, SHARE Microcredit, The World Game Workshop, and World Grid Project. These programs are complemented by educational curricula and eNewsletters. Rather than a unified software product, the Center functions as a think-tank and educational institution providing resources, publications, and program frameworks for community economic development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• October Mountain Financial AdvisorsminorOthersHandles notification and questions regarding stock gifts to the Schumacher Center. Provides advance notice services for stock donations including receiving account information, stock details, and donor information.
• Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.minorOthersDesignated clearing broker (DTC No.: 0164) for in-kind asset transfers of DTCC eligible securities and options for the Schumacher Center's donation program (Account No.: 8693-9192).
• BerkSharesminorOthersLocal currency program accepting BerkShares paper donations at their offices as an alternative donation method supporting local economics.
• John Todd Ecological DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Todd, pioneer in ecological design, has been a featured speaker at the Annual E.F. Schumacher Lectures. He delivered the 2001 lecture on 'Ecological Design: Reinventing the Future' and has collaborated with the organization on ecological economics topics.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Post Carbon Institute: Nonprofit that publishes research, curricula, and community programs on sustainability, resilience, and post-growth economics — a direct peer in alternative-economics publishing and educational program delivery.
• Club of Rome: International think tank focused on limits to growth, systems thinking, and sustainable futures; comparable to the Schumacher Center in promoting alternative economic paradigms and convening global thought leaders.
• Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) / The American Independent Business Alliance: Network organization advancing local, independent, and sustainable economies through practitioner toolkits, fellowships, and policy advocacy — directly comparable in the localism and community-economic-development space the Schumacher Center occupies.
• New Economics Foundation: UK-based think tank focused on economic alternatives, well-being economy, and community wealth building; comparable as a mission-aligned research and advocacy organization producing publications, programs, and policy ideas on new economics.
• Capital Institute: U.S.-based nonprofit think tank publishing on regenerative and "next economy" frameworks, community currencies, and ecological economics — closely aligned with the Schumacher Center's mission and audience of academics and practitioners seeking alternatives to conventional economics.

Broad incumbents

• Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET): Large, well-funded think tank funding heterodox economics research and university chairs globally; overlaps in the "new economics" thought-leadership space but at far greater scale and academic breadth than the Schumacher Center.
• Levy Economics Institute of Bard College: Academic research institute publishing heterodox macroeconomic policy research; comparable as a research-and-publications organization in alternative economics, but with a university affiliation and broader scholarly scope.

Others

• RSF Social Finance: Mission-aligned financial intermediary and donor-advised fund provider that supports social enterprises, regenerative agriculture, and community-focused lending — adjacent to the Schumacher Center's microcredit and local-currency programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SchumacherCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/SchumacherCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schumacher-center-for-a-new-economics
• Instagraminstagram.com/schumacher_center
• Xx.com/Center4NewEcon

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Schumacher Center For New Economics