What The Karat School Project Ksp does

The Karat School Project (KSP) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 by Evelyne Keomian and headquartered at 380 Hamilton Ave #625, Palo Alto, California. KSP delivers free education and community programs in two geographies: (1) Côte d'Ivoire, where it operates the Karat School Education Center in Yopougon/Allokoi — a full-time school providing free enrollment, uniforms, supplies, two meals and two snacks daily, complemented by the Girls' Education Incentive Farming Program, a period poverty initiative, and a planned New Legacy Campus designed for 500 students; and (2) the USA, where KSP supports underhoused families living in RVs in the SF Bay Area through Edu-kits distribution, the Vamos Afuera nature program (in partnership with Environmental Volunteers), and the Youth Empowerment Story Summit (YESS) workshop. The organization also runs women's empowerment and financial literacy programs in Côte d'Ivoire, supported by a Local Women Cohort Lead and delivered alongside adult literacy and climate-resilient farming training.

The business model is donation- and grant-based philanthropy: KSP does not charge beneficiaries and reports no pricing model. Revenue streams include individual donations, stock and crypto donations via Overflow, Donor Advised Fund (DAF) grants, in-kind goods donations via GiveLink, and grant funding pursued by a dedicated Grant Writer. Operational infrastructure is intentionally lean: the firmographic data lists 1-10 employees, with a 25-person management team spanning Founder/Executive Director, in-country School Director, board members, teachers, technical/social-media staff, volunteers, and interns. Partnerships include Splicer Films (documentary 'Fear Not'), Environmental Volunteers (Vamos Afuera), Overflow (stock/crypto), Funraise (donation platform), GiveLink (in-kind), and a sustainable period products partner. The organization earned the Gold Transparency 2025 Candid Seal from GuideStar and operates the website theksp.org as its primary digital channel.

Name

The Karat School Project Ksp

Legal name

The Karat School Project

Website

https://theksp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education and Community Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Services (61)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD)

Keywords

• Nonprofit education services
• Community education programs
• Women empowerment training
• Child education nonprofit
• Humanitarian aid programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting KSP's education and community programs in the USA and Africa.
2. Stock Donations: Donors can contribute appreciated securities through a partnership with Overflow, providing tax advantages while supporting the organization.
3. Donor Advised Fund (DAF) Gifts: Donors recommend grants from their DAF accounts to KSP, receiving immediate tax deductions.
4. Grant Funding: Erika Snow O'Connor serves as grant writer pursuing institutional funding from foundations and government sources.
5. In-Kind Goods Donations: Community members donate goods (clothing, supplies, educational materials) through GiveLink platform.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Karat School Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates free, full-time education centers and community programs for children (primarily girls) and women in Côte d'Ivoire and the San Francisco Bay Area. Its core offerings include a school campus in Yopougon with holistic, child-centered curricula, daily meals, uniforms, and supplies, supplemented by women's literacy, financial literacy, climate-resilient farming, and period-poverty programs. In the USA, it distributes Edu-kits, runs Vamos Afuera nature exploration and YESS youth empowerment workshops for underhoused RV families in Silicon Valley.

Product overview

The Karat School Project is a non-profit organization operating educational programs for children and women in the USA (SF Bay Area) and Côte d'Ivoire. In the USA, programs include Edu-kits (educational supply distribution with essential materials), Vamos Afuera (nature education with Environmental Volunteers), and Youth Empowerment Story Summit (YESS). In Africa, the core offering is the Karat School Education Center with three early childhood classrooms and after-school programs, supplemented by the Girls' Education Incentive Farming Program, Period Poverty & Girls' Empowerment, and the planned New Legacy Campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Karat School Education Center Full-time education center in Yopougon, Côte d'Ivoire offering free enrollment, two daily meals, holistic hands-on inquiry-based learning, and integrated modern technology with local culture for children from impoverished families.
• Girls' Education Incentive Farming Program Program enabling girls to attend school full-time while their mothers receive a 6-month stipend and training in literacy, financial basics, and climate-resilient farming practices in Côte d'Ivoire.
• Period Poverty & Girls' Empowerment Program supplying sustainable period products to middle school girls near the Côte d'Ivoire school campus, addressing period poverty and enabling girls to stay in school during their monthly cycles.
• Edu-kits Educational supply distribution program providing food and gas cards, household supplies, and materials essential for education to children in the RV community in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Vamos Afuera Nature education program conducted in partnership with Environmental Volunteers that introduces children from the RV community in the SF Bay Area to local parks and nature reserves, with transportation, hands-on learning, lunch, and snacks provided free of charge.
• Youth Empowerment Story Summit (YESS) Day-long workshop introducing RV youth in the SF Bay Area to inspiring community leaders who have overcome challenges, encouraging creative expression and self-advocacy.
• New Legacy Campus Planned new campus in Côte d'Ivoire designed to accommodate up to 500 students, featuring 12 modern classrooms, a library, computer lab, teacher housing, cafeteria, and solar-powered infrastructure, intended to impact over 1,000 students over the next 5 years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2024 Impact: 1,000+ people served locally and globally
• +4 more outcomes

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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Environmental VolunteerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts the Vamos Afuera program in partnership, which introduces RV children to nature at local parks and nature reserves. Environmental Volunteers provides transportation, hands-on learning, lunch, and snacks for participants. Program is free for all participants.
• Splicer FilmsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduced the award-winning documentary 'Fear Not' about founder Evelyne Keomian's quest to break the cycle of poverty through education in Côte d'Ivoire and Silicon Valley. The documentary raises awareness of KSP's mission globally.
• OverflowcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnered with Overflow to enable tax-efficient stock and crypto donations online. Overflow handles the donation processing for securities, making it quick, easy, and secure for donors.
• FunraisecoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline fundraising platform used for donation processing. KSP uses Funraise for general donations, USA program support, and Africa program support through dedicated campaign pages.
• Sustainable Hygiene Products CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to supply sustainable period products to middle school girls near the Côte d'Ivoire school campus. Addresses period poverty that causes girls to miss school, with 65% of women and girls in Côte d'Ivoire unable to afford these essential products.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Girl Rising: Global education nonprofit using storytelling and media to advance girls' education; adjacent model using documentary-style content similar to KSP's "Fear Not" partnership with Splicer Films.
• Malala Fund: Higher-profile girls' education advocacy and grantmaking organization; broader and better-funded than KSP, with overlapping mission on girls' secondary education access.

Direct peers

• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and girls' education in low-income countries; closely comparable mission around girls' schooling, women's empowerment, and country-level program delivery.
• More Than Me: Nonprofit running education programs specifically for girls in West Africa (originally Liberia); closely comparable girls' education focus with regional overlap in West Africa.
• Pencils of Promise: Nonprofit that builds schools and runs education programs in developing countries; directly comparable to KSP's school-building model in Côte d'Ivoire, though at significantly larger scale.
• BuildOn: Nonprofit that builds schools in developing countries and runs youth service programs in the US; comparable dual-region model with school construction + domestic youth programs.
• She's the First: Nonprofit partnering with local organizations to support girls' education in low-income countries; comparable in scale and mission focus on first-generation girls completing school.
• Because International: Smaller nonprofit distributing essential goods (shoes, supplies) to children in poverty in the US and abroad; closely comparable model of in-kind goods + education support via direct distribution.

Regional players

• Innermost Learning (Inn Home): Bay Area nonprofit supporting children and families experiencing homelessness; comparable regional peer for KSP's US-side RV-dwelling family programs in Silicon Valley.

Others

• Thread by Thread / Dress for Success (girls' empowerment adjacent): Women's empowerment nonprofits; adjacent comparators for KSP's women's literacy, financial literacy, and economic self-sufficiency programming for mothers in Côte d'Ivoire.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 The Karat School Project Ksp