RURAL ACADEMY FOR SKILLS AND INNOVATION FOUNDATION (RASI)

What RURAL ACADEMY FOR SKILLS AND INNOVATION FOUNDATION (RASI) does

Rural Academy for Skills and Innovation Foundation (RASI), operating publicly as the Rural Area Student Initiative, is a student-led non-profit Registered Student Organization (RSO) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Founded in 2022 by Liz Soellner and Kaleb McFarland after they noticed an underrepresentation of rural students on campus, RASI's core function is to provide free college-access resources to rural Illinois high school students and a peer-support community for rural-background students currently enrolled at UIUC. Its offering spans a curated scholarship collection, SAT/ACT preparation guides, college planning and application toolkits (including Common App and QuestBridge resources), and referrals to external mentorship programs (Fair Opportunity Project, Matriculate). The Liaison Program—through which current UIUC rural students return to their own high schools to recruit and support prospective applicants—functions as its primary distribution mechanism.

RASI's underlying technology is minimal: a Wix-hosted website serves as the central content hub for SEO-optimized resource pages covering scholarships, test prep, mentorship, planning, and applications. There are no proprietary software products, APIs, mobile apps, or developer-facing integrations. Outreach is conducted through Instagram (@rasi.uiuc), LinkedIn, an in-development email newsletter, and the peer-driven Liaison Program. The organization explicitly does not charge fees for any of its services.

Commercially, RASI operates as a donation-funded non-profit. It is fiscally sponsored by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign YMCA, a 501(c)(3), enabling tax-deductible contributions processed through Venmo (@RASI-UIUC) and the YMCA's donation portal; 100% of donations are stated to pass through to RASI. There is no disclosed revenue, no grant pipeline visible in source material, no venture funding, and no commercial pricing. The governance structure consists of a volunteer Executive Board (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Membership Director, Engagement Officer), two founding board members, and a Staff Advisor (Calen Gutwein). The organization reaches 40+ named liaisons across rural Illinois towns spanning Fall 2022 through Spring 2025.

Name

RURAL ACADEMY FOR SKILLS AND INNOVATION FOUNDATION (RASI)

Legal name

Rural Area Student Initiative (RASI)

Website

https://ruralareastudentinitiative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Rural Academy for Skills and Innovation Foundation (RASI), dba Rural Area Student Initiative, is a UIUC student-led 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides free college-access resources—scholarship listings, SAT/ACT prep, mentorship referrals, and application guidance—to rural Illinois high school students, and peer community to rural UIUC undergraduates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJADAH

Virtual Tutoring & Academic Intervention (K–12)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Online & Virtual Schools

Keywords

• Rural student support
• College access resources
• Scholarship listings
• Peer mentorship programs
• Nonprofit education outreach

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: RASI is fiscally sponsored by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign YMCA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 100% of tax-deductible donations go directly to RASI. Donations are collected via Venmo (@RASI-UIUC) and through the University YMCA's donation form. The organization may also receive grant funding through YMCA channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RASI (Rural Area Student Initiative) is a student-led nonprofit organization at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign that provides free college access resources to rural Illinois high school students and a peer-support community to rural UIUC undergraduates. Its offerings include a curated scholarship collection, SAT and ACT preparation guides, mentorship referrals, college application and planning tools, and a Liaison Program that connects current rural UIUC students with prospective rural high school students in their home communities. All programs are offered at no cost to participants.

Product overview

RASI is a Registered Student Organization at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign established in 2022. It is not a technology product company; rather, it provides educational support services for rural students including: a scholarship collection listing external scholarships, mentorship program connecting students with mentors (Fair Opportunity Project, Matriculate), college planning resources (SAT/ACT prep materials, application guidance), and a Liaison Program connecting college students with rural high schools. The organization does not offer a software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarship Collection A curated, freely accessible online collection of dozens of Illinois and national scholarships with application details for rural high school students pursuing higher education.
• SAT Preparation Resources A free resource page hosting official SAT practice exams, video guides, and strategy tips tailored for rural high school students.
• ACT Preparation Resources A free resource page hosting official ACT practice exams, video guides, and strategy tips tailored for rural high school students.
• Liaison Program A peer outreach program in which current UIUC rural students connect directly with their own rural Illinois high schools to recruit and support prospective rural college students, creating a trust-based pipeline to RASI's resources.
• Mentorship Program Referrals Referral links to free external one-on-one mentorship programs, including the Fair Opportunity Project (advising for underserved high school students) and Matriculate (mentor pairing for the college application process).
• College Planning Resources A free online planning hub that includes campus visit guidance, major selection support, financial aid information, and links to 'The Guide' by the Fair Opportunity Project for building a college list.
• College Application Guidance A free resource collection that includes a Common App toolkit, QuestBridge eligibility information, fee waiver details, and essay writing resources to guide rural students through the college application process.
• RASI Email Newsletter An email newsletter for ongoing engagement with rural students, families, and supporters, with the first edition upcoming at the time of launch.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rural adults in Illinois have a 19% Bachelor's degree attainment rate vs. 37% for non-rural adults (Illinois Board of Higher Education data)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign YMCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRASI is fiscally sponsored by the UIUC YMCA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This partnership enables RASI to receive tax-deductible donations, with 100% of contributions going directly to RASI. The YMCA provides administrative and financial infrastructure, allowing RASI to operate as a Registered Student Organization while benefiting from nonprofit status and donor acceptance.
• Fair Opportunity ProjectcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRASI partners with the Fair Opportunity Project to provide free one-on-one mentorship and advising to underserved high school students. RASI refers students to the Fair Opportunity Project's mentorship program as part of its Mentorship resource page. The Fair Opportunity Project also provides 'The Guide,' a free comprehensive document on applying to college that RASI links to from its Planning page.
• MatriculatecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRASI partners with Matriculate, which pairs high school students with a college student mentor to guide them through the application process. RASI lists Matriculate as a free mentorship resource for need-based high school students on its Mentorship page.
• Illinois Board of Higher EducationminorOthersRASI cites the Illinois Board of Higher Education report 'Equity Gaps Facing Students from Rural Communities' as the source for its key statistics on educational attainment disparities between rural and non-rural adults in Illinois, including Bachelor's degree attainment rates (19% rural vs. 37% non-rural), AP access rates, and four-year college enrollment rates.

Scale indicators4 records

Direct peers

• College Possible: National non-profit deploying near-peer coaches into high schools to help low-income and first-generation students navigate college applications, financial aid, and enrollment. Direct peer in coach-driven college access.
• Matriculate: National non-profit pairing high-achieving low-income high school students with trained college student mentors for application guidance. Already a named RASI referral partner; direct peer in mentoring-driven college access.
• College Advising Corps: Non-profit that places recent college graduates as full-time college advisers in underserved high schools. Direct peer in placing advisers in schools to expand college access for underrepresented students.
• uAspire: Non-profit focused specifically on financial aid advising and college affordability for low-income students. Direct peer on the financial-aid navigation component of RASI's resource stack.
• Strive for College: Non-profit that recruits college-student mentors to provide low-income high school students with admissions guidance. Direct peer in volunteer-mentor-driven college access.
• OneGoal: Non-profit running in-school college and career readiness programs for low-income students from junior year through college persistence. Direct peer in long-horizon college access for underserved populations.
• ScholarMatch: Non-profit pairing low-income, first-generation students with college mentors who guide them through applications and financial aid. Direct peer in donor-funded, mentor-driven college access.
• Bottom Line: Non-profit providing one-on-one college advising and ongoing degree-completion support for first-generation and low-income students. Direct peer in sustained college access and success advising.
• Fair Opportunity Project: Non-profit providing free one-on-one college advising and a comprehensive college application guide ('The Guide'). Already a named RASI referral partner; direct peer in free college advising for underserved students.
• QuestBridge: National non-profit that connects high-achieving, low-income students — a population with significant rural overlap — with selective colleges via scholarships and mentorship. Direct peer in college access for underserved students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat1 record

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rural-area-student-initiative
• Instagraminstagram.com/rasi.uiuc/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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