Transform Education Now

What Transform Education Now does

Transform Education Now (TEN) is a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit education advocacy organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Denver. It organizes with families to advocate for high-quality K-12 education options, including school choice, through grassroots campaigns, petitions, policy research, and community engagement programs. Its core programs include Parents Choose (flagship), 180 Days of Learning, the Great Schools Framework, the DPS School Choice Timeline, Free or Low-cost Resources, the Rocky Mountain Parent Leadership Summit, and the State of Educational Opportunity Survey, which collected responses from 515 Colorado parents in fall 2025. The organization is an affiliate of the 50CAN national education advocacy network and has secured support from partners including Edge Research, Denver Public Schools, the City of Denver, and DSST, with a GuideStar Seal of Transparency.

The business model relies on charitable donations, grants, and municipal funding. The most significant disclosed funding is a $5M award from the City of Denver in 2024 for the MySpark program. Operating with a lean core team of 1-10 employees, including Executive Director Nicholas Hernandez, Community Organizer Associate Dina Puente, and Operations Manager Fernanda Cerros, TEN monetizes its impact through advocacy outputs (petitions, surveys, summits) rather than commercial products. There is no technology platform or proprietary software; the organization's "deliverables" are programmatic, community-based, and policy-oriented.

Name

Transform Education Now

Legal name

Transform Education Now

Website

https://transformeducationnow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Transform Education Now is a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2016, that organizes with families to advocate for high-quality K-12 education options through grassroots campaigns, parent surveys, and policy programs, operating as a 50CAN affiliate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Advocacy Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Transition Services (Secondary to Postsecondary/Employment, Life Skills) (EDAJAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transition Planning within the IEP (Postsecondary/Employment) (EDAKACAL)

Keywords

• Education advocacy services
• School choice navigation
• Parent leadership programs
• Community organizing education
• Education policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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. Individual Donations: TEN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and part of the 50CAN Network. The organization accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals to support its education advocacy work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Transform Education Now is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education advocacy organization that provides free parent empowerment resources and direct-service programs to Colorado families. Its core offerings include the Parents Choose flagship program that helps families navigate school choice in Denver Public Schools through one-on-one and group sessions, grade-level printable academic goal tools (180 Days of Learning), a parent-built school evaluation framework (Great Schools Framework), and policy advocacy aimed at expanding access to high-quality education statewide.

Product overview

Transform Education Now is a nonprofit education advocacy organization offering a portfolio of parent empowerment resources rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include the Parents Choose flagship program (direct service for school choice navigation), the 180 Days of Learning (printable academic goal trackers aligned to Colorado Academic Standards), and the Great Schools Framework (parent-developed school evaluation tool). Supporting resources include DPS School Choice Timeline, Free or Low-cost Resources compilation, and research publications including the State of Educational Opportunity Survey. All offerings are free resources designed to empower families with information for educational decision-making.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parents Choose Direct service flagship program that helps Denver Public Schools families navigate school choice through one-on-one sessions, school-based sessions, and community meetings at local libraries, helping families identify the right learning environment for their students.
• 180 Days of Learning Grade-level specific, printable learning goals based on Colorado Academic Standards. One-page resources broken down by grade level to help parents track their student's learning goals and progress throughout the school year.
• Great Schools Framework A framework built by parents for parents to evaluate school quality, including guidance on what questions to ask when visiting schools and insights into school operations behind the scenes.
• DPS School Choice Timeline Comprehensive information and timeline resource to help families make informed decisions about which school is the right fit for their learner in Denver Public Schools.
• Free or Low-cost Resources Curated compilation of free and low-cost educational resources available to families in Colorado.
• The State of Educational Opportunity in Colorado: A Survey of Parents Biennial survey of Colorado parents, conducted with 50CAN and Edge Research, that is part of a national effort reaching more than 23,000 families. Provides representative samples of parent perspectives on educational opportunity in Colorado with comparisons to regional and national benchmarks.
• Community Schools Report Report providing analysis and insights on community schools initiatives and their impact on educational opportunities for Colorado students.
• Rocky Mountain Parent Leadership Summit Annual parent leadership event held in Denver featuring workshops, family stories, action items, and networking opportunities for Colorado families in a free, bilingual, and family-friendly format.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured $5 million from City of Denver for out-of-school time programs through MySpark

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 50CANcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016TEN is part of the 50CAN Network, a national network of state-based education advocacy organizations. 50CAN is the 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, with mailing address at 1380 Monroe St NW, #413, Washington, DC 20010. TEN operates as an affiliated entity within the 50CAN network structure.
• Denver Public Schools (DPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEN works closely with Denver Public Schools on various initiatives including the Parents Choose program, school choice resources, and policy advocacy. The organization collaborates with district leadership and has submitted Colorado Open Records Act requests to DPS for academic data.
• Edge ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEN partnered with Edge Research to conduct the State of Educational Opportunity in Colorado survey, part of a national effort reaching more than 23,000 families.
• DSST (Denver School of Science and Technology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEN's Executive Director previously organized with DSST schools and continues to work with charter school providers including University Prep as part of expanding quality education options.
• City of DenvercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2024, TEN secured $5 million from the City of Denver to expand out-of-school time aid through the MySpark program, demonstrating successful government partnership for education funding.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stand for Children: National parent-led education advocacy nonprofit that organizes families around school quality, equity, and policy reform. Operates state-level chapters with similar community organizing, parent leadership development, and policy advocacy offerings as TEN.
• Parent Revolution: Parent-driven education advocacy organization focused on school quality, parent trigger laws, and community organizing. Comparable to TEN's parent-led advocacy model and school choice navigation mission.
• National Parents Union: National coalition of parent advocacy organizations working on school choice, education equity, and parent empowerment. Directly comparable to TEN's family organizing and policy engagement approach.
• Education Reform Now: State-based education advocacy network with affiliated organizations running issue campaigns, lobbying, and parent organizing. Closely parallels TEN's state-level advocacy structure and school choice focus.
• 50CAN: Founder and fiscal sponsor of Transform Education Now's national network. 50CAN operates the affiliated state-based advocacy model that TEN executes in Colorado, sharing playbook, research partnerships, and donor infrastructure.

Regional players

• Colorado Education Initiative: Colorado-based education nonprofit focused on equity, postsecondary, and workforce readiness through partnerships with districts and policymakers. Operates in the same Colorado geography with an overlapping K-12 equity mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Teach For America: Large national education nonprofit placing teachers in underserved schools and advocating for education equity. Broader in scope and teacher-focused, but shares the education equity mission and policy advocacy footprint.

Emerging players

• Bellwether Education Partners: Nonprofit education policy and consulting organization that produces research and advises on K-12 issues. Comparable in the education policy/research space but operates more as a consulting firm than a parent-led advocacy org.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TEN_Colorado
• Facebookfacebook.com/TransformEducationNowCO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transform-education-now
• Instagraminstagram.com/ten_colorado

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Transform Education Now