Teach for America

Teach for America (TFA) was a model of social entrepreneurship. The organization that was founded in 1990 to recruit top college graduates to teach underprivileged school children had prospered over the course of 17 years. Teach for America had begun by sending teachers into six locations, and it had grown methodically until by 2007 it was serving 26 urban and rural areas in the United States.

As it continued its expansion plans within the United States, Teach for America was also receiving requests to help groups in other countries to found their own TFA-style organizations. Wendy Kopp and other executives were pleased to see their influence spreading to other countries. They also were wondering how to expand the Teach for America brand in a way that would promote the organization’s mission most effectively.