Center of Initiatives in Jewish Education CIJE

Name

Center of Initiatives in Jewish Education CIJE

Legal name

The Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education

Website

https://thecije.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CIJE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers hands-on STEAM curricula, teacher training, Shabbat-compliant robotics leagues, and engineering programs to 200-plus Jewish day schools and yeshivot across the United States and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 STEAM Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Curriculum Design & Scope/Sequence (School-Led) (EDAJAFAA), Virtual World Language & Electives Providers (K–12) (EDAJADAK)

Keywords

• K-12 STEAM education
• Jewish day school programs
• Robotics competition leagues
• Teacher professional development
• Engineering curriculum design

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: CIJE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 77-0698155) that operates primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and Jewish communal organizations. The organization holds an annual Golf & Tennis Championship as a major fundraising event. Donors can give via Donor Advised Funds (DAF), naming CIJE with EIN 77-0698155.
2. School Membership Fees: CIJE charges member schools an annual membership fee to access its comprehensive STEAM curricula, teacher training, mentorship, technology equipment, and participation in CIJE events. Membership benefits include curricula, professional development, mentorship, and event access.
3. Technology and Curriculum Licensing: CIJE provides specialized equipment, materials, and digital curricula to partner schools as part of its membership. Costs of SuccessMaker, Waterford Early Learning, and iTaLAM licenses are subsidized by CIJE for member schools, suggesting a bundled pricing model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

CIJE provides comprehensive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) curricula, robotics leagues, and teacher training programs to Jewish day schools and yeshivot across North America. It develops and licenses NGSS-aligned curriculum for grades K-12, runs an exclusive Shabbat-compliant VEX Robotics League, supplies specialized equipment, and delivers ongoing mentorship from experienced engineers to member schools. Signature student events (Innovation Day, CIJE Tank, Hackathon, Robotics Tournaments) and supplementary programs (Go Baby Go, Design FAB, Math Matters, Minecraft Challenges) round out a full educational platform.

Product overview

The Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE) is a nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) education programs to Jewish day schools and yeshivot across North America. The organization operates a multi-level educational platform spanning Lower School (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12) programs. The core offerings include the CIJE STEAM Lower School (CSLS) curriculum featuring NGSS-aligned science modules; the CIJE STEAM Middle School (CSMS) program focused on hands-on engineering experiences; and the two-year CIJE-STEAM High School Engineering Program preparing students for careers in engineering and technology. Supporting programs include the CIJE VEX Robotics League (elementary through high school using VEX GO, VEX IQ, and VEX V5 platforms), CIJE Bytes for electronics and programming basics, Minecraft Challenges for Jewish holiday-themed virtual projects, and the Design FAB Collection for digital fabrication and Jewish-themed art. Signature events include Innovation Day (capstone project presentations), CIJE Tank (Shark Tank-style competition), and the IoT Hackathon. CIJE also provides digital learning tools including SuccessMaker (adaptive math and literacy), Waterford Early Learning, and iTaLAM (Hebrew language curriculum), alongside specialized programs like Go Baby Go (adaptive mobility solutions), Yeshiva League Science Olympiad, and the IWitness Holocaust Education Initiative. The organization delivers professional development through Math Matters workshops and ongoing teacher mentorship by experienced engineers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CIJE STEAM Lower School (CSLS) Modular, NGSS-aligned K-5 science curriculum for Jewish day schools. Each grade level provides Earth, Life, and Physical Science modules including teacher instructions, student worksheets, PowerPoint presentations, and materials lists, delivered with virtual professional development and year-round mentor support.
• CIJE STEAM Middle School (CSMS) Hands-on STEAM and engineering curriculum for grades 6-8 emphasizing small-group collaborative work, inquiry-based learning, and real-world application of STEAM subjects through project-based design challenges.
• CIJE-STEAM High School Engineering Program Two-year course in Scientific and Biomedical Engineering for high school students that prepares them for careers in engineering, programming, and advanced technology. Students work in engineering design teams developing products including advanced circuitry, bridge building, and prosthetic limbs.
• CIJE VEX Robotics League Exclusive VEX Robotics league for Jewish day schools with Shabbat-compliant tournament scheduling. Supports Elementary (grades 4-5), Middle (6-8), and High School (9-12) teams using VEX GO, VEX IQ, and VEX V5 platforms, and includes CIJE's own Space Mission to the Moon challenge for grades 4-5.
• Design FAB Collection Year-long digital design and fabrication program turning school maker-spaces into hubs for Jewish-themed project-based learning. Students use 3D printers, laser cutters, and other digital fabrication tools to create Jewish-themed capstone artifacts, culminating in a Gallery Unveiling event.
• CIJE Bytes Hands-on basic electronics and computer programming curriculum for novice middle school and ninth-grade students. Teams of three learn to use electronic components and write programs in Arduino's Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
• Minecraft Challenges Four Minecraft challenges based on Jewish holiday-related themes for students in grades 5-10, promoting coding, detailed design, creativity, Jewish integration, and presentation skills. Students can use MinecraftEDU licenses or any Minecraft version including pocket, XBOX, or EDU editions.
• Innovation Day Annual flagship event where high school students present capstone projects from the CIJE-STEAM high school engineering curriculum. Students conceptualize, create, and engineer their own inventions and showcase outstanding accomplishments to the broader network.
• CIJE Tank Shark Tank-style competition showcasing distinguished capstone projects selected from hundreds of Innovation Day entries. Distinguished projects are selected for exceptional performance, articulate a need backed by research, and embody innovation and entrepreneurship.
• IoT Hackathon Annual day-long coding, design, and presentation event centered around the Internet of Things (IoT). Teams of up to 4 students design, code, manufacture, and pitch innovative products.
• Go Baby Go (CIJE Six-Week Curriculum) Six-week design-thinking curriculum in which students modify ride-on toy cars for children with mobility challenges. Students learn empathy-driven engineering, soldering, wire stripping, and iterative design while integrating Jewish values of tzedakah (charity) and B'tzelem Elokim (human dignity).
• Math Matters Virtual Math Professional Development for Elementary and Middle School teachers. Sessions on Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings cover numeracy, fluency, place value, word problems, measurement, fractions, and integers.
• Yeshiva League Science Olympiad Full-day multi-event science competition for Jewish day school students. Teams of two compete across 12 events spanning biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, and engineering, with Shabbat-friendly scheduling so observant Jewish students can fully participate.
• IWitness Holocaust Education Initiative Partnership with USC Shoah Foundation that brings first-person survivor accounts into Jewish school classrooms through interactive activities, drawing on the Shoah Foundation's audiovisual library of survivor testimony.
• Jerusalem The Eternal City App Interactive educational app developed with Compedia exploring Jerusalem across three historical periods, available to all CIJE-network Jewish day schools and yeshivot across the United States.
• Journey to the Startup Nation Annual cohort trip to Israel where CIJE students and teachers learn from engineers and entrepreneurs, visit major companies, and participate in workshops at the Technion and Weizmann Institutes.
• Getting Started with CIJE VEX GO (Virtual PD) Virtual professional development session that trains educators to bring VEX GO robotics and the CIJE Space Mission Challenge to their classrooms, covering robotics launch, team dynamics, and curriculum resources for the upcoming season.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 Jewish teens showcased capstone projects at CIJE's 2025 Innovation Day, demonstrating the scale of student innovation output.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 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

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HASC (Jewish Institute for Special Needs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025HASC (Hebrew Academy for Special Children) partnered with CIJE for the Go Baby Go pilot program at Yavneh Academy. HASC connects CIJE student engineers with children who need modified mobility cars, providing physical therapist expertise and family participation. CIJE is expanding relationships with special-needs organizations in Passaic, Woodmere, Brooklyn, and Baltimore.
• International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Mark Harrell, director of the STEM Center for Teaching and Learning at ITEEA, encouraged CIJE mentor Barbara Sehgal to present the Go Baby Go curriculum at ITEEA's annual conference to benefit the broader engineering education community. This partnership extends CIJE's educational innovations to the wider STEM education field.
• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLPminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The law firm sponsored the CIJE Tank 2025 overall winner Hadar from Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy with the opportunity to collaborate with the firm to obtain a provisional patent for their invention.
• Go Baby Go (Dr. Cole Galloway / Baylor University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CIJE launched the first national Jewish day school collaboration with Go Baby Go, the international program founded by Dr. Cole Galloway (now at Baylor University) that modifies ride-on toy cars for children with mobility challenges. CIJE developed a pioneering six-week design-thinking curriculum that extends the traditional single-day workshop into a comprehensive educational program. This partnership aligns with Jewish values of tzedakah and human dignity.
• The Jewish Education Project (for Yeshiva League Science Olympiad)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Previously run by The Jewish Education Project for many years, CIJE has partnered to carry forward the Yeshiva League Science Olympiad tradition. CIJE ensures the competition continues with the same spirit of excellence while expanding opportunities for more schools to participate in a Shabbat-friendly science competition.
• iTaLAM ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020CIJE is among the original partners in the development of iTaLAM, a digital blended learning environment for Hebrew language and Jewish heritage education. CIJE provides per-student subsidies to network schools using iTaLAM and has been instrumental in bringing this technology tool to Jewish schools worldwide.
• USC Shoah FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020CIJE partnered with the USC Shoah Foundation to create the IWitness-CIJE Jewish Day School Initiative, bringing first-person survivor testimony into Jewish school classrooms through interactive activities. The initiative draws on USC Shoah Foundation's vast library of audiovisual testimony of survivors and witnesses of genocide.
• VEX RoboticscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2010CIJE partners with VEX Robotics to run its exclusive Shabbat-compliant robotics league for Jewish schools. CIJE uses VEX GO (grades 4-5), VEX IQ (middle school), and VEX V5 (high school) platforms. CIJE has created its own CIJE Space Mission to the Moon challenge for elementary students to connect with the international Artemis project.
• VirtuousminorOthersVirtuous is used by CIJE as a third-party donation processing and donor relationship management platform. CIJE accepts donations through Virtuous and manages donor records through this platform.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Code.org: Code.org provides K–12 computer-science curricula, teacher professional development, and school partnerships. It is narrower than CIJE's full STEAM portfolio but comparable in its use of digital curriculum and educator enablement to expand supplemental instruction.
• Jewish Interactive: Jewish Interactive develops digital Jewish learning tools, coding experiences, and educator resources for Jewish schools. Its focus on technology-enabled Jewish education and teacher support gives it meaningful overlap with CIJE's digital programs.

Direct peers

• FIRST: FIRST operates school-based robotics and STEM programs, competitions, and team networks for K–12 students. It is highly comparable to CIJE's robotics league and event-driven student engagement model, but its programs are secular and global.
• PITSCO Education: PITSCO Education provides K–12 STEM and STEAM curricula, project materials, equipment, and teacher resources. Its hands-on curriculum and implementation model are directly comparable to CIJE's school programs, though it is a commercial provider rather than a niche nonprofit.
• LEGO Education: LEGO Education offers hands-on STEAM curricula, construction systems, and classroom solutions for primary and secondary students. It overlaps with CIJE's project-based, fabrication-oriented learning model, while operating at substantially greater global scale.
• Project Lead The Way: Project Lead The Way provides project-based K–12 STEM curricula, educator training, and school implementation support. Its bundled curriculum-and-professional-development model closely parallels CIJE's delivery approach, although it serves a broader student population.
• Engineering Tomorrow: Engineering Tomorrow is a nonprofit that provides engineering education, mentoring, and school programs to high-school students. Its mission-led STEM delivery and educator enablement make it a direct operating peer to CIJE.

Others

• VEX Robotics: VEX Robotics supplies the robotics platforms and competition infrastructure used by CIJE's Shabbat-compliant league. It is primarily an enabling technology provider rather than a direct curriculum competitor, but it is central to the subject company's robotics delivery model.
• The Jewish Education Project: The Jewish Education Project supports Jewish educators and schools through programs, professional learning, and communal initiatives. It previously operated the Yeshiva League Science Olympiad and now partners with CIJE to continue the Shabbat-friendly competition, making it a close ecosystem peer.

Broad incumbents

• Prizmah: Prizmah is a national network and support organization for Jewish day schools. It serves many of the same institutions and promotes collaboration among school leaders, but its portfolio is broader than CIJE's STEAM specialization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCf49ahCPSQMR880KIK_L1fA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-initiatives-in-jewish-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/cijetech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center of Initiatives in Jewish Education CIJE