Oakland Schools Education Foundation

What Oakland Schools Education Foundation does

Oakland Schools Education Foundation (OSEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation established in 1999 and headquartered at 2111 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford, Michigan. The foundation operates as a bridge between Oakland County employers and the local public education system, serving all 28 school districts in Oakland County in partnership with Oakland Schools. It runs seven core programs: the Career Kickstart Award (scholarships of $500-$2,500 to Oakland Schools Technical Campus seniors, with more than $467,000 awarded since 1991 via a partnership with DENSO), EPIC Employer Provided Innovation Challenges (linked to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation), the Outstanding Teacher of the Year recognition program (since 1987), the Betty Campion Support Person of the Year award (since 1990), the STEMi mobile Industry 4.0 laboratory (launched spring 2021, featuring autonomous vehicles, collaborative robots, extended-reality systems, and smart manufacturing equipment that travels to all 28 districts), the Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association (OCCRA) full-contact robotics competition, and the Oakland Schools Scripps Regional Spelling Bee (stewarded since 2018).

The foundation is funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and planned giving. There is no commercial pricing; programs are grant-funded and free to participants. Career Kickstart awards range from $500 to $2,500 per recipient, determined by CTE commitment, academic achievement, career goal clarity, and application quality. GTM motion is community-led and event-driven: outreach runs through the foundation website (osedfoundation.org), organic social (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram), contact forms, and recurring recognition ceremonies and competitions. OSEF is governed by a volunteer board of trustees with officers drawn from local business, education, and civic leadership, and supported by a small staff (Executive Director Andrea W. Berry, Controller Gina Chesnutt, Executive Assistant Nicole Christian). The foundation does not disclose revenue and operates without subsidiaries, parent entities, or institutional investor ownership.

Name

Oakland Schools Education Foundation

Legal name

Oakland Schools Education Foundation

Website

https://osedfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Oakland Schools Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects Oakland County employers with all 28 local school districts through scholarships, educator recognition awards, a mobile STEM lab, robotics competitions, and academic competitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Foundation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• K-12 STEM education
• Workforce development programs
• Educational foundation services
• Teacher recognition awards
• Robotics competitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Waterford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, OSEF primarily relies on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Donors can give online, by mail, or through planned giving arrangements.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships and in-kind support from businesses looking to connect with education and build future talent pipelines. Partners include DENSO (Career Kickstart founding partner) and Ehlert Charitable Trust (Spelling Bee sponsor).
3. Planned Giving: Planned giving options allow donors to include OSEF in long-term estate planning, providing sustainable funding for future programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Oakland Schools Education Foundation (OSEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects business leaders with the school community in Oakland County, Michigan. It funds and operates seven core programs including the Career Kickstart Award scholarship, EPIC workforce challenges, the STEMi mobile lab, OCCRA robotics, the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee, and educator recognition awards. The foundation generates impact across all 28 Oakland County school districts through partnerships with Oakland Schools and local employers.

Product overview

Oakland Schools Education Foundation operates a portfolio of educational programs including seven core offerings: the Career Kickstart Award scholarship program, EPIC workforce development challenges, Outstanding Teacher of the Year and Support Person of the Year recognition awards, the STEMi Trailer mobile laboratory, OCCRA competitive robotics, and the Oakland Schools Scripps Regional Spelling Bee. These programs collectively support students from grades K-12 through career and technical education, STEM learning, robotics competition, academic achievement, and educator recognition across Oakland County's 28 school districts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Career Kickstart Award Awards program providing $500–$2,500 to graduating seniors at Oakland Schools Technical Campuses for tuition, equipment, or supplies to support career and technical education pathways.
• EPIC (Employer Provided Innovation Challenges) Project-based challenge program where employers design real-world business problems for student teams to solve, building in-demand skills and career pathway awareness.
• Outstanding Teacher of the Year Annual awards program recognizing educators in four categories (Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle School, High School) who have achieved the highest standards of excellence.
• Support Person of the Year (Betty Campion Distinguished Support Service Award) Award honoring essential contributions of school support staff including transportation, maintenance, custodial, clerical, food-service roles, and paraeducators.
• STEMi Trailer Mobile laboratory trailer providing 1,000 square feet of Industry 4.0 technology including autonomous vehicles, collaborative robots, extended-reality technologies, and smart manufacturing systems to K-12 students and educators countywide.
• OCCRA (Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association) Full-contact robotics competition where student teams design, build, and control 120-pound robots from scratch, developing skills in design, engineering, physics, and electronics.
• Oakland Schools Scripps Regional Spelling Bee Regional spelling bee competition for grades 5-8 serving as the path to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000+ students reached by STEMi mobile lab over 5 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSEF's EPIC (Employer Provided Innovation Challenges) program is part of a national initiative led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Employers design project-based challenges that give students hands-on exposure to real industries while solving authentic business problems.
• Oakland SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOakland Schools is the primary educational partner, with OSEF working alongside the school system to expand opportunity for students across all 28 county districts. OSEF supports Oakland Schools' programs including technical campuses and the STEMi mobile lab.
• Oakland County School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll 28 Oakland County school districts partner with OSEF to deliver programs including the STEMi mobile lab (visiting each district for one week annually), OCCRA robotics, and educator recognition programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Code.org: Code.org expands K-12 access to computer science through curriculum, teacher training, and advocacy — sharing OSEF's STEM equity mission and student-level engagement model, though focused on CS rather than Industry 4.0 broadly.

Regional players

• Grand Rapids Community Foundation: Grand Rapids Community Foundation is a Michigan regional community foundation that operates K-12 scholarship, educator recognition, and youth development programs — directly comparable in program mix, but serving Kent County rather than Oakland County.
• Battle Creek Community Foundation: Battle Creek Community Foundation is a Michigan-based community foundation making education grants and running scholarship programs in a different region — comparable in structure (501(c)(3) community foundation supporting K-12) but serving Calhoun County rather than Oakland County.
• Michigan Works! Southeast Consortium: Michigan Works! agencies coordinate regional workforce development and employer-education connections across Michigan counties, overlapping directly with OSEF's EPIC and Career Kickstart employer-pipeline work, but as a publicly funded workforce system rather than a private foundation.

Direct peers

• FIRST: FIRST runs K-12 robotics competitions (FIRST Robotics Competition, FTC, FLL) that directly overlap with OSEF's OCCRA program in mission, student engagement model, and target audience — making it the most comparable robotics program operator.
• Detroit Public Schools Foundation: Detroit Public Schools Foundation supports a Michigan K-12 district with scholarships, recognition programs, and STEM enrichment — closely mirroring OSEF's portfolio (Career Kickstart, Teacher of the Year, STEM grants) but for Detroit Public Schools rather than Oakland County.
• SME Education Foundation: SME Education Foundation is a nonprofit that delivers STEM scholarships, workforce development, and manufacturing-focused programs for high school and postsecondary students — a near-direct analog to OSEF's Career Kickstart and STEMi offerings, but with a national scope.
• Junior Achievement USA: Junior Achievement runs employer-designed, project-based workforce and financial literacy challenges for K-12 students — directly comparable to OSEF's EPIC program and similar in serving both students and corporate partners in career exploration.

Broad incumbents

• Battelle: Battelle runs large-scale STEM education programs (e.g., STEM Learning Networks, STEMx) that overlap with OSEF's STEM access mission, but as a national R&D organization with broader portfolio; a much larger incumbent in adjacent territory.
• The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan: CFSEM is a larger regional community foundation that, like OSEF, makes education grants across multiple counties in Michigan — a broader incumbent in the same education grantmaking category, but with a wider geography and larger asset base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OSEdFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oakland-schools-education-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/osedfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Oakland Schools Education Foundation