The Futures Forum

Name

The Futures Forum

Legal name

The Futures Forum

Website

https://thefuturesforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Foresight Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHACAH

Digital & Technology Transformation Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Management Consulting

Keywords

• Strategic foresight consulting
• Futures literacy training
• Sustainability engineering education
• Futurist keynote speaking
• Space research programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Speaking & Keynote Engagements: Dr. Claire Nelson is booked as a futurist speaker for corporate events, conferences, and government gatherings. Clients include US Department of State, World Bank, OAS, and various international organizations.
2. Strategic Visioning & Workshops: On-demand learning and workshops offered to organizations and communities. Pricing includes One Day and Half-Day sessions for Strategic Visioning (organizations & communities) and Imagine You Inc. (for leaders and solopreneurs).
3. Book Sales: Publication sales including 'SMART Futures for a Flourishing World' and 'Aftershocks & Opportunities' available on Amazon. Book Club subscription model with discounts to coaching and speaker fees.
4. Event Participation: Conference fees for Space Ungana events, Futures Forums, and other community gatherings. Participation fees vary by attendee type (Academic/NGO, Industry, Student, Virtual).
5. SAGIENT FUTURES LLC: For-profit consulting arm that adds value to clients by supporting strategy creation through foresight tools and processes in the strategic thinking component of strategic planning.
6. Donations: 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization accepting tax-deductible donations. Fundraising goals include US$20,000 for Caribbean American Youth Leaders training and US$10,000 for SMART Caribbean 2030 Youth Essay Competition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Futures Forum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers strategic foresight services to help decision makers understand the dynamics of change for organizations, institutions, and communities. Its core offerings include futurist keynote speaking engagements, on-demand SMART Foresight and sustainability workshops, the proprietary SMART Futures Framework methodology, conferences (Space Ungana, Caribbean Futures Forum, Diverse Futures Forum, Smart Futures Exchange), publications, podcasts, and the Open Afrika (OASEAS) space analog research simulation program. Through its for-profit arm Sagient Futures LLC, the organization also provides strategic planning consulting using foresight tools.

Product overview

The Futures Forum is a strategic foresight and futures thinking organization offering a portfolio of programs, services, and initiatives focused on creating sustainable futures. The core offerings include educational workshops (SMART Foresight Workshop, Sustainability Learning Cafe), thought leadership publications (SMART Futures for a Flourishing World book), and media content (Future Sense Now podcast, Future of Black America series, Futures of Women series). The organization operates specialized programs including OPEN AFRIKA (OASEAS) for space analog research simulation in Africa, SPACE UNGANA conferences for African space industry development, and CESRIC for climate and space-based solar energy research. Additional initiatives include the Caribbean Futures Forum, Diverse Futures Forum, and Smart Futures Exchange. The services are delivered through workshops, speaking engagements, storytelling performances (MOON RUNNINGS!), and community building events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Open Afrika: Experimental space exploration analog simulation project focused on opening space exploration to all peoples, particularly Africa
• SPACE UNGANA
• CESRIC (Climate Energy Space Research International Consortium)
• Future Sense Now
• SELI
• Imagine Jamaica / Imagine Ayiti
• Diverse Futures Forum

Products and services

• SMART Futures for a Flourishing World

Quantifiable outcome

• SMART Futures framework enabling paradigm shift for global sustainability
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

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

• SAGIENT FUTURES LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor-profit consulting arm of The Futures Forum that adds value to clients by supporting strategy creation through foresight tools and processes in the strategic thinking component of strategic planning. Combines skills of sustainability engineering, technology assessment, technology foresight and storytelling artistry.
• Caribbean Development Foresight InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on creating futures dialogue in the Caribbean through SMART Caribbean Futures Initiatives. Includes Imagine Jamaica 50 and Imagine Ayiti (Haiti) projects aimed at promoting futures literacy.
• Institute of Caribbean StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Caribbean futures initiatives including Imagine Jamaica 50 commemoration of Jamaica's 50th Independence Anniversary and Imagine Ayiti project in Haiti.
• Morgan State University (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution for Space Futures Forum and CESRIC consortium. Partnership for climate energy space research and space-based solar energy comparative performance studies.
• Charles Darwin University (Australia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCESRIC consortium partner engaged in comparative climate research and space-based solar energy studies.
• Northern Caribbean University (Jamaica)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCESRIC consortium partner engaged in comparative climate research and space-based solar energy studies.
• University of MauritiuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCESRIC consortium partner engaged in comparative climate research and space-based solar energy studies.
• University of Oulu (Finland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCESRIC consortium partner engaged in comparative climate research and space-based solar energy studies.
• SENSELab @ DartmouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCESRIC consortium partner engaged in comparative climate research and space-based solar energy studies.
• International Federation of Engineering Education SocietiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership driving paradigm shift through Sustainability Engineering Literacy Initiative (SELI). Focus on changing design paradigm for engineers to achieve SDG goals.
• Engineering for One PlanetmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership driving paradigm shift through Sustainability Engineering Literacy Initiative (SELI). Focus on changing design paradigm for engineers to achieve SDG goals.
• Center for Global Governance and Emerging Law (Albany Law School)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established to bring multiple disciplines together to address future issues for society. CGGEL mission is to facilitate building critical bridges for analyzing emerging issues through interdisciplinary approach.
• All Nations University (Ghana)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of Space Ungana 2024 in Accra/Koforidua, Ghana. Space Science Technology Laboratory (SSTL) involved in satellite development. Partnership for advancing African space agenda.
• National Society of Black Engineers Aerospace SIG (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on Space Ungana events and African space research initiatives. NSBE Aerospace Special Interest Group advancing diversity in aerospace.
• African Association for Technology & InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on Space Ungana events and African space research initiatives.
• Jamaicans.comminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Jamaican website partner for Imagine Jamaica 50 initiative - Online Idea Festival and blog launch.
• UNESCOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Futures Literacy Summit. Diverse Futures Forum curated alongside UNESCO summit in 2020 with three days of conversations on AfroFuturism to Zaftig Futurosophy.
• Machakos University (Kenya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Afrika collaborator with Dr. Margaret Nganu as Project Director. University engaged in space research and development.
• Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Kenya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Afrika collaborator for analog space research station development. School of Engineering partnership.
• Turkana Basin Institute (Kenya)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Afrika collaborator in development for analog research station support.
• PC K Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (Ghana)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Afrika collaborator for space research development.
• Chalbi Desert Extreme (Kenya)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Afrika collaborator for desert environment analog research.
• Omarichet Space (Kenya)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Afrika collaborator for space research initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Volans: Sustainability-focused foresight and innovation consultancy advising corporates on breakthrough challenges. Direct peer because it combines futures thinking with sustainability advisory, a core overlap with SMART Futures.
• Forum for the Future: Global sustainability and futures nonprofit advising corporations on long-term sustainability strategy. Direct peer because its mission, methods (scenario planning, sustainability literacy), and target clients (corporates, NGOs) overlap tightly with SMART Futures and Sagient Futures.
• Fast Future: Specialist foresight and scenario consulting firm producing futures research, books, and workshops for clients globally. Direct peer given its focus on foresight methodologies and consulting engagements for both corporations and governments.
• The Millennium Project: International futures research initiative producing the State of the Future report and global participatory foresight work. Direct peer given its nonprofit structure, futures literacy focus, and convening of global scenario dialogues.
• Shaping Tomorrow: Strategic foresight consultancy offering scenario planning, horizon scanning, and futures workshops. Direct peer because it sells foresight methodology training and consulting services to organizations worldwide.
• Institute for the Future (IFTF): One of the world's longest-running foresight research organizations, offering forecasts, scenario planning, and futures workshops to governments and enterprises. Direct peer because it competes for the same strategic foresight consulting and speaking engagements The Futures Forum targets.
• School of International Futures (SOIF): UK-based nonprofit helping governments and organizations build strategic foresight capacity, with strong connections to UNESCO Futures Literacy. Direct peer given shared futures literacy mission and public-sector engagement model.

Emerging players

• Tetrix (foresight platform): Emerging foresight software and consulting platform delivering scenario planning tools to enterprises. Emerging player because it overlaps on foresight methodology delivery but uses a software-first delivery model distinct from The Futures Forum's workshop/conference approach.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey Global Institute: Research arm of McKinsey producing long-range scenario analyses and foresight content for governments and corporates. Broad incumbent because its foresight output competes for the same senior decision-maker attention but at far greater scale and depth.
• Monitor Deloitte (Deloitte Strategy): Global strategy consulting arm of Deloitte with established foresight and scenario planning practices. Broad incumbent because it serves the same enterprise strategy clients but as part of a much larger portfolio, not specializing in nonprofit-aligned futures work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookbit.ly/FuturesForumFB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-futures-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Futures Forum