{"data":{"type":"company_profile","id":194440,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:194440","attributes":{"canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/changemaker.education","generated_at":"2026-06-22T03:44:24Z","updated_at":"2026-06-22T03:08:33Z","entity_ids":{"company":"wefunder:company:194440","slug":"wefunder:company_slug:changemaker.education"},"profile_visibility":{"owner_published":true,"public_search_results":true,"site_search_listed":true,"privacy_mode":"promote","invite_only":false},"provenance":{"source":"wefunder_public_company_profile","as_of":"2026-06-22T03:44:24Z","claims":{"total_amount_raised":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#amount_raised","last_verified_at":"2026-06-22T03:08:33Z","as_of":"2026-06-22T03:44:24Z","confidence":"high"},"total_investors":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#number_of_investors","last_verified_at":"2026-06-22T03:08:33Z","as_of":"2026-06-22T03:44:24Z","confidence":"high"},"active_raise_states":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil)","last_verified_at":"2026-05-31T14:13:44Z","as_of":"2026-06-22T03:44:24Z","confidence":"high"},"latest_fundraise_state":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil).order(funding_started_at)","last_verified_at":"2026-05-31T14:13:44Z","as_of":"2026-06-22T03:44:24Z","confidence":"medium"}}},"company":{"id":194440,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:194440","slug":"changemaker.education","name":"Changemaker Education","tagline":"Better schools. Built locally. Education, reimagined together.","story":"Students need purpose, belonging, creativity, and emotional well-being, yet many families feel traditional schools have become increasingly standardized, test-driven, and disconnected from the individual needs of children.At the same time, educators across the country are burning out inside systems that leave little room for autonomy, innovation, or meaningful human connection. In conversations with educators nationwide, we consistently hear the same frustrations: children are disengaged, meaningful creativity is difficult to sustain, and conformity is rewarded more than curiosity.Many experienced educators and school leaders who have spent years trying to improve traditional systems from within have reached the same painful realization: the learning environments they believe students need most are often the hardest to create inside large institutional models.As demand for alternatives grows, microschools have emerged as one of the fastest-growing movements in education: small, personalized learning communities centered around relationships, flexibility, and real-world learning.But launching a sustainable microschool is far harder than most people realize.Why Changemaker ExistsThe Missing Infrastructure Behind the Microschool MovementAfter decades spent launching schools, scaling educational organizations, and building multi-site learning programs globally, we recognized a critical gap in the rapidly growing microschool movement:Many founders have the passion and vision to create extraordinary learning environments, but lack the operational systems, enrollment support, business infrastructure, and mentorship needed to launch sustainably and succeed long term.Changemaker Education is building the founder success infrastructure required to help microschools scale with greater consistency, quality, and long-term sustainability.Rather than operating schools directly, we scale through founder-led microschools by creating a model with strong long-term operating leverage.We believe microschools will become one of the defining growth categories in education over the next decade.Why This Team is Uniquely Positioned to Build ThisChangemaker Education combines deep expertise in educational innovation, founder development, enrollment strategy, and large-scale operational growth.Together, we bring decades of experience launching schools, scaling multi-site educational organizations globally, and building systems that support sustainable growth at scale.We believe the future of education will not be built through massive centralized systems, but through empowered local founders supported by scalable infrastructure.Early Momentum \u0026amp; Year Zero TractionChangemaker Education is still in the early stages of growth, but we are already seeing strong momentum from educators and communities seeking alternatives to traditional education.Our pilot-year programs helped validate both the demand for microschools and the importance of strong founder support systems, enrollment infrastructure, and operational guidance.Today, the Changemaker network includes founders launching microschools across more than 20 U.S. cities, with additional growth planned over the next 18 months.3Microschools Opened from Pilot Cohort7Founders Launching Schools in Fall 202615 / 40Founder Spots Filled for Fall 2027 Cohort20+U.S. Cities with Active Founders Launching$10K+Average Monthly RevenueThrough our early cohorts, we identified founder selection, enrollment capability, and operational execution as the primary drivers of microschool success. These insights are now shaping the systems and infrastructure we are building across the Changemaker network.Strategic Partnerships \u0026amp; Infrastructure SupportNational Microschooling CenterAccreditation PartnersLMS \u0026amp; Curriculum ProvidersFacility \u0026amp; Insurance PartnersFractional C-Suite \u0026amp; Operational AdvisorsPublic \u0026amp; Charter DistrictsEducation Innovation Think TanksWhy We’re Raising Capital NowChangemaker Education was intentionally designed as an asset-light, scalable model for the rapidly growing microschool movement.Rather than operating schools directly, we scale through founder-led microschools supported by centralized systems, enrollment infrastructure, operational guidance, and founder support.Through our pilot-year programs, we validated strong demand from both educators and families while identifying the primary drivers of founder success: enrollment capability, operational execution, and sustained founder support.After recently completing the financial audit required to expand our public fundraising capacity, we are now positioned to accelerate growth at a much larger scale through Wefunder.This capital will allow us to strengthen the flywheel that drives sustainable network growthBecause our model is intentionally lean, capital can be deployed efficiently toward systems, infrastructure, and growth rather than facilities or large centralized staffing overhead as follows:Recruit and support 25 high-quality microschools over the next 18 monthsBuild scalable enrollment and marketing systems that improve founder successExpand founder recruitment nationwide in cities with favorable ESA fundingIncrease fractional operational support for compliance, licensing, and launch executionRefine, optimize, and standardize our Sales, Operational, and Financial SystemsWe believe we are at the beginning of a generational shift toward smaller, more personalized, human-centered learning environments, and that Changemaker is positioned to help build the infrastructure behind that movement.As more microschools launch successfully, the Changemaker network becomes stronger, more scalable, and increasingly efficient over time.Why Microschools Are Growing So QuicklyMicroschools are no longer a fringe idea. They are one of the fastest-growing movements in education as families seek smaller, more personalized, and community-centered alternatives to traditional schooling.Rising dissatisfaction with conventional education, rapid expansion of school choice funding, and growing demand for flexible learning models are accelerating this shift nationwide.Today:34 states offer school choice funding programsMicroschool enrollment continues to grow rapidly across the U.S.Nearly half of American students now have access to some form of school choice fundingDemand for personalized education is outpacing supply in many communitiesWe believe Changemaker is positioned at the intersection of educational innovation, rising demand for alternative education, microschool founder-led entrepreneurship, and expanding school choice policy.Major Investors Are Betting on MicroschoolsThe microschool movement is attracting growing national attention and investment. Multiple venture-backed education companies have raised significant capital to support alternative learning models and founder-led schools.This growing investment validates both the scale of the opportunity and the increasing demand for personalized education models outside traditional systems.Changemaker is approaching this market differently:founder-first rather than franchise-firstasset-light rather than facility-heavycommunity-centered rather than standardizedoperationally disciplined rather than growth-at-all-costsWhile others have pursued large venture rounds early, Changemaker is intentionally focused on sustainable growth, founder success, and scalable infrastructure.Changemaker Education is entering this emerging market with a differentiated founder-first approach: innovative, one-of-a-kind community-serving microschools, active mentorship, and our Mind-Body-Soul (MBS) framework for whole-child development.We’re competing in one of the fastest-growing conversations in education, and our early momentum is building quickly.In just 18 months, Changemaker Education has grown to more than 4,500 LinkedIn followers and currently shows one of the strongest follower growth rates among emerging microschool networks, despite operating with significantly less capital than many venture-backed competitors.We believe this reflects growing grassroots demand for founder-led, human-centered microschools and increasing interest in Changemaker’s differentiated approach.Scalable, Asset-Light, Recurring Revenue ModelBecause Changemaker scales through founder-led microschools rather than directly operating campuses, the model remains intentionally lean, scalable, and operationally efficient.Multi-year founder agreements, beginning with a minimum three-year term, create recurring revenue while strengthening long-term network growth and operational leverage over time.Why Educators Choose ChangemakerChangemaker Education was intentionally designed to provide the infrastructure, hands-on support, and founder freedom that most microschool networks lack.We believe sustainable microschools require more than curriculum or branding alone. They require operational systems, enrollment support, mentorship, community, and the personal growth necessary to lead a thriving school long term.1. Founder Freedom + Shared InfrastructureUnlike rigid franchise models, Changemaker founders maintain the flexibility to build uniquely personalized, community-centered microschools while benefiting from shared systems, mentorship, and operational support.2. Human Development as Competitive AdvantageOur Mind Body Soul (MBS) framework strengthens the mindset, resilience, communication, and leadership capacity required for founders to successfully launch and sustain microschools over time.3. Solving the Hardest Problem: EnrollmentWe are building scalable enrollment and marketing systems that help microschool founders attract families, grow sustainably, and strengthen long-term school viability.This includes:lead generationmarketing systemsenrollment strategysales traininglocal outreach supportChangemaker Microschool Founder TestimonialsChristina Pipkin, FAYE Learning Center“David and Joy helped turn a long-time dream into a real, achievable path.”Dr. Nick Pocius, North Star Academy Microschool\"Changemaker helped me move from reacting to problems to thinking strategically about sustainability, enrollment, and long-term impact.” Dr. Yvonne Rooks, It Takes a Village Microschool“What matters most is knowing I’m not doing this alone.”Jessica Steele, The Resonance Lab“Changemaker helped me build a financially sustainable school designed around each student’s unique strengths.” Our Solution for the Future of Education -- Personalized Microschools. All Changemaker microschools are anchored by our Mind Body Soul (MBS) whole-person development curriculum, the unifying framework that brings coherence, well-being, nervous system regulation, and emotional intelligence across our entire network of microschools.For Families: Personalized and relationship-centered learningRelevant Real-world and self-directed educationStronger family alignment, communication, and co-creation opportunitiesHuman-centered learning environmentsFor Students: Joyful and engaging learning experiencesCreativity, confidence, and purposeEmotional well-being and self developmentFlexible learning built around individual strengthsChangemaker Education Financial ModelChangemaker Education was intentionally designed as a recurring revenue business model capable of scaling through founder-led microschools rather than directly operating campuses.As more microschools launch successfully, recurring revenue compounds across the network while centralized operational systems create increasing margin efficiency over time.Our current focus is not maximizing short-term growth at all costs, but validating the operational systems, enrollment infrastructure, and founder support mechanisms required for long-term sustainable scale.All projections are forward looking and not guaranteedThe projections below represent a long-term view of how the Changemaker model could scale over time under conservative operating assumptions.Key assumptions include:50% of microschools launching within 16 months30% annual founder attrition after initial agreements expireRevenue growth driven primarily by recurring microschool revenue shareMargin expansion through centralized operational leverage and scalable systemsBy 2032, projections estimate:$7.7M annual revenue$5.3M annual EBITDAApproximately $12.7M cumulative surplusImportantly, these projections reflect only recurring microschool network revenue and DO NOT include additional revenue from the initial $5,000 licensing fee, supplemental programs, partnerships, or future product expansion.All projections are forward looking and not guaranteedThese projections are intended to illustrate the long-term potential operating leverage of a successful founder-led microschool network model.Changemaker is currently raising through a SAFE with a 20% discount, allowing early investors to participate before larger-scale expansion.All projections are forward looking and not guaranteedAll projections are forward looking and not guaranteedInvestor Q\u0026amp;A1. How is 2026 progressing and what do you mean by growing demand?The $5,000 revenue shown in our 2025 financials reflects a pilot period when we were focused on validating the model rather than charging upfront fees for participation.In FY 2025-2026, we've already generated more than $90,000 in founder fees during the current fiscal year by charging Founders an upfront $5,000 fee through affordable payment plans.More importantly, 10% revenue sharing has not yet begun. We expect 7 Changemaker microschools to launch programs this fall and the revenue engine to start. We have also signed 15 prospective founders toward our goal of recruiting 40 founders for Fall 2027 launches. When we talk about demand, we're referring to what we're seeing firsthand: growing interest from educators seeking alternatives to traditional systems, expanding school choice programs, increasing microschool awareness, and a steadily growing founder pipeline across multiple states.We remain early and are careful not to overstate our progress. Our focus is on helping current founders launch successful schools while building a repeatable system that can scale responsibly over time.2. How do you find your Microschool Founders?We recruit Microschool Founders through targeted outreach, founder referrals, community partnerships, digital marketing, and educator networks nationwide.Our founders come from backgrounds including education, homeschooling, coaching, entrepreneurship, and leadership development. We look for mission-aligned individuals with strong community connection, entrepreneurial drive, and the capacity to build sustainable learning environments.Our founder pipeline continues to expand as demand for microschools and alternative education models accelerates nationwide.3. What determines whether a Microschool Founder succeeds?We are continuously refining our founder selection and support systems to improve launch quality and long-term sustainability.Based on our early operating experience, founder success correlates strongly with:Entrepreneurial commitment and execution abilityStrong alignment with our values and educational philosophyWillingness to learn enrollment, marketing, and sales systemsDeep connection to local communityEffective use of operational systems and support resourcesOne of our core insights is that success depends as much on mindset, resilience, and operational execution as educational vision itself.4. How do you make money?Changemaker Education generates revenue through multiple recurring and founder-support revenue streams:$5,000 founder licensing fee prior to microschool launchOngoing 10% recurring revenue share from microschools under multi-year agreementsFounder Pipeline Programs designed to cultivate future microschool leadersAdditional coaching, workshops, and educational support programsOur model is intentionally designed to create recurring network revenue as more microschools successfully launch and mature over time.5. What does scaling look like?Changemaker scales through founder-led microschools rather than directly operating campuses, allowing the company to remain lean and operationally efficient.As additional founders launch microschools, recurring revenue expands while centralized systems, operational infrastructure, enrollment support, and founder resources create increasing leverage across the network.We are intentionally prioritizing states with strong school choice ecosystems and Education Savings Account (ESA) funding support.6. What are your conservative assumptions?Our financial projections are based on intentionally conservative operating assumptions, including:50% of microschools launching within approximately 12–16 months30% projected founder attrition after initial agreements expireGradual microschool enrollment growth over timeContinued investment into operational systems and infrastructureEven under conservative assumptions, the model demonstrates strong recurring revenue potential and expanding margin efficiency at scale.7. How do you ensure educational quality across your network?Changemaker is not built around a particular political or ideological viewpoint. We support high-quality, community-centered schools that help students flourish academically, socially, emotionally, and personally. Founders have flexibility in how they design their schools, but they do not operate in isolation. We provide training, best-practice sharing, curriculum reviews, site visits, operational guidance, and are developing certification standards designed to maintain quality across the network.Our goal is to help founders build schools that reflect the needs of their communities while maintaining strong standards for student outcomes and educational excellence.8. What is the investor upside?Investors participate through a SAFE offering with a 20% discount and a $5M valuation cap.As the network scales, investors benefit from the upside potential created by recurring revenue growth, operational leverage, and long-term enterprise value expansion.The financial projections included in this campaign illustrate potential valuation scenarios based on successful execution of the Changemaker model over time.9. How did you determine the company's valuation?Our valuation is based on the size of the market opportunity, the scalability of the business model, the recurring nature of our revenue streams, and the experience of the leadership team, not solely on trailing revenue.Changemaker was intentionally designed as an asset-light infrastructure company that scales through founder-led microschools rather than directly operating campuses. As founders launch schools, recurring revenue compounds while centralized systems create increasing operational leverage across the network.Our leadership team has significant experience scaling educational organizations. Co-Founder Joy Meserve spent more than two decades helping scale iD Tech from a handful of campuses to a company serving hundreds of thousands of students before its $200 million acquisition.While we are still early, we believe the valuation reflects both the scale of the opportunity and the long-term potential of the model.10. What is your exit strategy?We believe several long-term outcomes are possible as the microschool category continues to mature, including:Acquisition by an education platform or microschool networkStrategic acquisition by private equity groups focused on alternative educationLong-term cash-flow generation through a scalable recurring revenue business modelOur focus today is building durable infrastructure, strong founder success systems, and sustainable long-term enterprise value.11. What are the risks?Like any early-stage company, Changemaker faces operational, market, and policy-related risks.Key risks include:Changes in school choice policy environmentsFounder execution and microschool launch variabilityEnrollment inconsistency across local marketsThe emerging nature of the microschool category itselfWe seek to mitigate these risks through diversified geographic growth, strong founder selection, operational systems, and ongoing refinement of our support infrastructure.","location":"Sacramento, CA","website":"https://changemakereducation.com/","total_amount_raised":55300,"total_investors":26,"is_funded":false,"is_active":true,"quality_score":2,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/changemaker.education","https://changemakereducation.com/"]},"media":{"share_image_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/custom_card_photo/194440/xxl_Changemaker_Education_1780346132114.jpg","logo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/logo/194440/large_avatar.jpg","header_media_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/194440/standard_avatar.jpg","cover_photo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/custom_card_photo/194440/large_Changemaker_Education_1780346132114.jpg"},"links":{"company_url":"https://changemakereducation.com/","linkedin_url":"https://linkedin.com/company/changemaker-microschools/","instagram_url":"https://instagram.com/changemakeredu/"},"highlights":[{"id":75537,"name":"repeat_founder","url":"repeatfounder","presentable_name":"Repeat Founder","description":"Started a prior company with $2M+ in funding or revenue","image_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/2021/profile-highlights-replay.svg"}],"quick_facts":[{"index":1,"claim_id":"claim-fact-1","value":"Lean \u0026amp; Highly Scalable: No facilities or teachers on payroll - scaling through Microschool Founders"},{"index":2,"claim_id":"claim-fact-2","value":"Compelling Business Model: $5,000 licensing fee + ongoing 10% revenue share from each microschool"},{"index":3,"claim_id":"claim-fact-3","value":"Early Investors: 20% SAFE discount with high upside as we grow to 150 microschools \u0026amp; 15,000 students"},{"index":4,"claim_id":"claim-fact-4","value":"Launching Across 14 States: 7 microschools Fall '26, 20 Fall '27, and revenue sharing begins Sep '26"},{"index":5,"claim_id":"claim-fact-5","value":"Early Investors: 20% SAFE discount with high upside as we grow to 150 microschools \u0026amp; 15,000 students"},{"index":6,"claim_id":"claim-fact-6","value":"Growing Demand: Speaking with over a dozen educators per week seeking to start K–12 microschools"}],"team":[{"id":6601785,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:6601785","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:4979730","role":"founder","name":"David Richards","title":"CEO \u0026 Founder","bio":"25+ years reimagining education and opened over a dozen charter, micro, and private schools. On Founding team with Summit Public Schools, an award-winning, innovative model used in 300 schools. Raised $50M+ from world leaders for education initiatives.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/6601785/square_avatar.jpg?1780102865","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/david.richards.9","personal_url":"","linkedin_url":"https://linkedin.com/davidkrichards","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/david.richards.9",""]},{"id":6563504,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:6563504","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:5005781","role":"employee","name":"Joy Meserve","title":"Chief Operating Officer","bio":"20+ years leading education operations and scaling organizations globally. Former COO of iD Tech, #1 US STEM program. Scaled to 190 sites in 7 countries, serving 600,000 students, leading to a $200M acquisition.","avatar_url":"https://wefunder.com/rails/active_storage/representations/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTE2MDEzNSwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b25c63625cccd8b92ee34d2bc8e7c3b3bf3ebf90/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6eyJmb3JtYXQiOiJqcGVnIiwicmVzaXplX3RvX2ZpbGwiOlsxNTAsMTUwXX0sInB1ciI6InZhcmlhdGlvbiJ9fQ==--0ef6870c9fa05ea1e6ca6f7ebb7d4a5157059dbc/profile_picture_f00a9c6dd762.jpeg?1772495326","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/joy.meserve","linkedin_url":"https://linkedin.com/joymeserve","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/joy.meserve"]},{"id":6601786,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:6601786","role":"employee","name":"Michael Hendricks","title":"Senior Advisor, Enrollment \u0026 Growth Strategy","bio":"Michael Hendricks is Founding VP of Clapself, an AI-powered talent and collaboration platform, where he drives sales strategy and AI adoption to help organizations scale engagement and conversion. He brings deep expertise in enrollment, revenue, and tech.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/6601786/square_avatar.jpg?1772497477","related_urls":[]},{"id":6601787,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:6601787","role":"employee","name":"Mary Jo Fairhead","title":"Senior Advisor, Teaching \u0026 Learning","bio":"Microschool Founder and CEO at Onward Learning. Onward Learning was a 2024 YASS Prize Semifinalist and VELA Education Fund Recipient. Mary Jo was a speaker at the Power of Innovation Summit in DC.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/6601787/square_avatar.jpg?1772497477","linkedin_url":"https://linkedin.com/in/mary-jo-fairhead-a00abb321/","related_urls":[]},{"id":6601788,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:6601788","role":"employee","name":"Bryan Adams","title":"School Financial Consultant","bio":"Entrepreneur at Abacus Education Partners, providing budgeting and financial expertise for alternative schools.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/6601788/square_avatar.jpg?1772497478","linkedin_url":"https://linkedin.com/in/badams88/","related_urls":[]}],"featured_investors":[{"id":13546,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_investor_profile:13546","investor_profile_id":4606820,"investor_profile_entity_id":"wefunder:investor_profile:4606820","subject_entity_id":"wefunder:user:5113376","name":"Navarre Joseph","role_title":"","bio":"Senior Director, New Relic. Start-up founder, advisor, angel investor.","avatar_url":"https://wefunder.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTg1NDg1NCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--c23a247634be91bca566c8d876b7ed4237bf66ca/filename","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/navarre.joseph.1","endorsement_quote":"My commitment in investing in Changemaker was to finally jump on David Richards' coattails. I had watched him lead and grow not only the wildly successful Summit Public Schools, but also the burgeoning Growth Public Schools. I have only known David to move from a place of deep integrity and purpose, tirelessly moving to secure the success of each of his endeavors. Open-minded and creative, he has shown the discipline to purge what does not align and where to invest in what is having greater positive impact on establishing his vision. He continues to surround himself with passionate and ludicrously skilled people that only make me more certain of their success. Education in the US has clearly needed a revision and our young families need different paths to achieving their educational success. Changemaker is meeting those families where they are at, often empowering them in the ways that both public and private institutions have not. These families and my own see what Changemaker is - an advantage maker.","endorsement_name":"","investment_total":35000,"investment_info":"Invested $15,000 this round \u0026 $20,000 previously","is_lead_investor":true,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/navarre.joseph.1"]}],"investor_memos":[],"tab_counts":{"posts":2,"ask_questions":4,"featured_investors":1,"faq_entries":4},"active_fundraises":[{"id":159239,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:159239","state":"successful","offering_type":"4(a)(6)","funding_type":"note","structure":"ttw","security_type":"","currency":"USD","testing_the_waters":true,"min_purchase":100,"max_purchase":9,"funding_target":1235000.0,"minimum_target":"50000.0","maximum_target":"1235000.0"},{"id":159238,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:159238","state":"open","offering_type":"4(a)(6)","funding_type":"note","structure":"safe","security_type":"equity","currency":"USD","testing_the_waters":false,"min_purchase":100,"max_purchase":9,"funding_target":50000.0,"minimum_target":"50000.0","maximum_target":"1235000.0","funding_started_at":"2026-05-30T01:37:52Z","funding_closed_at":"2026-10-29T03:59:59Z"}],"latest_fundraise":{"id":159239,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:159239","state":"successful","offering_type":"4(a)(6)","structure":"ttw","testing_the_waters":true,"can_invest_now":false,"funding_started_at":null,"funding_closed_at":null,"terms":{"eb":null,"nb":"$5M","txt":"valuation cap"}},"recent_posts":[{"id":337370,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:337370","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"SEC Approval \u0026amp; Rapid Scaling: Help Us Accelerate the Future of Education","preview":"We are thrilled to share that Changemaker Education has received SEC approval to expand our fundraising capacity from $124k to $1.2M.This is a massive step forward that allows us to meet the overwhelming demand from educators and families across the country.While our legal ceiling has grown, our immediate target is $500K to fuel the next phase of our education revolution. Here is why now is the time to join us:1. Proven Leadership at the Helm Investors aren't just betting on a model; they are...","published_at":"2026-06-15T21:07:15Z","author_name":"David Richards","url":"/feed/337370","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/337370"},{"id":291837,"entity_id":"wefunder:feed_item:291837","type":"FeedItem::Update","visibility":"public","title":"Moving Beyond the Heroic Founder Myth","preview":"We are moving beyond the \"Heroic Founder\" myth.There is a belief that we should hype up the lone genius founder. But at Changemaker Education, we bet on systems of support and transformative community.Joy Meserve and I co-create with founders using principles from Laloux’s Reinventing Organizations. We’ve found that the traditional 1930s command and control management model of relentless, machine like execution leads to burnout. Instead, we provide a Teal framework for growth.The founder's vi...","published_at":"2026-03-31T16:52:23Z","author_name":"David Richards","url":"/feed/291837","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/feed/291837"}],"q_and_a":[{"id":334945,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:334945","question":"As Mercile noted, what your schools are promoting in their curriculum matter. Many schools, such as those in Texas, are white-washing history, removing facts for Christian ideology, etc. What is the policy of your organization on social justice, climate change science, etc. to help these kids prepare for our future world?","author_name":"Stacey Campbell","votes":1,"created_at":"2026-06-04T15:06:26Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/changemaker.education#question-334945","answers":[{"id":335197,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:335197","answer":"Thank you for the thoughtful question. At Changemaker Education, we are not building a network of schools around a particular political, religious, or ideological viewpoint. We believe communities benefit from educational diversity, and our role is to help mission-aligned founders create high-quality microschools that serve the needs of their families and communities. Our philosophy is that education should help young people learn how to think, not what to think. Recent research from Harvard's Human Flourishing Program suggests that great schools should focus not only on academic achievement, but also on helping students develop character, meaningful relationships, purpose, wellbeing, and the skills needed to navigate an increasingly complex world. Those principles align closely with our vision for education.While our founders have the flexibility to design schools that reflect the unique needs of their communities, we have a selective process to vet our educators before they are invited to join our network. And, once they are part of Changemaker, we provide meaningful oversight and support. Educators participate in ongoing training, professional development, and best-practice sharing across our network. We conduct regular site visits, review educational programs and curricula, and work closely with founders to ensure their schools are delivering high-quality learning experiences aligned with our values and standards. We are also developing a certification process that will help establish clear expectations around educational quality, student experience, school culture, and operational excellence across the network. Our goal is not to create identical schools. Our goal is to create excellent schools. Because our schools are locally led, curricula and areas of emphasis may vary from community to community. What unites them is a commitment to academic growth, human flourishing, critical thinking, creativity, community engagement, and preparing students to contribute positively to the world around them. We believe the future needs graduates who are intellectually curious, resilient, thoughtful, and capable of engaging with complex issues from multiple perspectives. Those are outcomes we actively encourage throughout our network.","author_name":"David Richards","votes":1,"created_at":"2026-06-08T18:33:33Z"}]},{"id":334811,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:334811","question":"I am concerned about the curriculum and the courses being taught.","author_name":"Mercile Pierce","votes":1,"created_at":"2026-06-02T17:58:35Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/changemaker.education#question-334811","answers":[{"id":334817,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:334817","answer":"Thank you for your question. Our microschool founders are highly qualified educators using vetted curriculum that is reviewed and approved by our team. We have an interview process to ensure they meet our high standards. They all use a standards-based approach with rigorous academic expectations. Because our microschools are so small, each child is given what they need to be successful academically. Typically students in microschools exceed grade level standards because of the individualized attention and partnership with families. And, all of this is supplemented with our whole child approach.","author_name":"David Richards","votes":1,"created_at":"2026-06-02T18:39:11Z"}]},{"id":335107,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:335107","question":"thanks for response. 1.what is am wondering is how is 2026 looking so far? 2. I see in 2025 you made 5k, that is 1 person. you said exploding demand. I would love to see the numbers to match. can you elaborate on exploding demand? many see that you did 5k and that is the cost of 1 license fee they won't look any further. think could be part of reason you raised what you have and not a lot more especially in the education space which is a massive market. 3. can somebody use their IRA to pay for the licensing fee? not all businesses are setup to accept an IRA investment. I have 174 companies in my portfolio, most came from IRA, not all cause not all were setup for that. 4. what will the bulk of the raise go towards? outside of marketing 5. very good idea to go with the 5k license fee. that makes it very affordable. how are you guys reaching people now and about this raise. former people in education teachers etc, people new to this industry etc would love have something like this at this point. 6. I do agree with mercile. many want their kids to learn everything in school not just English and math etc. some things were taken out of schools for political reasons and many are afraid more will follow. will that be an issue with you? many don't know what is worse the bullying in schools or stuff being taken out. why many now want alternatives them traditional go to classroom options. kids will go to actual book stores to get books or will there be online books etc as an option 7. what is the exit strategy? do you have any examples of competitors in your space that had an IPO, got acquired etc. you obviously aren't the only one doing this. many when they see your revenue of 5k in 2025 and see your 5 million valuation they may go what the without anything to compare it to. you see it happen alot on shark tank with the sharks. how did you arrive at this valuation with your sales. you better tell me something good before we throw you out of here lol. those are professionals imagine what the avg joe will think great job and thanks for your time!","author_name":"John Webster","votes":0,"created_at":"2026-06-06T20:18:28Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/changemaker.education#question-335107","answers":[{"id":335205,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:335205","answer":"1 \u0026amp;2. How is 2026 looking so far, and what do you mean by \"exploding demand\"?Great questions. The $5,000 revenue figure shown for 2025 reflects our prior fiscal year which closed June 30, 2026. You will see the updates under the notes on Wefunder financials. It doesn't fully represent where the business is today. We did a pilot from January 2026 to June 2026 and did not charge an entry fee as we were focused on building and validating the model. We were not broadly charging founders to join our programs, and only one early founder joined what would later become our Fall 2026 Cohort. That educator’s participation accounted for the $5,000 reflected in our 2025 financials. Since then, we've formalized our founder programs, refined our systems, and begun onboarding founders through structured payment plans designed to keep entry affordable for aspiring school leaders. As a result, we've already generated more than $75,000 in founder fees during our current fiscal year. More importantly, we're seeing meaningful traction in the field. This does not count the 10% revenue share with our micorschools which will be reflected this fall and in our next year’s financials. We expect 7 Changemaker microschools to launch full programs this fall, with several additional founders launching pilot programs as they build toward full-scale openings.Looking ahead, we have already signed on 17 prospective founders toward our goal of recruiting 40 founders for Fall 2027 launches.When we talk about demand, we're referring to what we're seeing firsthand:• Educators actively seeking alternatives to traditional systems• Growing interest in microschools and learner-centered education models• Expansion of ESA and school choice programs across the country• A steadily growing pipeline of educators exploring school creationWe're still early, and we're careful not to overstate our progress. The opportunity ahead of us is much larger than what we've captured so far. What gives us confidence is that we're seeing increasing interest from educators who want to build schools in their communities and families who are looking for more personalized educational options. Our focus now is simple: help our current founders launch successful schools, support their growth, and continue building a repeatable system that can scale responsibly over time.3. Can someone use their IRA to pay for licensing fee?Great question. We are going to look into this as it seems like it would create another pathway for our educators to afford the entry fee.4. What will the bulk of the raise go towards outside of marketing?Our biggest priorities are:• Microschool Founder recruitment• Student recruitment and enrollment support for founders• Adding additional fractional coaches to allow us to expand and scale effectively.• Technology that reduces friction and increases efficiency for our educators.• Enhancing and upgrading existing operational tools, systems, and support structures that allow the educator to focus on their strengths of teaching.• Curriculum, compliance, quality assurance, and certification systems5. How are we reaching founders today?We are currently signing up an average of 3 educators per month. We are having success even without a robust system of recruitment. Currently we do the following:• LinkedIn Recruiter• Educator referrals and word of mouth• Workshops and webinars• Microschool conferences and events• Strategic partnerships• Content marketing, newsletters, and social media• Direct outreach to educators, leaders, coaches, and community builders6. Curriculum and educational qualityGreat question. First, we have a selective process and ensure our educators and founders are values-aligned. Changemaker is not built around a particular political or ideological viewpoint. Our goal is to support high-quality, community-driven schools that help students flourish academically, socially, emotionally, and personally. Founders have flexibility in how they design their schools, but they don't operate in a vacuum. We provide training, best-practice sharing, site visits, curriculum and program reviews, and are developing a certification process that establishes quality standards across our network. We believe education should help students become curious, informed, thoughtful, and capable of engaging with complex issues from multiple perspectives. Families ultimately choose the learning environments that align with their values, and our role is to help founders build exceptional schools that serve those communities well.7. Exit strategy and valuationOur valuation is not based on trailing revenue. It's based on the size of the market opportunity, the scalability of the model, the recurring nature of our revenue streams, and the experience of the founding team. My co-founder Joy spent more than two decades helping scale iD Tech from a handful of campuses to a company serving hundreds of thousands of students and generating tens of millions in annual revenue before its acquisition. Our model is intentionally asset-light. We don't need to build schools ourselves. We help local founders build schools while we provide the systems, support, infrastructure, and network behind them. And, you can see that our revenue is moving in the right direction even before we have the 10% revenue coming in. Our exit strategy is an acquisition in 5-7 years. We already are seeing well funded microschool networks that will be looking to increase their footprint. My Co-Founder Joy spent more than two decades helping scale iD Tech from a handful of campuses to a company serving hundreds of thousands of students and generating tens of millions in annual revenue before its $200 million acquisition.Thanks again for the thoughtful questions and for pushing us to clarify our thinking. We genuinely appreciate it.","author_name":"David Richards","votes":0,"created_at":"2026-06-08T19:18:34Z"}]},{"id":334634,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:334634","question":"Good stuff. I invested in another company that has undergrad and mba etc programs so this is very appealing. I am wondering what is the biggest difference between you and masterminds education raising on here now. Thanks and your 5k is a good price!","author_name":"John Webster","votes":0,"created_at":"2026-05-31T19:19:10Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/changemaker.education#question-334634","answers":[{"id":334723,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:334723","answer":"Hi John! Thanks for the question and the support! We love seeing the innovation coming out of the education space right now. While Masterminds has built a great premium school in Dubai, the difference between our two companies comes down to capital efficiency, scalability, and market reach. Asset Light vs. Real Estate Heavy: Masterminds relies on a brick and mortar model, requiring heavy capital (a $12M+ target) to lease expensive real estate in luxury markets like Palo Alto. I did this as an executive with Summit Public Schools in the Bay Area and it is a heavy lift. And, Joy scaled this way as COO of iD Tech. This is why we created Changemaker as an accelerator and a decentralized network. We spend $0 on corporate leases or teacher payroll. We build the \"Operating System\" providing the backend tech, enrollment marketing, and our proprietary Mind Body Soul framework to local founders. Speed to Market: Because their model is capital intensive, their growth is linear. Because our model is asset light, we scale at software like velocity. We already have an active footprint of founders across 20+ U.S. cities, with 7 schools launching this Fall and 15 out of 40 recruited for Fall 2027. Capturing the School Choice Wave: Masterminds targets ultra high income families paying out of pocket. Changemaker is explicitly built to leverage Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) / School Choice state funding (now active in 34 states), allowing public tax dollars to fund our local schools and opening us up to a massive mainstream market. Masterminds is building a luxury school network, Changemaker is building the scalable infrastructure behind the entire nationwide microschool movement. Our model captures a $5K upfront fee + an ongoing 10% recurring revenue share that compounds as our network grows, without adding corporate overhead. We'd love to have you on the journey with us at this early stage! I’d love to share more about our growth flywheel and answer any other questions you have. Feel free to shoot me a direct message here on Wefunder, and we can easily set up a quick 15 minute intro call!","author_name":"David Richards","votes":1,"created_at":"2026-06-01T19:43:59Z"}]}],"faq":[{"question":"Good stuff. I invested in another company that has undergrad and mba etc programs so this is very appealing. I am wondering what is the biggest difference between you and masterminds education raising on here now. Thanks and your 5k is a good price!","answer":"Hi John! Thanks for the question and the support! We love seeing the innovation coming out of the education space right now. While Masterminds has built a great premium school in Dubai, the difference between our two companies comes down to capital efficiency, scalability, and market reach. Asset Light vs. Real Estate Heavy: Masterminds relies on a brick and mortar model, requiring heavy capital (a $12M+ target) to lease expensive real estate in luxury markets like Palo Alto. I did this as an..."},{"question":"I am concerned about the curriculum and the courses being taught.","answer":"Thank you for your question. Our microschool founders are highly qualified educators using vetted curriculum that is reviewed and approved by our team. We have an interview process to ensure they meet our high standards. They all use a standards-based approach with rigorous academic expectations. Because our microschools are so small, each child is given what they need to be successful academically. Typically students in microschools exceed grade level standards because of the individualized ..."},{"question":"As Mercile noted, what your schools are promoting in their curriculum matter. Many schools, such as those in Texas, are white-washing history, removing facts for Christian ideology, etc. What is the policy of your organization on social justice, climate change science, etc. to...","answer":"Thank you for the thoughtful question. At Changemaker Education, we are not building a network of schools around a particular political, religious, or ideological viewpoint. We believe communities benefit from educational diversity, and our role is to help mission-aligned founders create high-quality microschools that serve the needs of their families and communities. Our philosophy is that education should help young people learn how to think, not what to think. Recent research from Harvard'..."},{"question":"thanks for response. 1.what is am wondering is how is 2026 looking so far? 2. I see in 2025 you made 5k, that is 1 person. you said exploding demand. I would love to see the numbers to match. can you elaborate on exploding demand? many see that you did 5k and that is the cost ...","answer":"1 \u0026amp;2. How is 2026 looking so far, and what do you mean by \"exploding demand\"?Great questions. The $5,000 revenue figure shown for 2025 reflects our prior fiscal year which closed June 30, 2026. You will see the updates under the notes on Wefunder financials. It doesn't fully represent where the business is today. We did a pilot from January 2026 to June 2026 and did not charge an entry fee as we were focused on building and validating the model. We were not broadly charging founders to jo..."}]}}}