We recently announced the Public Data Initiative, with the simple goal: to make trusted public information about learning institutions and education organizations easier to access.

Today, we're tackling the next step.

We're asking for founding companies, people, and organizations in the education industry to commit to building and improving what can become a source of truth as a public directory of learning institutions and edtech companies.

This isn't giving out proprietary information.
It's a free shared resource that benefits everyone who works in education.

We're committed to building and maintaining this infrastructure, but a trusted public resource can't be built by one organization alone. It requires others to use it, improve it, and help others discover it. The more people that use and contribute, the more useful it is for everyone else.

If that sounds like something you'd like to be part of, we'd love for you to join our founding cohort.

Join the cohort as a Founding Builder, Founding Connector, or Founding Maintainer. This founding cohort will be able to help shape where this initiative goes next.

Why is this work important?

Every organization that works with edtech companies and learning institutions depends on accurate information.

Whether you're building a CRM list, conducting research, validating customer information, or creating reports, you've likely experienced the same challenge.

Thousands of organizations collect, verify, and update the industry's public information every day. Unfortunately, those improvements often stay within that organization instead of benefiting the broader education community.

The result is duplicate work, inconsistent information, and countless hours and resources spent solving the same problem independently instead of focusing on supporting teachers and students. We believe there's a better approach.

What Is the Public Data Initiative?

The Public Data Initiative is a free public resource designed to make trusted information about learning institutions and education organizations easier to access and more reliable. It is an API that hosts a unified and organized dataset of public information about learning institutions and edtech vendors.

Through the Public Data API, organizations and companies can retrieve publicly available information to power their products, research, reporting, and operational workflows. This means less time validating disparate information, and more time creating impact for teachers and students.

Examples of information available through the API include:

• Institution: Type, Address, Parent Entity, City, and Country
• Company: Type, Address, Parent Entity, Country, and Website

If you'd like to explore the API before joining the community, you can browse the documentation.

Ways to Participate

There are several ways to participate depending on how you'd like to contribute.

Founding Builders

Founding Builders are the first organizations using the Public Data API.

To become a Founding Builder, all we're asking is that your organization make at least one API call, begin exploring how the resource can support your product, research, and operational workflows, and report back to us what's useful and what isn't working.

Founding Connectors

Connectors help the initiative grow.

They introduce others to the initiative, share it with their network, and encourage organizations that could benefit from participating.

If you regularly work with education organizations of all types or have an audience interested in the education industry, you can help spread the word about the initiative.

Founding Maintainers

Maintainers help improve the quality of the public dataset.

Whether that means identifying outdated information, validating existing records, or suggesting additions, Maintainers help ensure the resource remains accurate over time.

Why Join the Founding Cohort?

The founding cohort will have a unique opportunity to help shape where this initiative goes next. As part of the cohort, you'll receive:

• Early opportunities to provide feedback on future priorities
• A Founding Cohort badge recognizing your participation
• Chances to participate in community spotlights to highlight your/your organization's contributions
• Recognition as one of the organizations helping launch this initiative

Join the founding cohort and help define the future of the Public Data Initiative.

Does It Make Sense for Me to Join?

If you or your organization regularly works with learning institutions or other edtech organizations, there's a good chance the answer is yes. Here are just a few examples of how to use the Public Data API.

Edtech Go-to-Market Teams

Populate CRM systems and draft more accurate impact reports to support your sales and marketing efforts with trusted public data.

Startups

Fuel go-to-market planning, ship efficient and accurate product onboarding faster, and reduce the time spent collecting foundational education data.

Researchers

Use a shared public resource as your source of truth to improve data quality and support more accurate research.

Education Nonprofits

Power insightful reports and programs to record impact across the industry accurately.

Education Conference Teams

Attract exhibitors and sponsors with more data in your event prospectuses and reports, drawing clearer ROI tied to your event.

If you have an idea that isn't listed here, let's talk.

Who Shouldn't Join?

We're intentionally building a community of active participants. If you aren't interested in contributing, this probably isn't the right initiative for you.

Specifically, we ask members to commit to at least one of the following:

• Builders: Make at least one API call.
• Connectors: Help introduce the initiative to others who may benefit.
• Maintainers: Periodically review or improve the public dataset.

Getting Started

Joining the founding cohort is designed to be simple.

Step 1 — Apply

Complete a short application that takes two minutes or less.

Step 2 — Welcome Call

We'll schedule a 15-minute call tailored to the membership role you've selected.

During our time together, we'll walk through your welcome package, answer questions, and help you identify the best way to get started.

Step 3 — Start Contributing

Whether that means making your first API call, sharing the initiative with your network, or helping improve the dataset, you'll officially become part of the founding community.

What's Next?

This is only the beginning. Here's what we're working toward over the coming months.

September-October

Build the founding cohort of participating people, companies, and organizations.

October – November

Work closely with the community to understand how the Public Data API is being used, celebrate new members, and identify opportunities for improvement.

December

Gather feedback from the founding cohort and determine where the initiative should expand next.

Call to Action: Join the founding cohort as a Founding Builder, Connector, or Maintainer. Remember: Only this founding cohort will be able to help shape where this initiative goes next.