Washington Ethnic Studies Now

K-12 Ethnic Studies Educationwaethnicstudies.com

WAESN is a Washington State-based, majority POC-led nonprofit that develops and sells K-12 culturally relevant Ethnic Studies curriculum, lesson plans, and educator professional development services, and runs youth advocacy programs across Washington State.

Company typePrivate
Founded-
HeadquartersWashington State, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Washington Ethnic Studies Now does

Washington Ethnic Studies Now (WAESN) is a multigenerational, majority people-of-color-led nonprofit organization based in Washington State that advances K-12 Ethnic Studies through curriculum development, educator professional development, and youth-led advocacy. The organization operates as both a 501(c)(3) public charity and a 501(c)(4) social welfare entity, delivering a proprietary library of culturally relevant, decolonial curriculum spanning mathematics, literacy, social studies, and ethnic studies, organized into individual lesson plans (K-5, middle, high school) and complete units such as 'No Me Without Community', 'Lyrics and Liberation', 'Ethnic Studies Identity Affirming Survey', and 'Washington State Latinx History'. A distinctive component is the Five Ethos Framework for Ethnic Studies Mathematics, which structures mathematics instruction around identity, power, community, resistance, and intersectionality. WAESN also produces peer-reviewed publications authored by Board Directors and Staff and offers free downloadable resources, a podcast, and a blog.

The organization monetizes through a diversified set of revenue streams: one-time digital curriculum sales via its e-commerce storefront (waethnicstudies.com), professional services including one-to-one curriculum coaching and consultation for school districts, registration fees for the annual Summer Institute, sustaining-member monthly donations, and fiscal sponsorship services for aligned organizations. Its go-to-market combines community-led organizing (Youth B.A.S.E., Youth Power Lab, Youth Advisory Board), event-driven engagement (Summer Institute, Stay Woke Conference), and direct-to-educator e-commerce. Core customer segments are K-12 educators, youth leaders, Washington public school districts, and community members, with strategic partners including the Professional Educators Standards Board (PESB), the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the NAACP Youth Council, and several Seattle-area educator and community coalitions. Leadership is a small executive team headed by Executive Director Tracy Castro-Gill, Ph.D.

Washington Ethnic Studies Now firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Washington Ethnic Studies Now
Legal name: Washington Ethnic Studies Now
Website: https://waethnicstudies.com
Company type: Private
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: WAESN is a Washington State-based, majority POC-led nonprofit that develops and sells K-12 culturally relevant Ethnic Studies curriculum, lesson plans, and educator professional development services, and runs youth advocacy programs across Washington State.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Washington Ethnic Studies Now industry classification

Industry

Product category: K-12 Ethnic Studies Education
NAICS: Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
akta.pro industry: PRIMARYEDAKAMAM
School Climate, Culture & Belonging Initiatives (DEI-Aligned)
Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Mental Health Supports (School-Based)
SECONDARYBPAGAFAC
Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations
Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations
SECONDARYEDALAHAF
Cultural, Identity & Inclusion Programs
Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Student Activities, Clubs & Campus Life

Keywords

Ethnic studies curriculum
K-12 education services
Professional development training
Youth leadership programs
Culturally relevant pedagogy

Where Washington Ethnic Studies Now is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Washington State
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Washington Ethnic Studies Now business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

Curriculum Sales: WAESN sells individual lesson plans, complete curriculum units, and thematic bundles (e.g., Ethnic Studies Identity Affirming Survey, Lyrics and Liberation, Washington State Latinx History) through their e-commerce platform. These are one-time purchases for educators.
Professional Development Services: WAESN offers curriculum coaching, consultation services, and program evaluation. One-to-one coaching can be bundled with curriculum purchases for district customization.
Summer Institute: Annual professional development event with registration fees for educators seeking training in Ethnic Studies pedagogy and curriculum implementation.
Donations and Membership: WAESN accepts donations and maintains a Sustaining Member program for ongoing financial support from individuals aligned with their mission.
Fiscal Sponsorship: WAESN provides fiscal sponsorship services to other organizations, likely generating administrative or processing fees.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Monthly	Sustaining Members
Other	Pay-as-you-go	One-time Donations

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Washington Ethnic Studies Now product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Washington Ethnic Studies Now (WAESN) develops and sells K-12 culturally relevant, decolonial Ethnic Studies curriculum (full units and individual lesson plans) through its own e-commerce storefront, and delivers fee-based professional development including the annual Summer Institute, one-to-one curriculum coaching bundles, and district-level consultation and program evaluation. The organization also operates youth leadership programs (Youth B.A.S.E., Youth Power Lab), provides fiscal sponsorship to aligned organizations, and runs free advocacy, podcast, and blog content channels to advance Ethnic Studies adoption in Washington State schools.

Product overview

WAESN is a multigenerational nonprofit offering a portfolio of education products and services centered on K–12 Ethnic Studies curriculum and youth-led advocacy. The core offerings include a comprehensive K–12 culturally relevant curriculum (with units like 'No Me Without Community', 'Lyrics and Liberation', 'Ethnic Studies Identity Affirming Survey', and 'Washington State Latinx History') and individual lesson plans organized by grade level and subject. Supporting programs include Youth B.A.S.E., Youth Power Lab, and the Summer Institute for educator professional development. The organization also provides free curriculum resources, a podcast, blog content, peer-reviewed publications, and services such as consulting, program evaluation, and fiscal sponsorship. Youth advisory structures and advocacy campaigns round out the engagement model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Youth B.A.S.E. Youth leadership program under WAESN focused on advocacy and community organizing
Youth Power Lab
Stay Woke Conference
Summer Institute

Products and services

K-12 Culturally Relevant Curriculum WAESN-developed K-12 culturally relevant, decolonial curriculum across all disciplines including mathematics, literacy, social studies, and ethnic studies, packaged as full units such as 'No Me Without Community', 'Lyrics and Liberation', 'Ethnic Studies Identity Affirming Survey', and 'Washington State Latinx History'. Designed for K-12 educators and school districts implementing Ethnic Studies in Washington State.
Individual Lesson Plans

Quantifiable outcome

Pilot program involving 20 educators with 36 hours of PD showing increased confidence in teaching Ethnic Studies
+1 more outcomes

Companies that use Washington Ethnic Studies Now

Customer profile

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Washington Ethnic Studies Now technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Washington Ethnic Studies Now partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSPI has highlighted the need for professional development that promotes anti-racist practices and safe learning environments. WAESN co-authored Washington's Ethnic Studies Framework in collaboration with this state agency.
NAACP Youth CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity resource partner featured on WAESN's resources page, supporting racial and educational justice advocacy in Washington State.
Seattle Caucus of Rank-and-File EducatorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity resource partner supporting educators and community organizing for educational justice in Seattle.
Southeast Seattle Education CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity resource partner focused on educational justice in Southeast Seattle communities.
South Seattle EmeraldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity media partner providing coverage of racial and educational justice issues in South Seattle.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Washington Ethnic Studies Now competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Education: National organization with extensive K-12 education programs on bias, bullying, and discrimination. Overlaps with WAESN's anti-racist pedagogy offerings but operates as part of a much broader anti-hate mission.

Direct peers

Zinn Education Project: Provides free people's-history K-12 lessons and teaching activities aligned with social justice themes, directly overlapping WAESN's curriculum library and free-resource distribution approach.
Rethinking Schools: Publishes equity-focused K-12 curriculum and teaching guides, including ethnic studies and social justice content. Targets the same educator buyer as WAESN with a similar publishing-plus-PD model.
Learning for Justice: Formerly Teaching Tolerance, Learning for Justice provides free K-12 anti-bias and social justice resources, lesson plans, and professional development — directly competing with WAESN's curriculum and PD offerings for the same educator audience.
Teaching for Change: Offers K-12 social justice curriculum, books, and professional development for educators — closely comparable to WAESN's curriculum sales and PD services on a national scale.

Others

Race Forward: National racial justice organization operating programs in education equity and narrative change. Comparable mission and audience, but functions more as an advocacy/think-tank partner than a direct curriculum publisher competing for the same K-12 dollars.
National Association for Ethnic Studies (NAES): Professional association for Ethnic Studies scholars and educators. Provides conferences and resources in the same field as WAESN but functions as a membership/credentialing body rather than a K-12 curriculum provider.

Regional players

Californians for Justice: Youth-led advocacy nonprofit advancing racial and educational justice in California. Highly comparable model (youth-led organizing + policy advocacy) but operates in a different state, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Washington Ethnic Studies Now financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Washington Ethnic Studies Now leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Washington Ethnic Studies Now funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Washington Ethnic Studies Now M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Washington Ethnic Studies Now

What does Washington Ethnic Studies Now do?

Is Washington Ethnic Studies Now a public or private company?

Washington Ethnic Studies Now is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Washington Ethnic Studies Now founded?

Washington Ethnic Studies Now was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Washington Ethnic Studies Now based?

Washington Ethnic Studies Now is headquartered in Washington State, United States, in the North America region.

How does Washington Ethnic Studies Now make money?

Five revenue lines are on record. Curriculum Sales are the primary driver. The others are professional Development Services, summer Institute, donations and Membership and fiscal Sponsorship.

Who are Washington Ethnic Studies Now's main competitors?

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Education is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Zinn Education Project, Rethinking Schools, Learning for Justice and Teaching for Change. Others are Race Forward and National Association for Ethnic Studies (NAES). Californians for Justice is listed as a regional player.

Does Washington Ethnic Studies Now have an API?

No public API is recorded for Washington Ethnic Studies Now.

What industry is Washington Ethnic Studies Now in?

Washington Ethnic Studies Now's product category is K-12 Ethnic Studies Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAKAMAM, School Climate, Culture & Belonging Initiatives (DEI-Aligned), with a secondary code of BPAGAFAC, Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.