Women's Education Project

What Women's Education Project does

Women's Education Project (WEP) is a US-based 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN: 22-3862361) headquartered at 244 Fifth Avenue, New York, that operates career-readiness programs for young women in under-resourced communities, with operational focus in South Asia (India). The organization runs two interconnected programs: the Leadership Academy (LAMP), a four-pillared, sisterhood-based curriculum that combines skills training, career exploration, hands-on projects, and mentorship over a one-to-two-year arc and culminates in lifelong membership in the Alumnae Association; and the Collaboration Lab, an incubator and consortium that equips partner organizations with curriculum, technology, measurement tools, and network access. WEP reaches beneficiaries through a network of 200+ NGO delivery partners rather than direct-to-consumer, and reports 4,000+ alumnae working as teachers, IT technicians, nurses, police officers, entrepreneurs, and changemakers.

The underlying technology is a mobile-first education platform supporting skills training, career exploration, and mentor network integration; the organization also distributes content via a partnership with edWeb and operates an annual Red Bangle Award ceremony (currently in its 11th year, November 2024) that recognizes contributions to women's leadership. WEP does not charge students for participation. Revenue is generated through donations from individuals and charitable contributions plus corporate sponsorships from a set of named sponsors including Vandermark Foundation, Odysseus Solutions, ClassLink, Desi Galli, edWeb, and Horace Street Consulting. Financial transparency is maintained through publicly available IRS Form 990 filings (FY2012-FY2022). The organization is led by Founding Executive Director Zoe Timms and operates as an independent nonprofit with no disclosed parent, institutional investors, or venture backing.

Name

Women's Education Project

Legal name

Women's Education Project

Website

https://womenseducationproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Women's Education Project is a US-based nonprofit operating a mobile-first career-readiness program for young women in under-resourced South Asian communities. It partners with 200+ NGOs to deliver a sisterhood-based Leadership Academy curriculum, supported by donations and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Women's Education and Career Readiness

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Service Learning & Volunteer-to-Career Pathways (EDAMAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO), Alumni, Peer & Community Networking Programs (EDAMAKAM), Collaboration, Teamwork & Conflict Resolution (EDAAAKAF)

Keywords

• Women's education programs
• Career readiness training
• Leadership development
• Nonprofit education services
• Mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a US 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN: 22-3862361), WEP relies on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund its programs. The organization maintains transparency with publicly available IRS Form 990s.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors including Odysseus Solutions, ClassLink, Desi Galli, EdWeb, Vandermark Foundation, and Horace Street Consulting provide financial and in-kind support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Women's Education Project equips NGO partners with a four-pillared Leadership Academy (LAMP) career-readiness program that prepares young women in under-resourced communities to pursue careers. The program combines sisterhood-based learning, skills training, career exploration, hands-on projects, and mentorship delivered through a mobile-first platform, and is supported by the Collaboration Lab, which provides NGO partners with enhanced curriculum, technology, measurement tools, and network access. The program runs over one to two years and culminates in lifelong Alumnae Association membership.

Product overview

Women's Education Project (WEP) operates as a single unified program focused on career-readiness education. The organization offers two interconnected programs: the Leadership Academy (LAMP), a four-pillared career-readiness program rooted in sisterhood that prepares young women for careers through skills training, mentorship, and experiential projects over one to two years; and the Collaboration Lab, WEP's training and resource center that supports NGO partners with enhanced curriculum, technology, measurement tools, and networking. The organization also administers the Red Bangle Award, an annual forum recognizing outstanding contributors to women's education and career development. WEP's approach combines mobile-first technology with an extensive mentor network to enable young women to pursue and sustain careers of their choosing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WEP Leadership Academy (LAMP): Leadership and livelihood readiness program rooted in sisterhood, preparing young women to lead and succeed through skills training, career exploration, hands-on projects, and mentorship.
• Collaboration Lab

Products and services

• Leadership Academy (LAMP) A four-pillared career-readiness program rooted in sisterhood for young women in under-resourced communities. Students explore career paths through local resources and an extensive mentor network, supported by a mobile-first platform with skills training, career exploration, hands-on projects, and mentorship. The program runs over one to two years and culminates in membership in a lifelong Alumnae Association.
• Collaboration Lab WEP's core training and resource center serving as an incubator and consortium for NGO partners. Provides enhanced curriculum, technology, measurement tools, and networking support to enable partner organizations to deliver the Leadership Academy program in their local communities.
• I Am a Leader Academy A program announced for young women to discover their careers, launched via press release on March 8, 2019, serving as an early career-discovery offering in WEP's portfolio.
• Red Bangle Award Annual award ceremony and forum recognizing individuals for contributions to women's leadership and education. The 11th Annual ceremony was held in November 2024 recognizing Neha Kirpal of Amaha Health and Paige Johnson of Microsoft; the 10th Annual in October 2023; and the 9th Annual in October 2022.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000+ alumnae are working as teachers, IT technicians, nurses, police officers, entrepreneurs, and changemakers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Desi GalliminorOthersSponsor supporting WEP's initiatives. Listed as a generous sponsor on WEP's website.
• EdWebcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEdWeb is a professional learning network that hosts WEP's webinars and educational content, expanding reach to educators and professionals.
• NGO Partner NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner200+ NGO partners deliver WEP's Leadership Academy curriculum through the Collaboration Lab, which serves as an incubator and consortium providing enhanced curriculum, technology, measurement tools, and network access.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pratham: One of India's largest NGOs focused on education and vocational skills for under-resourced youth, including girls. Highly comparable to WEP in mission, target population, and India-based delivery model, though at significantly larger scale.
• CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education): International nonprofit supporting girls' education and economic empowerment across Sub-Saharan Africa, featuring a lifelong alumnae network model. Highly comparable program architecture (mentorship, alumnae association, leadership pathways) and similar target demographic.
• Educate Girls: India-based nonprofit working to enroll, retain, and empower girls in school and beyond through community mobilization. Directly comparable in mission (girls' education and empowerment in under-resourced Indian communities) and partnership-driven delivery.
• Azad Foundation: India-based NGO focused on empowering marginalized women through education, livelihood, and leadership programs. Also a Red Bangle Award recipient, with comparable mission and beneficiary focus.
• Nirantar Trust: India-based organization working on women's empowerment through education, life skills, and gender equity programs. Directly comparable in geography, target population, and curriculum-driven approach to women's empowerment.
• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality in education, with significant programming in India. Comparable in mission (girls' education and life-skills), program structure (mentorship, leadership, lifelong engagement), and geographic footprint.
• Maitrayana Charity Foundation: India-based NGO supporting women's empowerment and education, recognized by WEP's Red Bangle Award. Operates in the same geographic and thematic space with overlapping beneficiary profiles.

Broad incumbents

• Malala Fund: Leading global organization advocating for girls' education and funding local education programs, co-founded by Malala Yousafzai. Operates broadly across multiple regions with advocacy and grantmaking, overlapping WEP's mission but at much larger scale and with a different operating model.
• Piramal Foundation: Large India-based philanthropic foundation operating multiple programs in education, health, and women's empowerment across rural communities. Comparable in geographic and demographic focus but operates as a much larger multi-thematic platform.

Others

• EdWeb (edweb.net): Professional learning network for educators that hosts WEP's webinars and content. Functions as an enabling/distribution partner rather than a competitor, but is comparable as a community-led educator engagement platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Women's Education Project