Sister Schools
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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).
Sister Schools firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Sister Schools industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Sister Schools is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Sister Schools business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- 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.
- Business and Corporate Donations: Local businesses like Windermere Shoreline sponsor school programs and events. Corporate partnerships support specific school initiatives.
- Fundraising Events: Benefit concerts organized by partner schools (such as Fernwood Elementary) raise funds for Sister Schools programs and Uganda operations.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Varsity Team monthly giving program |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sister Schools product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Sister Schools
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sister Schools technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Sister Schools partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Windermere ShorelinecoreWindermere 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 SchoolcorePartner 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 SchoolcoreLongstanding 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 SchoolminorBellevue, WA school with about 600 students that participates in Sister Schools programs. Students learn about Uganda and hold supply drives.
- Chautauqua Elementary SchoolminorVashon Island school that connects with multiple countries (Uganda, Spain, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico) through Sister Schools and The Amity Institute programs.
- Overton Berry Service AwardminorAward 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 SchoolcoreUgandan 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 SchoolcoreUgandan 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 SchoolminorSmall 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 SchoolminorSeattle school partnered with St. Kizito school in Uganda. Community stepped up to fill funding gap when USAID grant was terminated.
- The Amity InstituteminorOrganization that connects Chautauqua Elementary students to Uganda, Spain, and Colombia alongside Sister Schools.
- Makerere UniversityminorUganda'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
Sister Schools competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Sister Schools social profiles
Digital presenceSister Schools financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sister Schools leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
Sister Schools funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sister Schools M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sister Schools
What does Sister Schools do?
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.
Is Sister Schools a public or private company?
Sister Schools is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sister Schools founded?
Sister Schools was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sister Schools based?
Sister Schools is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sister Schools make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are business and Corporate Donations, fundraising Events and grant Funding.
Who are Sister Schools's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Room to Read, Books for Africa, buildOn, African Library Project and Pencils of Promise. Kid World Citizen is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Save the Children, Free The Children / WE Charity and UNICEF USA. SchoolBOX is listed as an emerging player.
Does Sister Schools have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sister Schools.
What industry is Sister Schools in?
Sister Schools's product category is Education Outreach Nonprofit. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAB, K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDADALAC, NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.