The Maine Education Association

What The Maine Education Association does

The Maine Education Association (MEA) is a 501(c)(5) member-driven professional association and labor union founded in 1859 in Waterville, Maine, and currently headquartered in Augusta. It represents approximately 23,000 educators across Maine's public K-12 schools, education support professional (ESP) workforce, University of Maine system and Maine Community College system faculty/staff, retired educators, and pre-service students. MEA operates as the Maine state affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA, 3M+ members nationally) and delivers its core service of collective bargaining representation through 15 UniServ Districts and 4 regional offices (Augusta, Bangor, Caribou, South Portland).

MEA's product portfolio centers on a unified member services stack: the MEA Learning Hub (a LearnUpon-powered asynchronous LMS for professional development), the MEA Mobile App (iOS/Android, providing live chat, salary guide access, and benefits navigation), a statewide Salary Guide Database supporting contract negotiations, the Maine Educator Magazine (a quarterly publication to ~23,000 members), a Legal Services Program for employment matters, and the MEA Benefits Trust (MEABT) which provides health insurance. Supporting benefits are aggregated through NEA partnerships: $1M Educators Employment Liability (EEL) coverage, NEA Member Benefits, Horace Mann insurance, Northeast Delta Dental, and NEA Foundation grants. Technology is delivered via a WordPress-based public website, the NEA360 member portal, and standard social/video platforms.

MEA's business model is subscription recurring revenue funded entirely by member dues paid via payroll deduction, credit card, or EFT, with prorated mid-year joins and a freemium Student MEA tier. As a 501(c)(5) labor organization it is not required to publicly disclose financials. The organization is governed by an elected Board of Directors and President, with a professional staff led by an Executive Director and supported by directors across communications, government relations, digital media, legal, training, and UniServ field operations.

Name

The Maine Education Association

Legal name

Maine Education Association

Website

https://www.maineea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1859

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Maine Education Association is a 501(c)(5) labor union and professional association representing approximately 23,000 Maine educators across K-12, ESP, higher education, retired, and student segments, delivering collective bargaining, professional development, legal services, and benefits through 4 regional offices and 15 UniServ Districts as the state affiliate of the NEA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educator Union and Professional Association Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

Keywords

• Educator union membership
• Collective bargaining representation
• Professional development training
• Member benefits administration
• Education labor advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Augusta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from K-12 educators, ESPs, Higher Ed faculty, retired members, and student members. Dues can be paid via payroll deduction, credit card, or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). Prorated for mid-year joins.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Maine Education Association is a member-driven labor union and professional association that represents approximately 23,000 Maine educators across K-12 certified staff, education support professionals, higher education faculty, retired educators, and students. Its core offerings include collective bargaining representation, legal services for employment matters, professional liability insurance ($1 million through NEA), professional development through the MEA Learning Hub, salary data, health insurance through the MEA Benefits Trust, retirement planning seminars, and legislative advocacy at state and national levels. The organization operates through 15 UniServ Districts and four regional offices across Maine.

Product overview

The Maine Education Association operates as a membership-driven educators' union offering a unified portfolio of member services. The core offerings include the MEA Learning Hub (a LearnWorlds-based asynchronous professional development platform), the MEA Mobile App (providing member-exclusive features including live chat, salary data, and benefits access), and the Join Now/NEA 360 membership enrollment system. Supporting services include the Maine Educator Magazine (quarterly publication to 23,000 members), a statewide Salary Guide database for collective bargaining support, and comprehensive member benefits through MEABT health insurance and NEA programs. Legal representation, professional liability coverage (NEA EEL), retirement planning seminars, and governance document access round out the service portfolio. The association does not operate a modular platform architecture but rather delivers services through integrated member-facing touchpoints.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MEA Learning Hub Asynchronous online learning management system powered by LearnUpon providing flexible professional development courses for educators, available anytime and anywhere. Members can access a course catalog and complete training for career growth and skill enhancement.
• MEA Mobile App Member-exclusive mobile application available on iOS and Android featuring live chat with MEA representatives, President's updates, member benefits access, and a statewide salary guide database.
• Join Now (NEA 360 Membership Enrollment) Secure online membership application system enabling new educators to join MEA with encrypted payment processing, automatic proration for mid-year enrollment, and payment options including credit card, Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), and payroll deduction.
• Salary Guide Database Comprehensive statewide salary database allowing MEA members to search all Maine school districts to compare pay and inform contract negotiations and collective bargaining efforts.
• Maine Educator Magazine Award-winning official quarterly publication mailed to approximately 23,000 MEA members, covering important educator issues, member stories, and workplace resources.
• MEA Benefits Trust (MEABT) Health Insurance Health insurance program offering medical, dental, and related benefits for active and retired Maine educators, managed as a cooperative trust. Marketed as offering some of the best health insurance on the Eastern Seaboard through various plan options.
• Legal Services Program Comprehensive legal representation services for MEA members including defense in dismissal hearings, abuse allegations, criminal proceedings related to school duties, and attorney referral programs for employment matters.
• NEA Educators Employment Liability (EEL) Coverage Professional liability insurance coverage of $1 million protecting educators from personal financial liability stemming from employment-related lawsuits, provided as a membership benefit through NEA.
• Pre-Retirement Seminars Educational seminars for educators planning retirement within five years, covering MainePERS pension calculations, MEABT medical plan options, and Social Security provisions including GPO/WEP.
• Student MEA Pre-professional membership program for students enrolled in accredited educator preparation programs, providing career preparation resources, networking, and early union engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 23,000+ educators represented in collective bargaining
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• National Education Association (NEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEA is the Maine state affiliate of NEA, the largest professional union in the country with more than 3 million members. NEA provides professional liability insurance ($1 million for members), member benefits programs, national advocacy, and professional development resources.
• MEA Benefits Trust (MEABT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEA Benefits Trust provides health insurance for active and retired Maine educators. Offers some of the best health insurance on the Eastern Seaboard through various plan options.
• NEA Member BenefitscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNEA Member Benefits (NEAMB) provides discounted programs and services including auto insurance, home insurance, travel discounts, car rental, and magazine service exclusively for NEA/MEA members.
• Northeast Delta DentalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEA Dental Plan offered exclusively as a negotiated contractual benefit for Maine educators through Northeast Delta Dental. Cannot be purchased on individual basis.
• NEA FoundationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNEA Foundation provides Global Learning Fellowship, Learning & Leadership Grants, and Student Success Grants for qualifying MEA members to fund education projects.
• Horace MannminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHorace Mann offers affordable auto and home insurance as well as retirement strategies and financial wellness education specifically designed for educators.
• Tickets at WorkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExclusive discount program for MEA members offering savings on entertainment, theme parks, sporting events, movie tickets, hotels and more.
• MainePERScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaine Public Employees Retirement System - provides retirement benefits information through MEA-Retired pre-retirement seminars and retirement counseling services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS): The independent body that runs National Board Certification, a credential MEA actively promotes to members through its Professional Learning offerings. NBPTS is an adjacent, ecosystem-level partner that complements MEA's PD and certification services.

Broad incumbents

• National Education Association (NEA): The national parent affiliate of MEA and the largest U.S. educator labor union (3M+ members). NEA provides MEA's liability insurance, member benefits programs, and advocacy infrastructure, making it the most directly comparable entity—only at a national rather than state scale.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): The second-largest national teachers' union (1.7M+ members) and a competing affiliate structure to NEA. AFT operates state and local affiliates that, like MEA, provide collective bargaining, professional development, and member benefits to educators.
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME): The largest U.S. public-sector union (1.4M+ members). AFSCME represents education support professionals (ESPs)—the same secondary segment MEA represents through ESP membership—providing a comparable bargaining and benefits structure for school support staff.

Regional players

• Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA): The NEA state affiliate for Massachusetts with ~110,000 members. MTA is a directly comparable state-level teachers union offering collective bargaining, legal services, professional development, and member benefits to public school educators in an adjacent New England geography.
• Vermont-NEA (VNEA): The NEA state affiliate for Vermont representing public school educators. VNEA mirrors MEA's structure with collective bargaining, professional development, and member benefits, serving a neighboring New England state with a similarly small membership base.
• New Hampshire Education Association (NHEA): The NEA state affiliate for New Hampshire representing K-12 educators, support staff, and higher education faculty. NHEA parallels MEA's multi-segment membership model and statewide UniServ-style field representation in another adjacent New England geography.
• Connecticut Education Association (CEA): The NEA state affiliate for Connecticut with ~40,000 members. CEA operates a directly comparable model to MEA—collective bargaining, professional learning, member benefits, legislative advocacy—in another Northeastern state with similar collective bargaining frameworks.

Direct peers

• Maine State Employees Association (MSEA): A Maine-based labor union (SEIU Local 1989) representing state employees. While not education-specific, MSEA operates the same statewide collective bargaining, dues, and member benefits model within Maine's public-sector labor framework.
• Education Association of Worcester (EAW): A local NEA-affiliated teachers association comparable to MEA's local associations (e.g., Lewiston EA, Bangor EA). EAW delivers bargaining representation, professional development, and member services to K-12 educators at the district level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/maineea
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-KD6-4VaO-n0j2DDAyhtxQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/maineea
• Instagraminstagram.com/maineeducationassociation
• Pinterestpinterest.com/maineea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Maine Education Association