Community Engagement Institute

What Community Engagement Institute does

Community Engagement Institute (CEI) is a non-profit consulting, training, and applied research institute operating as an integral unit of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. Founded in 1984 as the Self-Help Network and rebranded to its current form in 2015, CEI serves organizations across the entire state of Kansas through eight specialized teams: the Center for Applied Research & Evaluation (CARE), Center for Organizational Development (COD), Center for Public Health Initiatives (CPHI), Creative Design Team (CDT), the IMPACT Center, Prevention Initiatives, Trauma-Informed Systems of Care, and Early Childhood Initiatives. Its customer base spans nonprofit organizations, local and state government entities, public health departments, hospitals and healthcare providers, community coalitions, and AmeriCorps program sites, with services including community health assessments (CHA/CHNA) and improvement plans (CHIP), organizational development, leadership training, board development, strategic planning, evaluation research, trauma-informed systems work, behavioral health prevention, branding and creative design, and volunteer-program capacity building.

The organization operates without a proprietary technology platform, delivering its core services through contracted consulting engagements, on-site facilitation, virtual delivery, and two recently launched digital training environments — IMPACT Builders (volunteer training, hosted on LearnWorlds) and the Kansas Public Health Launchpad (workforce training). Sub-brands such as ElevateKansas, Kansas Public Health Collaborative, Kansas Prevention Collaborative, Upstream Kansas, It Matters, Learn Lock Lead, Caring Across Cultures, AmeriCorps Kansas, AmeriCorps VISTA, the KanCare Ombudsman Volunteer Program, and Support Groups in Kansas extend CEI's footprint across youth substance-use prevention, opioid misuse prevention, coalition facilitation, and national-service volunteer placement. The Creative Design Team produces branding, graphic design, videography, and website assets for both internal programs and external partners.

CEI's revenue model is professional-services based, with contracts negotiated directly with each partner organization; no public pricing or tiered structure is disclosed. As a unit of a public state university, revenue is sourced from a mix of consulting contracts, state agency agreements (including the Kansas Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund and City of Wichita), federal pass-through grants (notably through AmeriCorps State and VISTA sponsorship), and likely university allocations. CEI employs between 51 and 100 staff (approximately 35+ individually named across the public directory), maintains two Wichita office locations (a downtown site at 245 N Waco and a WSU campus address), and serves no customers outside Kansas. The organization is not publicly traded, has no external investors, and has no disclosed funding rounds or independent revenue figures.

Name

Community Engagement Institute

Legal name

Community Engagement Institute

Website

https://communityengagementinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Community Engagement Institute is a Wichita State University-affiliated non-profit that provides consulting, training, applied research, and capacity-building services to nonprofits, government, public health agencies, and community coalitions across Kansas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wichita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Training Services: CEI generates revenue through contracted consulting, training, facilitation, and evaluation services provided to organizations across Kansas. As a unit of Wichita State University, funding may also come from university allocations, grants, and service contracts with government agencies and nonprofits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CEI provides research, training, facilitation, design, and capacity-building services to nonprofit organizations, government entities, healthcare organizations, and community coalitions across Kansas. The organization operates eight specialized teams/centers focused on distinct areas of community development, and administers AmeriCorps programs as part of its service portfolio.

Product overview

Community Engagement Institute (CEI) is a services organization comprised of eight specialized teams/centers that work together to offer expertise across a variety of community and organizational development specialties. The organization operates as a unified services entity with multiple centers including the Center for Applied Research & Evaluation (CARE), Center for Organizational Development (COD), Center for Public Health Initiatives (CPHI), Creative Design Team (CDT), The IMPACT Center, Prevention Initiatives, Trauma-Informed Systems of Care, and Early Childhood Initiatives. CEI also offers numerous branded programs and initiatives including IMPACT Builders (online volunteer training), ElevateKansas, Kansas Public Health Launchpad, Kansas Public Health Collaborative, AmeriCorps Kansas/VISTA programs, the It Matters prevention campaign, and Learn Lock Lead opioid prevention initiative. These centers and programs work collaboratively to provide applied research, organizational development, public health, creative design, volunteer services, and prevention services to communities and organizations across Kansas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ElevateKansas: Statewide initiative dedicated to equipping coalitions with tools, training, and connections for success.
• Kansas Public Health Launchpad
• Kansas Public Health Collaborative
• IMPACT Builders
• Kansas Prevention Collaborative
• It Matters Campaign
• Learn, Lock, Lead
• Upstream Kansas
• Caring Across Cultures
• AmeriCorps Kansas
• AmeriCorps VISTA
• KanCare Ombudsman Volunteer Program

Products and services

• AmeriCorps Programs CEI operates AmeriCorps programs as part of its service portfolio, administering national service initiatives in partnership with community organizations across Kansas.
• Capacity Building and Training Services
• Community Research and Evaluation

Quantifiable outcome

• Riley County Community Needs Assessment completed for Flint Hills Wellness Coalition (2015 and 2020)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, significant and supporting.

• Wichita State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEI is an integral unit of Wichita State University, operating as one of WSU's largest collections of centers dedicated to serving the community. The university provides institutional infrastructure, academic credibility, and administrative support.
• Kansas Children's Cabinet and Trust FundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency that contracts with CEI's Center for Applied Research & Evaluation to identify and implement common measurement for evaluating early childhood programming outcomes across Kansas.
• Kansas Prevention CollaborativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEI is a founding partner of the Kansas Prevention Collaborative, coordinating and facilitating in-person and virtual meetings, trainings, and providing awareness support for behavioral health promotion and prevention efforts statewide.
• Flint Hills Wellness CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracted CEI's Center for Applied Research & Evaluation to conduct community-wide needs assessments for Riley County in 2015 and 2020.
• AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWichita State University sponsors AmeriCorps State and AmeriCorps VISTA programs through CEI's IMPACT Center. These national service programs place volunteers at nonprofits and public agencies.
• Kansas Leadership CentersignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEI's approach to leadership development is influenced by its longtime partnership with the Kansas Leadership Center, incorporating their framework into team development and leadership training programs.
• Kansas Health MatterssupportingTechnology or IntegrationCEI uses Kansas Health Matters as a primary resource for identifying existing public health data during community health assessments and planning processes.
• Healthy Corner Store Initiative (City of Wichita)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEI's Center for Public Health Initiatives was selected by Wichita City Council in November 2024 as Program Administrator for the Healthy Corner Store Initiative, transforming local convenience stores in underserved areas into hubs for fresh, nutritious options.
• CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America)significantStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEI implements Upstream Kansas, a youth leadership initiative in substance use prevention, sponsored by Kansas Department of Disability Services and implemented through CADCA.
• NACCHO (National Association of County and City Health Officials)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEI references NACCHO's MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships) framework as a key resource guiding community health assessment and planning work.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wsuEngagement
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFFO-GzlDJ6JOIR1FNiNiDQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/wsucei
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wsu-cei

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 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 Community Engagement Institute