What Mattering Movement does

The Mattering Movement is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2022 and headquartered in New York that activates the science of mattering — a psychological framework positing that individuals need to feel valued, to contribute meaningfully, and to be noticed by others — in educational settings. The organization works with schools, colleges, and universities through direct, personalized partnerships to build campus communities where students and staff feel valued, contribute, and thrive. Its underlying "product" is not a technology platform but a research-grounded intervention framework, delivered via speaking engagements, consulting, research, and writing services by co-founders Dr. Sarah Bennison and Jennifer Wallace.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led: it relies on thought leadership, earned media coverage (NYT, HBR, Washington Post, Scientific American, NPR, Forbes, Education Week, Greater Good Berkeley, Glamour, Nord Anglia Education), and direct outreach to school leaders to generate demand for its partnership programs. The customer base spans two segments — educational institutions (primary vertical) and parent/family communities (secondary persona) — both of which the organization targets with content addressing achievement-culture pressures, student anxiety, teacher burnout, and belonging. Marketing channels are predominantly top-of-funnel: a blog on the organization's website, organic social media, and PR-driven earned media.

Revenue mechanics are typical of a small nonprofit: donations, grants, and professional-services fees from speaking and consulting engagements. In 2024, the organization announced an operational evolution, transferring stewardship of its mission to a successor nonprofit, Mattering in Action, led by Dr. Bennison, while Jennifer Wallace continues her work around mattering independently through writing, speaking, research, and consulting. The Mattering Movement website remains active, suggesting continued operations under new leadership structures, though the transition introduces uncertainty around revenue continuity and organizational scope.

Name

Mattering Movement

Legal name

The Mattering Movement

Website

https://thematteringmovement.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Mattering Movement is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2022 that brings the psychological science of mattering into schools and communities through direct partnerships, speaking, consulting, and research, serving educational institutions and parent audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Consulting Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (81331)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Clubs & Organizations (General Interest, Cultural, Service) (EDAJAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Government & Leadership Programs (EDAJAJAH), Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Social-emotional learning
• Educational consulting
• Youth mental health
• School culture programs
• Speaking engagements

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Funding: As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Mattering Movement likely operates through a combination of donations, grants, and potentially speaking/consulting fees to sustain operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Mattering Movement provides speaking, consulting, research, and teaching services to schools and communities committed to creating cultures of mattering. The organization partners with K-12 schools, colleges, and parent/family groups to translate the science of mattering into practical programs that reduce anxiety, counter achievement culture, and strengthen belonging. Deliverables include keynotes, workshops, customized consulting engagements, applied research, and educational content for educators and families.

Product overview

Mattering Movement is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization focused on activating the science of mattering in education to build campus communities where people are valued, contribute and thrive. The organization provides speaking, consulting, research, and teaching services to schools and communities committed to creating cultures of mattering. Following the evolution of the organization, the mission continues through the nonprofit Mattering in Action, led by Dr. Sarah Bennison, while Jennifer Wallace continues her work through writing, speaking, research, and consulting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Speaking engagements Keynotes and presentations delivered to schools, communities, and parent audiences on the science of mattering, anxiety, achievement culture, and belonging. Targeted at educators, administrators, and family audiences.
• Consulting services Customized consulting engagements with schools and communities committed to creating cultures of mattering, addressing achievement culture, student well-being, and educator engagement.
• Research services Applied research grounded in the science of mattering, supporting evidence-based practice for schools, families, and communities.
• Teaching services Direct teaching and instructional engagements with schools and communities, helping educators and families internalize and apply mattering principles in their everyday environments.
• Direct school and community partnerships Embedded, tailored partnership programs with K-12 schools, colleges, and community organizations that bundle speaking, consulting, research, and teaching into sustained cultures-of-mattering initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Media coverage in major outlets including The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Scientific American demonstrates broad recognition of mattering as a significant concept

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mattering in ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Sarah Bennison continues to steward the mission of The Mattering Movement through the nonprofit Mattering in Action. This represents a strategic continuation of the organization's mission under new stewardship.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• The Jed Foundation: Nonprofit focused on teen and young-adult mental health with strong higher-ed and family-facing programming; comparable in addressing student anxiety and belonging, though more clinical in orientation.
• Pure Edge: Provides SEL curricula and educator training to K–12 schools; comparable customer base and GTM, though more structured product offerings rather than bespoke consulting.
• Born This Way Foundation: Youth mental health nonprofit founded by Lady Gaga and her mother; works in schools and communities on kindness and belonging — adjacent mission overlap and similar nonprofit, school-partnership distribution model.
• Active Minds: Youth mental health nonprofit with a peer-led model in schools and colleges; competes for the same donor and student-wellness attention, but focused more on mental health awareness than culture change.

Broad incumbents

• CASEL: The leading convener defining the SEL field via its widely adopted framework; a broader incumbent whose work competes for the same school wellbeing budgets that fund Mattering Movement engagements.
• Committee for Children: Established provider of classroom SEL curricula (Second Step) at scale across U.S. schools; an incumbent competitor for district SEL contracts that the Mattering Movement must displace or partner with.

Direct peers

• Character Lab: Research-to-practice nonprofit partnering with schools to build student character; overlaps with mattering as a psychological construct and pursues the same school partnership GTM and educator training model.
• Greater Good Science Center (UC Berkeley): Research-driven program at UC Berkeley translating social-emotional science into tools for educators and families; shares the Mattering Movement's psychology-to-practice bridge and similar media-amplified thought leadership model.
• Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (RULER): Develops and disseminates the RULER framework for emotional intelligence in schools; directly competes for SEL and wellbeing budgets in K–12 with a structured, scalable curriculum approach.
• Challenge Success: Stanford-affiliated nonprofit that directly challenges achievement culture and student wellbeing in schools — highly comparable mission, target customer (K–12 and higher ed), and intervention model (school partnerships, research, consulting).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/matteringmovement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mattering Movement