What Billiard Education Foundation does

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Longmont, Colorado, founded in 1993 to promote a lifelong love of pool and build the next generation of billiard players through youth programs and academic scholarships. Its core offerings include the Junior Instruction Program with instructor training aids and student resources, a Pool in School classroom curriculum, an annual Junior National Championships pathway that funnels state qualifiers into the North American team at the WPA World Junior Championships, a Junior Artistic Pool Challenge, and supplemental recognition programs including the Brendan Crockett Character Award and the Academic All Americans program. The organization has no proprietary technology stack beyond a Wild Apricot-powered membership website, and offers no app, API, or SaaS platform; its technical surface is conventional nonprofit operations tooling.

BEF is funded primarily through tax-deductible individual donations and corporate sponsorships, with one-time and recurring donation options, and counts among its partners industry-leading brands such as Iwan Simonis (textiles), J. Pechauer Custom Cues, and Predator Group, along with a 'Places to Play' venue network of billiard halls spanning at least 18 U.S. states. It works operationally in close coordination with the Billiard Congress of America, which handles BEF mail-in donations and co-supports youth initiatives. The primary customer segments are junior athletes aged 18 and under and their families, plus corporate sponsors seeking community visibility, and the entity is governed by a board of trustees. No revenue, headcount, or financial filings are publicly disclosed, and there are no parent, subsidiary, funding, or M&A relationships.

Name

Billiard Education Foundation

Legal name

Billiard Education Foundation

Website

https://billiardeducation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Billiard Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1993 that operates U.S. youth billiard education programs, including the Junior National Championships pathway, academic scholarships, a Pool in School curriculum, and state-level junior qualifiers, funded by donations and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Education

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Club Sports Programs (EDALAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Youth billiard education
• Junior pool programs
• Nonprofit sports education
• School billiards curriculum
• Junior billiard championships

Headquarters

HQ city

Longmont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the BEF relies primarily on tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations to fund academic scholarships, Pool in School programs, and other youth billiard initiatives. Donations can be made one-time or on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually).
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support BEF events, players, and programs. Sponsors receive recognition and visibility through BEF events and partner pages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Billiard Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1993 that delivers billiards and pool education programs to youth. Its offerings include structured junior instruction, a school-based billiards curriculum (Pool in School), character and academic recognition awards, and competitive tournaments culminating in Junior National and Junior World Championships.

Product overview

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates as a unified educational and competitive platform for youth billiards. The foundation offers a comprehensive suite of programs centered on junior instruction, competitive events, and academic support. Key products include the Junior Instruction Program with teaching aids and training resources, the Pool in School educational curriculum, and the Junior National Championships pathway leading to Junior World Championships. The BEF also provides academic scholarships, junior membership, character awards (Brendan Crockett Character Award), and Academic All Americans recognition. The organization coordinates state-level qualifiers across multiple U.S. states and hosts annual national events. No technology product, API, or SaaS platform is offered—the BEF is purely an educational nonprofit focused on promoting billiards among youth through programs, competitions, and scholarships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Junior Instruction Structured billiards and pool instruction program designed for youth players, delivered through the foundation to teach technical skills to school-age and teenage participants.
• Pool in School School-based billiards curriculum program that brings structured pool instruction into K-12 educational settings for adoption by schools and PE programs.
• Junior National Championships Annual national-level competitive tournament for junior billiards players, preceded by state-level qualifier events that feed into the national finals.
• Junior World Championships International junior billiards competition representing the highest level of the foundation's competitive pathway for elite junior players.

Quantifiable outcome

• BEF Scholarships help fulfill the academic dreams of deserving youth who in turn make a positive impact on the sport and society.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ivan Lee (President/CEO, Iwan Simonis Incorporated)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIvan Lee, President/CEO of Iwan Simonis Incorporated, provides testimonial support for BEF, noting the opportunity to partner with the organization and support its mission while enjoying watching junior players compete.
• Red Dragon Billiards Club and Training CenterminorOthersBilliard training facility in Harvard, MA that trains junior players who compete in BEF events. Multiple championship winners have trained at this facility.
• Dozer's GrillminorOthersHost venue for the 2024 Arizona State Junior Championship in Mesa, Arizona. Hosted by Danielle & Dozer's.
• Enterprise Billiards and AmusementsminorOthersHost venue for the 2024 Pennsylvania Junior State Championship, providing facility for PA juniors to compete.
• Billiard Congress of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBEF mail-in donations are handled through Billiard Congress of America. The organizations work together on youth billiard initiatives.
• J. Pechauer Custom CuesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCreates and donates customized cues each year to help junior athletes get to Nationals. Drawing is held during the National event.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• United States Bowling Congress (USBC): National governing body for amateur bowling with a youth division and scholarship programs. Closely mirrors BEF's model of state qualifiers leading to national championships combined with academic scholarships for youth athletes in a niche recreational sport.
• USA Table Tennis: National governing body for table tennis, running junior national championships and scholarship pipelines to international competition. Shares BEF's structure of state/national/world championship ladders and youth-focused development programs.
• U.S. Chess Federation: National membership organization for chess, offering scholastic programs, national championships, and title pathways. Comparable to BEF as a niche, individual-discipline, mind/skill sport federation with dedicated scholastic and youth divisions.
• USA Swimming Foundation: National foundation supporting youth swimming through fundraising, scholarships, and learn-to-swim programs. Operates an analogous model to BEF as a 501(c)(3) extension of a sport's national body, funding youth participation and academic scholarships.
• USA Cue Sports: National governing body for U.S. cue sports competition, co-hosting the USA Cue Sports Nationals referenced on BEF's website. Directly comparable to BEF as a national billiards organization focused on competitive pathways and player development.
• National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network: Network of community tennis organizations providing free/low-cost tennis and education programming to under-resourced youth. Comparable to BEF for its youth sports-plus-education nonprofit model and academic support framework.
• USA Pickleball Association (USAPA): National pickleball membership organization running tournaments, ratings, and youth programs. Comparable to BEF as a niche cue/racket-adjacent sports federation organizing competitive pathways and accredited membership.
• Billiard Congress of America: National trade association for the billiard industry and BEF's core strategic partner; handles BEF's mail-in donations. Both organizations are U.S.-based national bodies serving the cue sports ecosystem, with overlapping leadership and shared mission to grow the sport.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: Large national nonprofit running youth sports leagues, swim instruction, and after-school programming across the U.S. While broader than BEF, YMCA competes for the same youth recreation participation and has an analogous nonprofit membership-driven model with localized program delivery.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Major national youth development nonprofit offering sports, education, and character programs at local clubs. Comparable to BEF in its youth sports-plus-scholarship nonprofit framework, though operating at far greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BilliardEducationFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/billiard-education-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Billiard Education Foundation