Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project

What Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project does

Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project is a nonprofit community partnership program founded in 1995 as a civic journalism initiative by the Wisconsin State Journal and WISC-TV, and re-established in 1998 after securing an AmeriCorps*VISTA grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The program delivers evidence-based, volunteer-led literacy tutoring to kindergarten through fifth grade students in selected elementary schools within the Madison Metropolitan School District and the Sun Prairie Area School District in Dane County, Wisconsin. AmeriCorps members serve as tutor coordinators who recruit, screen, train, place, and supervise community volunteers — including parents, grandparents, high school and post-secondary students, business partners, faith communities, neighborhood residents, and older adults — who then work one-on-one or one-on-two with identified students during school hours. Sub-product lines extend the model into middle school literacy/math (via the Urban League of Greater Madison partnership) and high school Algebra 1/Geometry tutoring (via United Way of Dane County's Achievement Connections).

The underlying technology is non-existent in the conventional sense: Schools of Hope is a human-delivered service program, not a software or platform company. Its core "platform" is a standardized volunteer management and training curriculum refined over more than 25 years, supported by partner-provided school site access and book-distribution logistics. Outcomes are tracked via annual teacher and tutor surveys, with reported metrics including 95% of teachers citing increased student reading ability and 96% citing positive attitude change. National recognition includes a White House honor, inclusion in the 2009 Congressional budget justification, and profile in the book of the 52 Most Innovative AmeriCorps Programs.

The business and revenue model is grant-dependent. Schools of Hope receives primary funding from federal AmeriCorps grants administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, matched by United Way of Dane County and supplemented by in-kind resources from participating school districts. The service is provided free of charge to schools, students, and families. AmeriCorps members receive bi-weekly living allowances ($475-$1,304 depending on hours and program year) and, upon successful completion of service, a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award (ranging from $1,068 to $6,895) usable for education expenses or student loan repayment. No explicit revenue figure is disclosed; the operating footprint is limited to approximately 11-50 personnel including 3-4 core staff (Director Emily Greene, Program Manager Emma Gleed, Program Assistant Anneke Kingery) and 16+ AmeriCorps members serving during the school year, alongside a volunteer network that historically engaged roughly 700 tutors reaching over 2,100 children annually.

Name

Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project

Legal name

Schools of Hope Project

Website

https://schoolsofhope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project is a Madison, Wisconsin nonprofit partnership that recruits and trains community volunteers, coordinated by AmeriCorps members, to deliver evidence-based literacy tutoring to K-5 students in the Madison Metropolitan and Sun Prairie Area school districts, funded primarily by federal AmeriCorps grants and United Way of Dane County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literacy Tutoring Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Literacy & Numeracy Intervention (Reading/Math Support) (EDAJALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remedial & Academic Intervention Programs (Reading/Math Recovery) (EDAJAGAC), Writing & Composition Intervention (Handwriting, Spelling, Written Expression) (EDAKADAC)

Keywords

• Literacy tutoring services
• AmeriCorps national service
• Volunteer coordination
• Elementary education support
• Community partnership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and United Way Funding: Schools of Hope receives grant support from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) through AmeriCorps programs, matched with United Way of Dane County funds and in-kind resources from participating school districts (Madison Metropolitan School District and Sun Prairie Area School District). Since 1998, the project has received CNCS grants as both AmeriCorps VISTA (1998-2007) and AmeriCorps (since 2007) programs.
2. Living Allowance and Education Awards for AmeriCorps Members: AmeriCorps members receive a bi-weekly living allowance and upon successful completion of service, receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award that can be used for education costs or student loan repayment. These are funded through AmeriCorps national service programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project coordinates an evidence-based literacy tutoring intervention for K-5 students in Madison and Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. AmeriCorps members recruit, screen, train, place, and support community volunteers who deliver one-on-one or small-group tutoring in partner elementary schools. The program is operated as a collaboration of United Way of Dane County, Madison Metropolitan School District, and Sun Prairie Area School District, funded primarily through Corporation for National and Community Service AmeriCorps grants.

Product overview

Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project is a single unified community service program that provides evidence-based literacy tutoring for elementary students. The core offering combines AmeriCorps member coordination with a volunteer tutor network, offering elementary school literacy tutoring, middle school math/literacy support (via Urban League partnership), and high school math tutoring (via United Way Achievement Connections). AmeriCorps members serve as tutor coordinators who recruit, train, and supervise community volunteers while providing direct tutoring themselves. The program operates exclusively in Madison and Sun Prairie, Wisconsin school districts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elementary School Volunteer Tutoring Program Trained community volunteers deliver one-on-one, one-on-two, or one-on-three literacy tutoring to K-5 students identified by teaching staff at partner elementary schools in Madison and Sun Prairie. The program includes volunteer recruitment, screening, orientation, training, ongoing support, and recognition, all coordinated by AmeriCorps members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of teachers reported volunteers contributed to increase in students' reading ability
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Middleton-Cross Plains Area School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Expanded to include Middleton area in 2010. Limited or historical involvement.
• Verona Area School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Expanded to include Verona Area School District in 2006. Limited or historical involvement.
• Sun Prairie Area School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partner school district providing access to elementary schools. Currently not actively serving but listed as a project partner. Joined Schools of Hope in 2005.
• United Way of Dane CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Lead partner organization that coordinates the Schools of Hope collaboration and provides funding support. Leadership Team was convened by United Way of Dane County to identify tutoring as a method of addressing achievement gaps. United Way provides grant matching and organizational leadership.
• Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Primary partner school district providing access to elementary schools and in-kind resources. AmeriCorps members serve as tutor coordinators in designated high-need MMSD schools.
• Wisconsin State JournalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995Original founding partner - civic journalism project by Wisconsin State Journal and WISC-TV that studied how active community engagement could address critical local needs. Educational issues emerged as community priority.
• WISC-TVminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995Original founding partner - civic journalism project with Wisconsin State Journal that studied how active community engagement could address critical local needs.
• Achievement Connections (United Way Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Way's Achievement Connections program works with Schools of Hope to provide high school tutoring in Algebra 1 and Geometry. Targets high schools within MMSD and Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District.
• Urban League Middle Schools of Hope Tutoring ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Urban League of Greater Madison to provide middle school tutoring in math and literacy through dedicated volunteers working one-on-one with students.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Reading Partners: National nonprofit providing volunteer-based, one-on-one literacy tutoring to K-5 students in under-resourced schools. Closely comparable to Schools of Hope in target population, volunteer-driven delivery model, and focus on elementary literacy outcomes.
• Reach Out and Read: Nonprofit promoting early literacy through pediatric clinic-based book distribution and family reading guidance. Addresses the same birth-through-elementary literacy achievement gap with a partnership-driven model.
• AARP Foundation Experience Corps: Intergenerational volunteer literacy tutoring program placing older adults in K-3 classrooms. Comparable volunteer-driven, school-based literacy intervention model and federal AmeriCorps funding backbone.
• Minnesota Reading Corps: AmeriCorps-funded K-3 literacy tutoring program operated through ServeMinnesota. Identical structural model (paid AmeriCorps tutors + evidence-based intervention + school partnerships), making it the most direct functional peer.
• Wisconsin Reading Corps: AmeriCorps-funded literacy tutoring program in Wisconsin. Direct geographic and structural peer - same AmeriCorps funding channel, same state, same K-3 literacy focus, and same evidence-based intervention approach.
• Raising A Reader: National early literacy and family engagement nonprofit partnering with schools and libraries. Comparable mission of building home libraries for low-income families, similar to Schools of Hope's book-distribution component.

Broad incumbents

• City Year: Large AmeriCorps national service program placing young adults in schools for whole-school student support. Shares the AmeriCorps funding mechanism, federal CNCS oversight, and tutor/mentor role structure, though scope is broader than literacy.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth mentoring nonprofit using volunteer mentors in school and community settings. Comparable volunteer-recruitment, training, and match-support model applied to broader youth outcomes (with academic support as one component).
• Reading Is Fundamental (RIF): Long-running national children's literacy nonprofit. Operates at much larger scale on a different mechanism (book distribution and reading motivation) but addresses the same K-5 literacy gap Schools of Hope targets.

Emerging players

• 826 National: Network of nonprofit writing and tutoring centers serving K-12 students with volunteer tutors. Comparable volunteer-tutor school partnership model with stronger emphasis on writing/composition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/schoolsofhope
• Facebookfacebook.com/Schools-of-Hope-AmeriCorps-Project-260080414007137
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schools-of-hope-americorps-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/schoolsofhope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Schools of Hope AmeriCorps Project