The Policy + Strategy Collaborative
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative is a Washington, DC–based solo consulting practice run by Mark Johnston that provides strategy, facilitation, technical writing, curriculum development, and training services to mission-driven organizations, with a focus on education sector and nonprofit clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Policy + Strategy Collaborative does
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative is a Washington, DC–based solo consulting practice founded and operated by Mark Johnston. It provides strategy development, facilitation, technical writing, curriculum development, training design and delivery, resource creation, and program management support to mission-driven organizations, with a particular focus on schools, school districts, charter networks, and education-focused nonprofits. The practice has no proprietary technology platform; all services are delivered through human expertise, leveraging Johnston's dual M.Ed and MPP credentials from American University and 11+ years of cross-sector experience spanning charter school teaching, nonprofit program management, and education policy advocacy.
The business operates on two revenue streams: (1) project-based consulting engagements — quoted individually based on scope, with some multi-year contract cadence — and (2) consultant coaching for emerging professionals, offered on a sliding-scale basis. The client base is concentrated in the education sector and adjacent nonprofit space; named engagements include work for Panorama Education, the American Association of Geographers' Elevating the Discipline program, and Empower Tool Users. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on the founder's personal network, a website (policysc.org) with a Calendly self-serve booking flow, an email newsletter, and active profiles on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The practice is bootstrapped, founder-owned, and operates as a sole proprietorship with no external investment, parent company, or additional staff disclosed.
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Policy + Strategy Collaborative
- Legal name
- The Policy + Strategy Collaborative
- Website
- https://policysc.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Policy + Strategy Collaborative is a Washington, DC–based solo consulting practice run by Mark Johnston that provides strategy, facilitation, technical writing, curriculum development, and training services to mission-driven organizations, with a focus on education sector and nonprofit clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Policy & Nonprofit Strategy Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN), Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)
Keywords
Where The Policy + Strategy Collaborative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Strategy development, curriculum writing, training planning and delivery, and resource creation for mission-driven organizations. Services are tailored to client needs and delivered on a project or engagement basis.
- Consultant Coaching: Individualized coaching for professionals looking to grow their consulting practice. Provided on a flexible, sliding scale basis. Organized and follows a mutually agreed upon schedule of topics.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom project-based consulting |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative is a solo consulting practice that provides strategy development, curriculum writing, training design and delivery, resource creation, and program management support to mission-driven organizations, schools, and education-sector clients. The firm also offers individualized consultant coaching on a sliding-scale basis. All services are delivered personally by founder Mark Johnston via direct engagement.
Product overview
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative is a solo consulting practice that offers a unified portfolio of professional services to mission-driven organizations. The core offering consists of strategic planning and facilitation, technical writing and curriculum development, and training services. A supplementary consultant coaching service provides individualized professional development for emerging consultants. All services are delivered by founder Mark Johnston, who draws on 11 years of experience across education policy, nonprofit management, and public sector consulting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Strategic Planning & Facilitation Services Strategy development, partnerships strategy, and facilitation services for mission-driven organizations, nonprofits, and education-sector clients needing support in strategic planning, public policy initiatives, and organizational frameworks.
- Technical Writing & Curriculum Development Technical writing, curriculum writing, resource creation, instructional materials development, and copy editing for schools, nonprofits, and public sector clients.
- Training Services Planning and delivering trainings on public policy, program management, and organizational capacity building for nonprofits, schools, and mission-driven clients.
- Program Management & Research Support Program management, research, and operations support including systems creation, copy editing, ad and email writing, and interviewing and candidate review services.
- Consultant Coaching Individualized coaching for professionals starting or growing a consulting practice, offered on a flexible, sliding-scale basis with sessions tailored to personal professional goals and organized around a mutually agreed schedule of topics.
Companies that use The Policy + Strategy Collaborative
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FSG: Mission-driven strategy consulting firm advising nonprofits, foundations, and corporations on social impact strategy. Comparable in offering strategy development and facilitation services to social sector organizations, though at much larger scale.
- Education Resource Strategies (Education First): Education consulting firm advising school systems and education nonprofits on strategy, resource allocation, and operational improvement. Comparable in providing strategic planning and capacity-building support to education organizations.
- The Bridgespan Group: Nonprofit and philanthropy strategy consulting advising social sector leaders on strategy, organization design, and capacity building. Comparable in serving mission-driven clients with high-quality strategic planning and facilitation.
- Bellwether Education Partners: National education-focused consulting and policy organization advising school districts, nonprofits, and funders. Highly comparable given overlapping education strategy, policy advisory, and capacity-building services delivered to mission-driven clients.
- TNTP: National education policy and consulting organization focused on teacher quality, equity, and school system improvement. Comparable in providing training, strategy, and program support to education sector clients and policy advocacy organizations.
- New Profit: Venture philanthropy and strategy firm partnering with social entrepreneurs and mission-driven organizations. Comparable in providing strategy development, capacity building, and advisory support to nonprofits seeking to deepen impact.
- Arabella Advisors: DC-based consulting and philanthropic advisory firm helping nonprofits, donors, and impact-focused organizations design strategy and scale impact. Closely comparable given DC location and mission-driven consulting focus.
Regional players
- Education Trust: Education policy and advocacy organization promoting equity in K-12 and higher education. Comparable in addressing education policy and capacity building for mission-driven organizations, though primarily an advocacy organization rather than a fee-for-service consultancy.
Broad incumbents
- American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large behavioral and social science research organization providing consulting, evaluation, and technical assistance to education and social sector clients. Overlaps with strategy and policy consulting but at a much larger scale.
- The Aspen Institute (Education & Society Program): Large nonprofit think tank and policy organization with education programs. Comparable in addressing education policy and nonprofit leadership through convenings, research, and capacity building, though at much broader scale and scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative social profiles
Digital presenceThe Policy + Strategy Collaborative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Policy + Strategy Collaborative
What does The Policy + Strategy Collaborative do?
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative is a solo consulting practice that provides strategy development, curriculum writing, training design and delivery, resource creation, and program management support to mission-driven organizations, schools, and education-sector clients. The firm also offers individualized consultant coaching on a sliding-scale basis. All services are delivered personally by founder Mark Johnston via direct engagement.
Is The Policy + Strategy Collaborative a public or private company?
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Policy + Strategy Collaborative founded?
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Policy + Strategy Collaborative based?
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Policy + Strategy Collaborative make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are consultant Coaching.
Who are The Policy + Strategy Collaborative's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FSG, Education Resource Strategies (Education First), The Bridgespan Group, Bellwether Education Partners, TNTP, New Profit and Arabella Advisors. Education Trust is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are American Institutes for Research (AIR) and The Aspen Institute (Education & Society Program).
Does The Policy + Strategy Collaborative have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Policy + Strategy Collaborative.
What industry is The Policy + Strategy Collaborative in?
The Policy + Strategy Collaborative's product category is Education Policy & Nonprofit Strategy Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAA, Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHACAN, Public Sector & Policy Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.