waters foundation

What waters foundation does

The Waters Center for Systems Thinking is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 83-2041181) that provides education, consulting, and resources to build systems thinking capacity across education, healthcare, government, corporate, and community sectors. Founded in 2019 as an independent entity that evolved from the Waters Foundation (with roots dating to 1987–1989), the organization is headquartered in Tucson, AZ (leadership) with operations in Pittsburgh, PA. Its core intellectual property is the trademarked "Habits of a Systems Thinker™" framework — 14 thinking dispositions describing how systems work and how actions affect outcomes over time — paired with visual tools (Behavior-over-time graphs, Causal loop diagrams, archetypes, Connection circles, Stock-flow maps) that underpin its methodology.

The Center delivers its methodology through a portfolio of products and services. The Thinking Tools Studio is a free, self-guided online learning platform hosting courses on the 14 Habits, tools, and archetypes, with templates, facilitation guides, lesson plans, and assessments. Paid offerings include online and in-person workshops (Introduction to Systems Thinking, Leading for Impactful Change, Mastering Accumulations), one-day virtual sector-specific "Building Pathways" forums, customized organizational consulting, and the 1-year Advanced Facilitator Credential program priced at $3,200–$3,400 per participant. Revenue is generated through four streams: professional learning/consulting services, credentialing program fees, physical product sales (Habits Card Set, Facilitator's Toolkit book) via a Shopify storefront, and donations/grants (including a notable W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant from 2017–2019). The organization reports reach across 80+ countries, 800+ schools, 30,000+ educators trained, and a network of 9,000+ systems thinking practitioners.

Name

waters foundation

Legal name

Waters Center for Systems Thinking Inc.

Website

https://waterscenterst.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Waters Center for Systems Thinking is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers education, consulting, and credentialing on systems thinking through its proprietary 14 Habits framework, free Thinking Tools Studio platform, workshops, and consulting across education, healthcare, government, and corporate sectors globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education and Systems Thinking Training Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving (EDABAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Critical Thinking, Problem Solving & Decision-Making (EDAAAKAH), Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Systems thinking education
• Professional learning services
• Organizational consulting
• Capacity building training
• Facilitator credentialing

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Learning Services: Revenue from virtual and in-person workshops, consulting engagements, and professional learning programs delivered to organizations across education, healthcare, government, and corporate sectors. Services include customized training, facilitation, and coaching.
2. Credentialing Programs: The Advanced Facilitator Credential program generates revenue at $3,200-$3,400 per participant, with partial scholarships available. This is a 1-year intensive program for experienced systems thinkers.
3. Product Sales: Sale of physical products including the Habits of a Systems Thinker Card Set (2020 Edition) and The Systems Thinking Facilitator's Toolkit book, available through their Shopify store.
4. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the organization receives donations and grant funding. Tax ID: 83-2041181. Donations support Thinking Tools Studio, Open Studio webinars, Building Pathways forums, and scholarships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Waters Center for Systems Thinking builds organizational and individual capacity to apply systems thinking through a portfolio of education, consulting, and credentialing services. Its core deliverable is the 14 Habits of a Systems Thinker™ framework, delivered via the free Thinking Tools Studio online learning platform, professional workshops, customized consulting engagements, virtual forums, and an Advanced Facilitator Credential Program for experienced practitioners. Target customers include K-12 schools, higher education institutions, healthcare organizations, government agencies, corporations, and nonprofits across 80+ countries.

Product overview

The Waters Center for Systems Thinking (formerly Waters Foundation) offers a comprehensive portfolio of systems thinking education and capacity-building products and services. The core offering is the Thinking Tools Studio, a free self-guided online learning platform featuring courses on the 14 Habits of a Systems Thinker, visual thinking tools (Behavior-over-time graphs, Causal loop diagrams, Connection circles, Stock-flow maps), and system archetypes. This platform serves as the foundation for professional learning, supplemented by Open Studio Webinars (free monthly virtual sessions) and Building Pathways for Systems Thinkers Virtual Forums. The organization provides professional credentials through its Advanced Facilitator Credential program (1-year intensive), and offers direct consulting services for organizations seeking customized systems thinking integration. Physical products include the Habits of a Systems Thinker card set. All offerings are designed to build capacity for applying systems thinking across education, healthcare, government, corporate, and community contexts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thinking Tools Studio: Free online self-guided learning platform for systems thinking education featuring courses on Habits, tools, and archetypes of systems thinking, along with resources including templates, facilitation guides, lesson plans, and assessments.
• Habits of a Systems Thinker
• Open Studio Webinars
• Building Pathways for Systems Thinkers Forums
• Systems Thinking Advanced Facilitator Credential

Products and services

• Thinking Tools Studio Free, self-guided online learning platform for learning and applying systems thinking fundamentals. Features 33 courses covering 14 Habits of a Systems Thinker, tools (Behavior-over-time graphs, Causal loop diagrams, Connection circles, Stock-flow maps), and archetypes, along with resources including templates, facilitation guides, lesson plans, assessments, webinars, videos, and articles. Suitable for new learners to seasoned practitioners.
• Advanced Facilitator Credential Program Intensive 1-year credentialing program for experienced systems thinkers to advance skills in systems thinking, facilitation, and coaching. Three components: Content (advanced knowledge of Habits, tools, and concepts), Connections (facilitator and coaching roles), and Community (learning community support). Cohort 12 running September 2026 - June 2027. Priced at $3,200-$3,400 per person with limited partial scholarships available.
• Open Studio Webinars Free, monthly hour-long virtual learning sessions via Zoom led by Waters Center staff and special guests, examining topics through a systems thinking lens. Two formats offered: Open Studio for all learners and Teacher Studio for educators. Interactive format with dialogue among participants.
• Building Pathways for Systems Thinkers Virtual Forums One-day virtual events focused on specific sectors (Early Childhood, Healthcare, School Leadership), featuring provocations, learning exercises, breakout sessions, plenary discussions, and mailed toolkits with physical resources. Designed for organizational and individual participants seeking deeper systems thinking immersion.
• Systems Thinking Workshops

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% of 150 teacher and leader participants showed evidence of active ST applications to classroom instruction and leadership
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• United Way of Tucson and Southern ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Great Expectations for Children and Families program utilized Waters Center's initial two-day systems thinking training to lay foundation for early childhood education improvement initiatives.
• Catalina Foothills School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Waters Foundation project (1989). Since 2011, a demonstration site partnership where district embedded ST concepts as deep learning proficiency throughout curriculum.
• National Governors AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStaff worked with Waters Center to build systems thinking capacity using Habits and Ladder of Inference to help governors and their staffs communicate policy decisions with greater clarity.
• Center for Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored 5 cohorts of state-level early childhood Fellows (2014+). Inspired ongoing NASLEE Leadership Academy. Several CEELO Fellows earned Waters Center Advanced Facilitator Credentials.
• Auburn UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLearning partnership developed through W.K. Kellogg Foundation project in Alabama region, participating in ST learning opportunities.
• Kentucky Valley Education Cooperative (KVEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLearning partnership developed through W.K. Kellogg Foundation project in Kentucky region, participating in ST learning opportunities.
• Central Kentucky Head StartminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLearning partnership developed through W.K. Kellogg Foundation project, participating in ST learning opportunities.
• Pacific UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSystems thinking course for doctoral nurse practitioners applied to healthcare leadership, strategic planning, and workplace culture systems.
• AMA Education ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHabits of a Systems Thinker reprinted in chapter 2 of Health Systems Science textbook (2nd ed., 2021), validating academic integration of the methodology.
• National Association of State Leaders in Early Education (NASLEE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsors ongoing cohort opportunities for state-level early childhood leaders. Waters Center credentialed facilitators serve as trainers and coaches for NASLEE Leadership Academy.
• NAEYCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Association for the Education of Young Children has viewed systems thinking as important to early childhood work.
• BUILDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly childhood initiative organization that has incorporated systems thinking into its national, state, and local work.
• Smart Start North CarolinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level early childhood organization that has incorporated systems thinking into leadership development work.
• First Things First ArizonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level early childhood organization that has incorporated systems thinking into leadership development work.
• First Five CaliforniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level early childhood organization that has incorporated systems thinking into leadership development work.
• Arizona STEM Acceleration ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo-year project supporting 150 teachers to bring enhanced learning and student efficacy through embedding systems thinking into 3D science instruction.
• Disha India Education Foundation and Heritage SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner in Gurgaon, India extending systems thinking work globally.
• Systems Thinking Association, TurkeyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner organization in Turkey extending systems thinking practices.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Generon Consulting: Systems thinking and organizational consulting firm; shares board member lineage (LeAnne Grillo) and overlapping consulting methodology and Fortune 500 client base.
• Academy for Systems Change: Non-profit focused on systems thinking and systems change practice and capacity building. Closely comparable mission to Waters Center and shares a board lineage (LeAnne Grillo co-founded both).
• Reos Partners: Global social-purpose consulting firm specializing in systems change, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and systems thinking facilitation. Overlapping methodology and target buyer segments in government, healthcare, and education.
• Society for Organizational Learning (SoL): Non-profit learning organization founded on systems dynamics and organizational learning principles with MIT lineage (Peter Senge). Comparable member/credential model and systems thinking focus.
• Pegasus Communications: Systems thinking and organizational learning publishing/training organization. Shares intellectual heritage (MIT system dynamics) and offers similar practitioner resources and publications.
• Sustainable Food Lab: Multi-stakeholder collaboration non-profit applying systems thinking to food systems; shares founder/board lineage (LeAnne Grillo). Comparable capacity-building consulting and training approach.

Emerging players

• MIT Sloan System Dynamics Group: Academic group founded by Dr. Jay Forrester, intellectual origin of Waters Center's methodology. Comparable systems thinking focus and produces training, publications, and research but serves academic rather than practitioner buyers.
• Interaction Institute for Social Change: Non-profit focused on social justice and systems change facilitation; comparable niche capacity-building and consulting focus but with social change rather than education/healthcare emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Creative Leadership: Established leadership development non-profit offering executive education with adjacent methodologies including systems thinking. Larger scale, broader portfolio, and competes for the same corporate leadership training budgets.
• d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford): Stanford-affiliated design thinking institution offering professional learning and certification. Competes for systems-thinking-adjacent corporate and education training budgets with much greater institutional backing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waterscenterforsystemsthinking

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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