CEO, Learning 4 Life

What CEO, Learning 4 Life does

Learning Life is a Washington DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2012 by Paul Lachelier, Ph.D., that builds inclusive learning communities to widen and deepen participation in democracy and diplomacy. It operates three interconnected programmatic lines: the Democracy Learning Community (DLC), a regional DMV-area effort to make democracy more engaging through recurring Democracy Dinners, the new annual DMV Democracy Festival, and the 2025-debut Youth Summit on Youth Policymaking; the Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI), a global grassroots program that has grown from a 2016 pilot between lower-income families in DC, El Salvador, and Senegal to a network spanning 35+ countries, including 10,000+ Facebook Group members and 18 trained Family Diplomacy Ambassadors across 14 countries; and Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI), a quarterly online convening of nearly 1,300 scholars, students, practitioners and observers in 110+ countries, hosted since 2023 as a program of Learning Life after transitioning from the Citizen Diplomacy Research Group affiliated with the Public Diplomacy Council of America.

The underlying "platform" is an assemblage of consumer tools rather than proprietary technology: Zoom for live international dialogues, CDI quarterly meetings, and FD training; Facebook and LinkedIn Groups for asynchronous community and outreach; YouTube for archived meeting recordings, FD training videos, and family storytelling videos; Google Drive for the quarterly CDI Bulletin distribution; and email newsletters (with two new dispatches launching in 2026) for mid-funnel engagement. The differentiators are programmatic — a three-phase FDI model (network growth → training → policy influence), documented Family Diplomat training outcomes (24% storytelling improvement in 2022, 28% in 2023), and a board-and-advisory bench that includes former senior U.S. State Department officials, IIE and Fulbright leaders, UNESCO chairholders, and UN alumni — rather than technical IP.

The revenue model is a classic small-nonprofit mix: tax-deductible individual donations to DLC and FDI (tiered at $100/$250/$500/$1,000+), corporate and organizational sponsorships starting at $250, and an annual Democracy & Diplomacy Community (DDC) membership at $50/year for individuals ($30/year for students, retirees, and the unemployed), which bundles access to all three programs plus Democracy Dinner and DemFest entitlements. Bulk membership discounts are offered to schools and member organizations. No enterprise anchor funder, foundation grant, institutional sponsor, or paid full-time headcount is disclosed in the source material, and no financial filings, revenue figures, or audited results are referenced.

Name

CEO, Learning 4 Life

Legal name

Learning Life

Website

https://learninglife.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Learning Life is a Washington DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates three programs — a regional Democracy Learning Community, a global Family Diplomacy Initiative connecting lower-income families across 35+ countries, and Citizen Diplomacy International convening diplomacy scholars quarterly across 110+ countries — funded primarily by individual donations, sponsorships, and a $30-$50/year membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education and Community Engagement

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAEAL

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Continuing Education (Noncredit) & Lifelong Learning Programs

SECONDARYEDAAADAL

Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Citizenship & Immigrant Integration Education

SECONDARYEDAFAGAH

Peer Feedback, Discussion Forums & Social Learning Communities

Education/Education Technology (EdTech) & Digital Learning/Collaboration, Classroom Engagement & Communication Tools

SECONDARYEDAAAFAC

Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

Keywords

• Citizen diplomacy education
• Democracy community engagement
• Family dialogue programs
• Civic learning nonprofit
• International exchange programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the nonprofit's mission. DLC donors contribute at levels of $100, $250, $500, $1,000 or more.
2. DDC Membership: Democracy & Diplomacy Community membership provides access to all Learning Life programs. Individual membership is $50/year, with $30 for students/retirees/unemployed. Bulk discounts available for schools and membership organizations.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsorships for DLC, DemFest, and CDI programs, starting at $250 for DLC sponsors.
4. Dues-paying Membership: Dues-paying DDC members get access to CDI publications, lists of organizations, and writers in the citizen diplomacy field, plus CD bibliography, experts and organizations lists.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Learning Life is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops inclusive learning communities to widen participation in democracy and diplomacy. It runs three flagship programs: the Democracy Learning Community (DLC) for the DC-MD-VA region, the Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI) connecting families worldwide via online dialogues, and Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI) hosting quarterly meetings for diplomacy scholars and practitioners across 110+ countries. Programs are delivered through free community events, Zoom-based dialogues, social media groups, email newsletters, and a paid annual DDC membership that unlocks all offerings.

Product overview

Learning Life is a nonprofit organization that offers a suite of interconnected democracy and diplomacy programs. The core offerings include the Democracy Learning Community (DLC) focusing on local DC-area democracy engagement, the Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI) connecting families worldwide via online dialogues, and Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI) facilitating quarterly meetings for diplomacy professionals. These programs are supported by specific features including Democracy Dinners, the DMV Democracy Festival, Youth Summit on Youth Policymaking, and Family Diplomacy Dialogues. The Democracy & Diplomacy Community (DDC) membership provides unified access to all programs. Key communication platforms used include Zoom for virtual meetings, Facebook and LinkedIn for community building, and YouTube for video content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI): A program and network that gathers diplomacy scholars, students, professionals, and volunteers worldwide every three months online via Zoom to share news and presentations on citizen diplomacy research and practice.
• Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI)
• Democracy Learning Community (DLC)
• Democracy & Diplomacy Community (DDC)

Products and services

• Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI)
• Family Diplomacy Initiative (FDI)
• Democracy Learning Community (DLC)
• Democracy Dinners
• DMV Democracy Festival (DemFest)
• Youth Summit on Youth Policymaking (YSYP)
• Family Diplomacy Dialogues
• Family Diplomacy Training
• Democracy & Diplomacy Community (DDC) Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 11% improvement in citizen diplomacy knowledge and 24% improvement in storytelling skills on average in 2022 FD training
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Public Diplomacy Council of America (PDCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023In 2023, the Citizen Diplomacy Research Group (CDRG) became Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI), a network and program of Learning Life. Prior to this (2020), PDCA formed the CDRG to advance research and practice of citizen diplomacy. PDCA is a nonprofit association of practitioners and scholars that promotes excellence in public diplomacy.
• DC International Student HouseminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2019Learning Life partnered with the DC International Student House, which provides residence for international and U.S. graduate students. This partnership supports Learning Life's international dialogue and exchange activities.
• CPDC (possibly Center for Peace and Development Challenge or similar)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2019Learning Life partnered with CPDC. Details of the partnership scope are limited but relates to Learning Life's international programming.
• Deliberative Democracy ConsortiumminorOthersAn alliance of leading organizations and scholars working in public engagement, participation and deliberation. While primarily focused on North America, part of a global learning community dedicated to deliberative democracy values.
• Global Democracy CoalitionminorOthersMulti-stakeholder alliance of more than 90 democracy organizations committed to advancing and protecting democracy worldwide and influencing Summits for Democracy and Year of Action. Convened by International IDEA.
• People PoweredminorOthersGlobal hub for participatory democracy - direct participation of community members in policy decisions. Builds power of organizations leading participatory budgeting, policy-making, planning, and citizen assemblies.
• DiplominorOthersSwiss-Maltese NGO specializing in capacity development in internet governance and digital policy. Works to improve small and developing states' role in global diplomacy.
• Global Ties KalamazoominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizen diplomacy organization based in Kalamazoo, Michigan with mission to enrich local community with global diversity through relationships. Learning Life board member Anna Popkova serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors.
• International Student House of WashingtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResidence for international and U.S. graduate students in Washington DC. Learning Life Advisory Council member Sherry Mueller is former president of the Board.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• People Powered: A global hub for participatory democracy and citizen assemblies, an allied member of Learning Life's democracy coalition. Focused on participatory budgeting and policymaking, comparable in mission to Learning Life's Democracy Learning Community.

Broad incumbents

• World Learning: A nonprofit delivering international exchange, training, and development programs; closely comparable to Learning Life's citizen-diplomacy education mission and global reach.
• Institute of International Education (IIE): A large, established international education organization that designs and runs cross-cultural educational and exchange programs. Multiple Learning Life board members are IIE alumni, and IIE's mission overlaps with FDI and CDI programs.
• IREX: An international development and education nonprofit operating globally, comparable to Learning Life's international education scope. Board advisor Amy Fisher Bruey has prior IREX experience, confirming adjacency.
• Sister Cities International: A nonprofit that builds people-to-people relationships between U.S. cities and their international counterparts. Operates in the same citizen-diplomacy / cross-cultural exchange space as Learning Life's FDI but at a city-pairs scale.
• Global Ties U.S. (formerly NCIV): A national nonprofit network coordinating citizen diplomacy and professional exchange programs across the U.S., directly comparable to Learning Life's CDI network. Sherry Lee Mueller (Learning Life advisor) is its President Emeritus, evidencing deep community overlap.
• Partners of the Americas: A nonprofit linking U.S. states with countries in the Western Hemisphere through people-to-people programs, sharing the citizen-diplomacy community-and-exchange focus. Matt Clausen served in senior leadership there.

Direct peers

• Soliya: A nonprofit running virtual exchange and dialogue programs that connect young people across cultures using everyday video-conferencing tools, matching Learning Life's Zoom-based Family Diplomacy Dialogues model and citizen-engagement focus.
• Public Diplomacy Council of America: An association of practitioners and scholars that formed the Citizen Diplomacy Research Group later absorbed into Learning Life as CDI. Direct strategic partner and the most operationally adjacent peer.
• Global Citizens Initiative (GCI): A nonprofit building global citizenship through leadership programs, with strong overlap to Learning Life's FDI three-phase model and DDC membership framework. Board advisor Daria Housman is a GCI Senior Director.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@learninglifeonyoutube
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/familydiplomacy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/learning-life

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 CEO, Learning 4 Life