ACUHO-I Foundation

What ACUHO-I Foundation does

The ACUHO-I Foundation is the 501(c)(3) research and educational foundation of the Association of College & University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I), a professional association founded in 1949 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The Foundation raises charitable funds to support educational programs, scholarships, funded research grants, and practice innovations for the campus housing profession, while the parent ACUHO-I delivers the association's core programming across an international membership base of colleges and universities, individual housing professionals, and corporate industry partners.

ACUHO-I's service portfolio is event- and content-centric rather than technology-centric. Core offerings include annual in-person conferences (Campus Home. LIVE!, Business Operations Conference, the co-sponsored ACUHO-I/APPA Housing Facilities Conference, Residence Education Conference), career-stage institutes (Senior Housing Officer Institute, Mid-Level Leadership Institute, Aspiring Directors Institute, the James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute), virtual programs (Leadership Academy, ACUHO-I One Symposium, STARS College), online learning and certification, and benchmark/standards resources (Campus Housing Index, ACUHO-I Core Curriculum, Standards and Competencies across nine functional domains, the Journal of College & University Student Housing, and the Talking Stick publication). Distribution is reinforced by nine North American regional associations, an online community platform, and over 15 specialized professional networks.

The business model is membership-based and diversified across four primary revenue streams: institutional and individual membership dues (recurring), conference and event registration (with tiered pricing for members vs. non-members and early-bird discounts), industry partner/sponsor revenue from corporate exhibitors and advertisers at conferences (booth rentals ranging from $2,099 for members to $3,599 for non-members per 10x10 space), and Foundation donations from individuals and corporate patrons. Customer segments span four professional personas (Student Leaders, Early-Career, Mid-Level, and Senior Housing Officers), colleges and universities as institutional members, and Industry Partners as a secondary B2B segment. ACUHO-I is led by CEO and Executive Director Mary DeNiro with an elected Executive Board; the organization operates independently with no parent company or external ownership.

Name

ACUHO-I Foundation

Legal name

Association of College and Housing Officers-International Research and Educational Foundation

Website

https://acuho-i.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The ACUHO-I Foundation is the 501(c)(3) research and education arm of ACUHO-I, the international professional association for campus housing and residence life officers, raising funds for scholarships, research, and educational programming serving colleges, universities, and housing professionals across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADAHAC

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Funding, Grants & Financial Aid Administration

Keywords

• Campus housing association
• Professional development services
• Higher education conferences
• Residence life programs
• Benchmarking research

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional Membership: ACUHO-I derives revenue from institutional memberships for colleges and universities with housing operations. Membership provides access to benchmarking data, research, professional development, conferences, and the Campus Housing Index.
2. Conference and Event Registration: Registration fees for annual conferences including Campus Home. LIVE!, Business Operations Conference, Housing Facilities Conference, Residence Education Conference, and specialized institutes (NHTI, Behavioral Health and Well-Being Institute).
3. Industry Partner/Sponsor Revenue: Corporate partners and industry sponsors support the organization through booth rentals, sponsorships, and advertising at conferences. Booth rates for non-members are $3,599 per 10x10 booth.
4. Foundation Donations: The ACUHO-I Foundation (501(c)(3) nonprofit) receives donations from individuals and industry partners to fund educational programs, research initiatives, and scholarships for campus housing professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The ACUHO-I Foundation is the 501(c)(3) research and educational arm of the Association of College & University Housing Officers-International. It raises funds to support educational programs, research initiatives, scholarships, and practice innovations for campus housing and residence life professionals, including conferences, benchmarking data (Campus Housing Index), standards and competencies, publications, and certification programs.

Product overview

ACUHO-I (Association of College & University Housing Officers-International) is the leading professional organization for campus housing and residence life professionals. The organization offers a comprehensive ecosystem of products and services including professional development events (Campus Home. LIVE!, Business Operations Conference, Housing Facilities Conference, Residence Education Conference, James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute), virtual engagements (Leadership Academy, ACUHO-I One Symposium, STARS College), online learning (courses, certification, Reslife.net), research resources (Campus Housing Index benchmarking data, ACUHO-I Core Curriculum, Standards and Competencies), publications (Journal of College & University Student Housing, Talking Stick), career services (The Placement Exchange), professional networks (10+ specialized networks), and the Future of the Profession initiative covering eight strategic focus areas. The ACUHO-I Foundation supports the mission through scholarships and corporate partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campus Home. LIVE! Conference Annual flagship in-person conference with expo hall providing professional development, networking, and industry exhibition for campus housing and residence life professionals.
• Business Operations Conference In-person conference with expo hall focused on the business operations aspects of campus housing, including finance, marketing, technology, and administrative management.
• ACUHO-I/APPA Housing Facilities Conference In-person conference with expo hall co-hosted with APPA, focused on facilities management for campus housing operations.
• Residence Education Conference In-person conference with expo hall focused on residence education programming, student learning, and developmental approaches in campus housing.
• James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute (NHTI) Foundational training institute established in 1991 providing intensive training for entry to mid-level campus housing professionals, with more than 1,100 graduates across 33 iterations through 2024.
• Behavioral Health and Well-Being Institute Extended pre-conference institute launched in June 2025 focused on skill building and competencies to improve community well-being within residential settings; pricing $249 for members and $399 for non-members.
• Institutional Membership Recurring membership tier for colleges and universities that provides access to benchmarking data, research publications, professional development, conferences, and the Campus Housing Index.
• Industry Partner Membership Corporate membership tier for vendors and service providers to campus housing that includes booth discounts ($2,099 vs $3,599 non-member), sponsorship opportunities, and brand visibility.
• Individual Membership Individual professional membership tier for campus housing and residence life professionals that provides access to conferences at member rates, publications, networking, and professional development resources.
• Campus Housing Index (CHI) Benchmarking data platform providing member institutions with operational comparisons, allowing them to benchmark work, advocate for resources, and plan for the future through robust dataset contributions.
• Standards and Competencies for Campus Housing Professionals Updated peer-determined standards (best practices) and corresponding professional competencies defining knowledge, skills, and behaviors housing professionals need; updated September 2025 to cover nine functional domains.
• Journal of College & University Student Housing Academic publication for research and scholarship in campus housing and residence life, with associated Manuscript of the Year award.
• Talking Stick Publication Publication serving as an authoritative resource for campus housing professionals with articles, story ideas, and professional insights, accompanied by a Talking Stick of the Year award.
• The Placement Exchange (Career Center) Career placement service operated in partnership with NASPA, connecting housing professionals with employment opportunities in the field.
• Certification Programs Online professional certification programs for campus housing and residence life professionals across functional areas.
• ACUHO-I Foundation Programs 501(c)(3) research and education foundation providing scholarships, individual patrons program, corporate partners program, Parthenon Award recognition, and funded research grants for campus housing professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 1,100 professionals have graduated from the James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute (NHTI) since 1991
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brailsford & Dunlavey (B&D)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2025Strategic partnership announced April 2025 where B&D provides strategic analysis of de-identified Campus Housing Index (CHI) dataset to deliver additional insight to ACUHO-I members. Partnership includes white papers, conference presentations, webinars, and other deliverables to help members plan for the future.
• Southwest ContractminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 February 2025Southwest Contract sponsored the inaugural ACUHO-I Regional Summit held January 15-16, 2025 in Louisville, KY, supporting collaboration among nine North American regional associations.
• Residential College Society (RCS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2024Strategic partnership announced March 2024 to coordinate events focused on the residential college experience. RCS hosts its Residential College Symposium in coordination with ACUHO-I Academic Initiatives Conference in Portland, Oregon, October 7-10, 2024.
• GreyStarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreyStar is a sponsor of the Future of the Profession initiative, demonstrating commitment to advancing the campus housing profession through strategic investment in research and professional development programming.
• Perkins & WillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerkins & Will, an architecture firm, sponsors the Future of the Profession initiative, supporting research and thought leadership for campus housing professionals.
• Huron Consulting GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuron Consulting Group is a sponsor of the Future of the Profession initiative, supporting the advancement of campus housing through consulting expertise and strategic investment.
• NASPAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) for The Placement Exchange career center and collaborative wellness programming including the Well-being in Higher Education initiative.
• APPAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPPA (formerly Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers) partners with ACUHO-I for the annual ACUHO-I/APPA Housing Facilities Conference, combining expertise in facilities management and campus housing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS): Consortium that defines standards and guidelines across student affairs and other higher-education functional areas. Comparable to ACUHO-I's Standards and Competencies as a peer standards-setting body serving higher-education professionals.
• NACA – National Association for Campus Activities: Higher-education association for campus activities and student engagement professionals. Comparable to ACUHO-I as a peer membership association focused on a specific functional area within student affairs, with overlapping institutional buyers and a similar conference model.
• NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation: Professional association for collegiate recreation. Comparable to ACUHO-I as a membership association serving a specific functional area within higher education, with similar conference-driven revenue and a volunteer governance model.
• NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education: The leading U.S. professional association for student affairs administrators in higher education. Directly comparable to ACUHO-I as a peer higher-ed membership association, and an actual operating partner via The Placement Exchange career center and the Well-being in Higher Education initiative.
• Educational Benchmarking, Inc. (EBI): Provider of MAP-Works and other benchmarking, assessment, and analytics tools for higher education. Comparable to the Campus Housing Index as a data-driven benchmarking vendor targeting the same institutional buyers, and a partial substitute for ACUHO-I's data products.
• ASCA – Association for Student Conduct Administration: Professional association for student conduct administrators in higher education. Comparable to ACUHO-I as a niche higher-ed functional association with overlapping institutional buyers and similar membership/conference economics.
• APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities: Association for higher-education facilities officers. Directly comparable as a higher-ed professional association serving a related operational function, and a co-host of the annual ACUHO-I/APPA Housing Facilities Conference — providing a clean structural parallel.
• AACRAO – American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers: Long-established higher-education professional association for registrars and admissions officers. Comparable as a peer membership association with similar conference-and-publication economics serving institutional members in higher education.

Others

• Schreiber Education Group / Schreiber Translations: Provider of educational support services, training, and learning resources to organizations. Comparable to ACUHO-I's online learning and certification function as a peer provider of structured educational support services to institutional buyers in adjacent verticals.

Regional players

• NAHO – National Association of Housing Officers: U.K.-based professional association for housing officers in higher education and the broader public sector. Comparable to ACUHO-I as a peer campus-housing professional association but operating primarily in a different geography, providing a natural international peer reference.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/acuhoi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/acuhoi
• Facebookfacebook.com/acuhoi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-college-&-university-housing-officers---international
• Instagraminstagram.com/acuhoi

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 ACUHO-I Foundation