The Charter Institute At Erskine Inc

What The Charter Institute At Erskine Inc does

The Charter Institute at Erskine is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charter school sponsor and authorizer registered with the South Carolina State Department of Education since May 2017 and formally established by Erskine College in 2018. It is the largest and fastest-growing charter school sponsor in the state, sponsoring approximately 30 public charter schools on roughly 30 campuses that collectively serve about 30,000 students across every county in South Carolina. Its primary function is regulatory — reviewing charter applications, granting charters, and overseeing accountability for compliance and academic performance — augmented by a Shared Services Model that provides participating schools with operational support in finance, compliance, human resources, and administration.

The Institute's core products center on three service lines: charter school authorization (start-up and renewal), sponsor-transfer services for schools seeking to leave other authorizers, and the Shared Services Model for back-office functions. Underlying technology includes virtual school learning management platforms such as SC Virtual Charter School, SC Connections Academy, and Odyssey Online Learning, plus partner-integrated tools such as WeatherStem weather stations installed at individual campuses. Auxiliary programs include Move the Needle academic achievement initiatives, the Math Performance Bonus Program (awarding $1,000 per qualifying teacher based on SC READY scores), the Student Ambassador Program, the Institute's Got Talent statewide competition, the Teacher of the Month recognition program, and an annual Awards Banquet. A flagship partnership with Erskine College funds a minimum $100,000 four-year scholarship for qualifying graduates from Institute-sponsored schools.

The Institute's revenue model is a recurring sponsorship fee set at no more than 2% of the public funding allocated to each sponsored charter school based on student enrollment under South Carolina state law. Charter schools themselves are tuition-free public schools, so the Institute monetizes exclusively via its institutional relationship with the schools it sponsors rather than via direct family payments. Its go-to-market is sales-led and advocacy-driven, combining school-choice advocacy, an Educational Freedom Toolkit, community outreach along underserved corridors (notably the rural I-95 corridor), and active recruitment of charter operators through structured application and sponsor-transfer processes. Customer segments include families seeking school choice, charter school operators seeking authorization and back-office support, and K-12 students seeking alternative education pathways including virtual, STEM, classical, and career-focused curricula.

Name

The Charter Institute At Erskine Inc

Legal name

The Charter Institute at Erskine

Website

https://erskinecharters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Charter Institute at Erskine is a nonprofit charter school sponsor authorized by the South Carolina State Department of Education. It authorizes and provides shared back-office services to approximately 30 public charter schools serving 30,000 students statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charter School Sponsorship and Education Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Authorizers & Oversight Boards (EDADABAB)

Keywords

• Charter school sponsorship
• School authorization services
• Education nonprofit services
• Charter school support
• K-12 public education

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Charter School Funding: South Carolina state law allocates public funds based on student enrollment. Schools pay a sponsorship fee of no more than 2% of their funding to the Institute for authorization and support services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Charter Institute at Erskine is a nonprofit charter school authorizer that sponsors, oversees, and supports public charter schools across South Carolina. It reviews charter applications, grants charters, monitors accountability, and provides a shared services model covering finance, compliance, HR, and administration to schools in its portfolio. Sponsored schools pay the Institute a fee of no more than 2% of their state per-student funding in exchange for these authorization and support services.

Product overview

The Charter Institute at Erskine is a nonprofit charter school authorizer and support organization operating as a single, unified service offering. It does not offer a traditional software product but rather provides a comprehensive portfolio of educational authorization and support services to public charter schools across South Carolina. Core offerings include charter school authorization/sponsorship, a shared services model providing operational support (finance, compliance, HR), charter school start-up and transfer services, and various academic programs including Teacher of the Month recognition, the annual Awards Banquet, Institute's Got Talent competitions, and the Move the Needle achievement initiatives. The Institute also administers a Math Performance Bonus Program incentivizing teacher excellence and partners with Erskine College on scholarship programs. These services collectively support over 28 charter schools serving approximately 30,000 students statewide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving 30 campuses and 30,000 students across South Carolina
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Erskine CollegeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Formal partnership established in 2018 where Erskine College created the Charter Institute. The partnership provides a minimum $100,000 scholarship over four years for graduating seniors from Institute schools. Six students received scholarships in 2026. CEO Cameron Runyan noted the partnership helps keep South Carolina talent in state.
• Kunskapsskolan Network (KED Network)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Historic international partnership formed in January 2026 connecting the Institute to a global community of over 100 schools across Sweden, UK, Netherlands, India, and Middle East. The partnership focuses on personalized learning and connects South Carolina charter schools to worldwide innovative education network.
• Tutelage School SolutionsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAward-winning comprehensive service provider for high-quality public charter schools in South Carolina. Assists schools in all phases from charter application, school design, development, finance, construction, operations, marketing, and curricula.
• Greenville Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Brashier Middle College Charter High School allowing students to earn college credit while completing high school diploma. Students participate in dual enrollment coursework with the college.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Charter Schools USA: A national charter-school management organization that operates public charter schools and provides operational services. It is comparable in the charter-school ecosystem and shared-services model, although it is a manager rather than a state authorizer.
• Uncommon Schools: A nonprofit charter-school network focused on college preparation, teacher development, and school performance. It is comparable as a charter education and support organization, but does not share the Institute's statewide sponsor mandate.
• KIPP Foundation: A nonprofit K-12 charter network and support organization with extensive school-performance and advocacy capabilities. Its scale and network services are comparable to the Institute's statewide network, while its operating model is different.
• National Heritage Academies: An established charter-school management network serving K-12 students with centralized school operations and support. It shares the Institute's charter-school and school-performance focus, but does not perform the Institute's authorization role.
• Connections Academy: A national online public-school provider with virtual-school platforms and state partnerships. It is directly relevant to the Institute's virtual-school technology and online learning support, though it is an operator/provider rather than an authorizer.
• Stride (formerly K12): A national online education company providing virtual school and curriculum services. It overlaps with the Institute's virtual-school platforms and student target market, but operates as a technology and service provider rather than a charter sponsor.
• IDEA Public Schools: A large nonprofit charter network that combines school operations with academic initiatives and back-office support. It is relevant to the Institute's school-performance and shared-services positioning, though it is a network operator rather than an authorizer.
• Success Academy Charter Schools: A large charter-school network with centralized operations, academic programs, and advocacy. It overlaps with the Institute in serving K-12 charter communities and improving school outcomes, but is not a charter authorizer.

Others

• Charter School Capital: A charter-school finance provider that supports school growth through facilities and operating capital. It is adjacent rather than direct because the Institute provides authorization and support, but it is relevant to the Institute's forgivable-loan and construction-support expansion model.

Direct peers

• South Carolina Public Charter School District: South Carolina's statewide public charter school sponsor and district, with direct overlap in charter authorization, accountability, and statewide school support. It is the closest geographic and functional comparison to the Institute's authorizer role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ErskineCharters
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcpCHe1b2UnvwFoYMd_EKnA?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/ErskineCharters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charter-institute-at-erskine
• Instagraminstagram.com/erskinecharters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Charter Institute At Erskine Inc