Family Action Network

What Family Action Network does

Family Action Network (FAN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Evanston, Illinois that curates a free, public speaker series on education, psychology, social change, relationships, and well-being. Operating since at least 2012, FAN hosts world-class authors and researchers — including past speakers Angela Duckworth, Ph.D. and Barry Schwartz, Ph.D., and an upcoming Adam Grant, Ph.D. event scheduled for October 15, 2026 — delivering programs in-person at partner schools (Francis W. Parker School, Evanston Township High School, New Trier High School, etc.) and virtually via Zoom. The organization is staffed by 1–10 employees and is governed by a board of directors, with no parent company, PE/VC ownership, or subsidiaries.

FAN's product surface is non-technological: there is no proprietary software platform, no app, no API, and no AI/ML capabilities. Its core deliverables are (1) the FAN Speaker Series (a curated annual academic-year program), (2) the FAN Media Library (an archive of video recordings that extends reach beyond live attendance), and (3) a community calendar of upcoming events. Distribution runs through the website (familyactionnetwork.net), an email newsletter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X (@fan_chicago), with on-demand video also hosted on YouTube.

The business model is donation- and sponsorship-funded rather than revenue-generating. All programs are explicitly free and open to the public, with no registration required for most events. Funding comes from individual donors, family foundations (Anderson Family, Nevila & Jordan Lowe, Philosophia Fund), school districts (Barrington D220, Stevenson D125, Township D214, ETHS D202), healthcare providers (Compass Health Center), and state education bodies (Illinois Student Assistance Commission). No ticketing, subscription, or program-fee revenue is captured, and the organization files no public financial disclosures on its website.

Name

Family Action Network

Legal name

Family Action Network

Website

https://familyactionnetwork.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family Action Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Evanston, Illinois that curates a free annual speaker series featuring world-class authors and researchers on education, psychology, social change, relationships, and well-being for Chicago-area students, parents, educators, clinicians, and community members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Education and Speaker Event Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Engagement & Home–School Partnership Programs (EDACALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parent Support Groups & Peer Networks (EDACALAG), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

Keywords

• Community speaker series
• Nonprofit event programming
• Public lecture events
• Education and psychology events
• Community learning programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Family Action Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that curates and hosts a high-quality speaker series each academic year, featuring world-class thought leaders on education, psychology, social change, relationships, and well-being. All programs are free and open to the public, delivered through in-person events at local schools and community venues, as well as virtual Zoom sessions. The organization also maintains an on-demand video library of past programs for ongoing community access.

Product overview

Family Action Network (FAN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates as a speaker series platform rather than a traditional technology product. FAN curates a high-quality speaker series each academic year, offering free and open-to-the-public events featuring world-class speakers. The organization provides a media library of recorded past programs and maintains a community calendar. All programs cover topics including education, psychology, social change, relationships, and well-being. FAN programs are delivered in-person and via virtual formats (Zoom events), with some events including book giveaways.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FAN Speaker Series A curated speaker series presented each academic year, featuring world-class speakers who contribute to conversations among students, parents, educators, clinicians, and community members on topics including education, psychology, social change, relationships, and well-being.
• FAN Media Library Video recordings of FAN's past programs available for viewing, allowing community members to experience or re-live past events and share content with others.
• Community Calendar A community calendar listing upcoming FAN events and related activities, allowing community members to stay informed about programming.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Town Hall Seattle: Seattle nonprofit venue that presents a civic lecture and author series open to the public — directly comparable curated speaker programming, mission, and nonprofit structure.
• City Arts & Lectures (San Francisco): San Francisco nonprofit presenting on-stage conversations with notable writers, scientists, and cultural figures — directly comparable curated speaker-event model with broadcast distribution.
• Chicago Humanities Festival: Chicago-based nonprofit that curates a multi-day festival of lectures and conversations with leading authors, scientists, and policymakers — the closest direct analog to FAN, sharing geography, free public programming, and target audience of intellectually curious adults.
• Seattle Arts & Lectures: Nonprofit literary and cultural organization presenting a series of talks by acclaimed authors and thinkers — comparable speaker-series format, nonprofit funding model, and adult education focus.
• Commonwealth Club of California: San Francisco-based nonprofit forum hosting public conversations with authors, politicians, and experts — highly comparable speaker-series model with a broad civic-education mission similar to FAN's.
• 92nd Street Y (92Y): NYC-based cultural and community center famous for its lecture and conversation series featuring leading authors, scientists, and thought leaders — directly comparable in model (curated speaker events for the public) but at much larger scale.
• Chautauqua Institution: Nonprofit education center hosting an annual summer season of lectures, performances, and discussions with leading thinkers — closely comparable curated intellectual-community model, though residential and seasonal in format.

Emerging players

• World Science Festival: Nonprofit producing public events that bring leading scientists and thinkers to general audiences — comparable mission of making expert knowledge accessible to the public, but with a narrower science focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fan_chicago
• Instagraminstagram.com/familyactionnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-action-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Family Action Network