Sister Schools

What Sister Schools does

Sister Schools is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1988 by Terry McGill that operates a school-to-school partnership model connecting K-12 schools in the Puget Sound region with primary schools in Uganda. Its core product is a four-stage School Partnership Program consisting of Fall Presentations, a two-week supply drive and collection day, international shipment and distribution of donations to Uganda, and end-of-year Return Presentations at donor schools. Supporting programs include a Literacy Training Program that has established 5 Resource Centers/school libraries at Ugandan partner schools with teacher training workshops and monthly Skype sessions between American and Ugandan educators, a six-year Scholarship Program for secondary education, a Container Program for shipping donated supplies internationally, a Varsity Team monthly giving program ($10/month minimum), and a Volunteer Program.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; it operates through relationship-based logistics, community events, and a Wix-hosted website with Stripe payment processing. Revenue is generated entirely through individual donations (including recurring Varsity Team pledges), business/corporate sponsorships (e.g., Windermere Shoreline), benefit concerts hosted by partner schools (raising $4,600–$5,000 per event), and historically through USAID grants that were terminated in early 2025. Programs are delivered via a small core staff of approximately 5 employees plus a 13-person Board of Directors that includes executives from Meta, Microsoft, and other firms. Annual impact metrics include 2,300+ participating Seattle students, 30,000 pounds of supplies shipped, and demonstrated academic outcomes at partner schools (e.g., 80% of Kiyunga Primary 8 students achieving D2+ on national exams vs. 57% nationally).

Name

Sister Schools

Legal name

Sister Schools

Website

https://sisterschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sister Schools is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that connects K-12 schools in the Puget Sound region with primary schools in Uganda through school supply drives, literacy programs, and cross-cultural exchange partnerships, serving approximately 2,300 US students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Outreach Nonprofit

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)

Keywords

• K-12 school partnerships
• International education outreach
• School supply donations
• Literacy training programs
• Cross-cultural student exchange

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to support school supply programs, literacy initiatives, and operational costs. The Varsity Team program encourages monthly recurring donations of $10 or more.
2. Business and Corporate Donations: Local businesses like Windermere Shoreline sponsor school programs and events. Corporate partnerships support specific school initiatives.
3. Fundraising Events: Benefit concerts organized by partner schools (such as Fernwood Elementary) raise funds for Sister Schools programs and Uganda operations.
4. Grant Funding: Previously received USAID grants for shipping costs, which has since been terminated. Organization seeking alternative funding sources to replace lost grant revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sister Schools operates a K-12 school partnership program connecting schools in the Puget Sound region with primary schools in Uganda through a four-stage process: Fall Presentations, a two-week supply drive, international distribution of donated supplies, and Return Presentations at year-end. The nonprofit also runs a Literacy Training Program that establishes Resource Centers and libraries at Ugandan partner schools, a Scholarship Program sponsoring Ugandan students through secondary school, and a Container Program managing the logistics of shipping donations internationally.

Product overview

Sister Schools is a nonprofit education outreach organization operating since 1988 that connects students in the Puget Sound region with peers in Uganda. The organization offers a School Partnership Program as its core product, which guides schools through a four-stage process: Fall Presentation, Supply Drive and Collection Day, Distribution in Uganda, and Return Presentation. Supporting programs include the Literacy Training Program (which establishes Resource Centers/libraries and provides teacher training), the Scholarship Program (sponsoring Ugandan students through secondary school), the Container Program (managing supply shipments), Varsity Team (monthly donor program), and Volunteer Program. The organization does not operate as a technology platform but rather as a direct service nonprofit facilitating cross-cultural educational exchanges and school supply donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Partnership Program A K-12 school partnership program connecting schools in the Puget Sound region with primary schools in Uganda through a four-stage process: Fall Presentations, a two-week supply drive, international distribution of donations, and Return Presentations at year-end where students see photos and cultural performances from their Ugandan peers.
• Literacy Training Program A literacy initiative that establishes Resource Centers (school libraries) at partner schools in Uganda. The program includes teacher training workshops, monthly Skype Sessions between American and Ugandan educators, and book distribution to build reading cultures.
• Varsity Team Monthly Giving

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,300 Seattle-area students participated in the program in one school year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Windermere ShorelinecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWindermere Shoreline has been serving the Shoreline community since 1977 and partnered with Sister Schools to sponsor the program at Echo Lake Elementary School. Their support helps students participate in global citizenship activities and supply drives for Ugandan peers.
• Echo Lake Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school in Shoreline, WA that participates in Sister Schools programs. Students collect school supplies and learn about global citizenship through connection with Ugandan peers.
• Fernwood Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partner school that hosts annual benefit concerts to raise funds for Sister Schools. Students and families have raised nearly $5,000 through benefit concerts.
• Clyde Hill Elementary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBellevue, WA school with about 600 students that participates in Sister Schools programs. Students learn about Uganda and hold supply drives.
• Chautauqua Elementary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVashon Island school that connects with multiple countries (Uganda, Spain, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico) through Sister Schools and The Amity Institute programs.
• Overton Berry Service AwardminorOthersAward created by Fernwood Elementary and Sister Schools to recognize students who go above and beyond in serving others, named after jazz musician Overton Berry.
• Mukono Boarding SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUgandan partner school since 2006. Transformed from struggling with overcrowded, dilapidated facilities to having clean classrooms, a library, and running water. Students now achieve highest test scores in their district.
• Kiyunga Primary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUgandan partner since 2014 serving nearly 1,000 students. Has seen great improvements in academic scores, with 80% of Primary 8 students achieving top national exam scores.
• Ray of Hope SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall school located on the edge of the largest slum in Kampala. At the beginning of its journey with Sister Schools, serving students in challenging circumstances with minimal resources.
• Salmon Bay K-8 SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeattle school partnered with St. Kizito school in Uganda. Community stepped up to fill funding gap when USAID grant was terminated.
• The Amity InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization that connects Chautauqua Elementary students to Uganda, Spain, and Colombia alongside Sister Schools.
• Makerere UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUganda's premiere institution where Martha Birabwa, a former Sister Schools student, was accepted to the Dental Surgery Program.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and girls' education in low-income countries, establishing school libraries and publishing local-language children's books. Direct peer on the literacy-program and school-library component of Sister Schools' work in Uganda.
• Books for Africa: Collects and ships books and educational materials to African schools and libraries. Peer on the cross-border supply-chain mechanism that Sister Schools uses for its Container Program.
• buildOn: Builds schools in developing countries and runs US service-learning programs that engage American students in global construction projects. Highly comparable on the dual-impact US-student-engagement-plus-international-school-development model.
• African Library Project: Establishes libraries in African schools by collecting and shipping books from US donors. Closely comparable to Sister Schools' Resource Center/literacy program and Container Program operations in Uganda.
• Pencils of Promise: Builds schools and funds education programs in developing countries (Guatemala, Ghana, Laos, Nicaragua). Closest direct peer — both operate K-12 support nonprofits pairing US donor engagement with international school infrastructure in low-income countries.

Others

• Kid World Citizen: Education platform connecting US students with global peers through cultural-exchange and service-learning activities. Adjacent rather than competitive — comparable on the 'global citizenship for K-12 students' value proposition Sister Schools markets to Puget Sound PTAs.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children: Major international NGO running K-12 education programs across multiple developing countries including Uganda. Broad incumbent serving overlapping populations (Ugandan schoolchildren, US donor base) with a much larger operational footprint.
• Free The Children / WE Charity: Large international education and youth-empowerment nonprofit with K-12 school-building programs in developing countries and Adopt-a-Village models. Comparable mission at significantly larger scale; relevant incumbent analog.
• UNICEF USA: Global children's fund with extensive K-12 education programming in Uganda and other developing countries. Comparable on the international K-12 education mission and US-donor fundraising model, though at vastly larger scale.

Emerging players

• SchoolBOX: Builds classrooms, libraries, and provides school supplies and teacher training in Latin America. Smaller emerging peer with a similar model (school construction + literacy centers), operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sisterschools
• Instagraminstagram.com/sisterschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sister-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Sister Schools