Teach the apps your students already love.
Keep 100%.
Spark & Anvil is a 501(c)(3) non-profit teacher network for live, small-group classes — using our 138 portfolio apps as the curriculum. We pre-define every class slot from a specific app's curriculum and grade band. You bid on slots that match your expertise. You teach. You keep 100% of every dollar (minus the ~3% Stripe processing fee — same as any payment processor). We take 0% — ever.
First 50 partners get paid pilot classes + founder access during 2026. 100% of class fees go directly to you. Stripe Connect Direct Charges — same as any payment processor.
Earnings comparison
Outschool
to teacher (after Outschool's 30% take)
- • Source your own materials
- • Market your own classes
- • Handle COPPA compliance yourself
- • Generic Zoom integration
Spark & Anvil
to teacher (we take 0%; Stripe ~3% direct)
- • 138 apps as your curriculum
- • Curated slots with built-in parent demand
- • We handle COPPA-2025 + parental consent + state laws
- • ForgeClassroom: live cohort sync + teacher dashboard + AI co-pilot
- • 501(c)(3) non-profit — platform funded by foundations + donors
Khan Academy / Code.org
no live-class marketplace; teacher = user / volunteer
- • Free apps for teachers
- • No live-class paid model
- • Volunteer or unpaid only
- • Different model than ours
On a $20/student/class × 4-student cohort × 8 weeks ($640 gross): You earn ~$622 with Spark & Anvil (after Stripe's ~$18 processing fee — paid directly by you to Stripe, not deducted by us) vs $448 on Outschool. That's $174 more per cohort — and the difference compounds across multiple cohorts.
How it works
Browse open class slots
We define each slot from a specific app + grade band + curriculum standard. Example: "GambitTales: Sir Pinwell's Tactical Patterns (Grades 5–6) — 6 weeks × 1 hour/week, suggested rate $15–25/student." All slots are pre-curated by us; you focus on teaching, not class design.
Bid on the slots you want
Pick your hourly rate (within range), your weekly availability, and your qualifications. We review against the slot's requirements. Top teachers get premier slots.
Parents enroll students into your cohort
We market the slot to families who already use the app. You walk into a full cohort of 4–6 motivated students. No cold-start; no marketing burden.
Teach with ForgeClassroom integration
Each app has built-in classroom features: live cohort sync (everyone on the same lesson), real-time teacher dashboard, AI co-pilot suggesting discussion prompts, auto-generated weekly parent reports. You teach; we handle the tech.
Get paid weekly via Stripe Connect
Stripe Connect Direct Charges — you are the merchant of record, you receive the parent's payment directly, you pay Stripe's standard ~2.9% + $0.30 processing fee (same as any payment processor). Spark & Anvil collects $0. 1099-K issued by Stripe at year-end. No platform commission, ever.
How we sustain the platform
Spark & Anvil is a 501(c)(3) non-profit (pending). Our teacher network platform — COPPA compliance, background-check coverage, ForgeClassroom server, parent-side discovery, payment orchestration — costs about $50K-$140K per year to operate. We cover those costs through foundation grants (Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, Hewlett, Schmidt Sciences program lines) and individual donations from families who value the mission. Want to help sustain teacher-fee-free live classes for kids ages 9-14?
Support the teacher network →Donate at /donate or join our Teacher Network Sustainers monthly giving tier. Your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent of US law.
Early pilot — first 50 partners
We're recruiting the first 50 teachers to pilot Spark & Anvil classrooms during 2026. Each pilot partner gets:
- ✅ Free background check (we cover it — funded by founding-pilot donors)
- ✅ Founder access: direct Slack channel with our team for feedback + roadmap input
- ✅ Featured Early Teacher badge on your public profile (parent-visible)
- ✅ 30 paid pilot classes at full $15–25/student rates (100% to you)
- ✅ Priority slot selection when the public teacher network launches Q1 2027
- ✅ Founding Sustainer recognition on the /donate page if you wish to be acknowledged (optional — we'll never publish your name without consent)
Common questions
- Why does Spark & Anvil take 0%? How is the platform sustained?
- We're a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Our mission is to keep educational software + live classes accessible without extracting a commission from teachers. Platform costs (~$50K-$140K/yr) are covered by foundation grants (CZI Learning Commons, Hewlett OER, Schmidt Sciences) and individual donations. Your class fees go directly to you. That's the model.
- What about Stripe's fee? Are there hidden costs?
- Stripe charges ~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction — that's the standard for any payment processor. You pay it directly to Stripe. We don't add anything to it. There are no hidden costs, no annual platform fees, no per-cohort fees. The only deduction from your earnings is Stripe's standard processing fee, paid directly to Stripe.
- Compared to TeachersPayTeachers or Outschool, what's the catch?
- No catch — we're a different kind of organization. TeachersPayTeachers (a marketplace for static content) and Outschool (a marketplace for live classes) take 15-30% commissions because they're for-profit companies that need that revenue. We're a non-profit that covers platform costs through philanthropy. The catch (if you want to call it that) is our slots are curated from our app curriculum — you don't get to invent any class topic. That trade-off lets us offer 100%-to-teacher economics.
- When does the public teacher network launch?
- Q1 2027. Early pilot (paid contracts for 50 teachers) starts Q3 2026. Apply now to lock in your pilot slot.
- Do I need a teaching credential?
- A state teaching license is preferred but not required for most slots. Subject expertise + sample teaching reel + background check (we pay) + parent reviews establish your standing on the platform.
- Can I design my own custom slots?
- Yes — Tier 2 feature. Top teachers (5+ successful cohorts) can propose custom slot templates. Approved templates give you exclusive first-run + ongoing royalty share. Curated slots remain the default to maintain quality and brand cohesion.
- What's the time commitment for the pilot?
- 30 paid pilot classes over ~3–4 months (typical ~2-3 hours/week). Stipend is paid up-front; classes earn additional per-class income at full rates.
- Can my existing Outschool students transfer to my Spark & Anvil cohorts?
- Yes — we'll help you import your roster + give you a co-branded landing page to share with families. Parents can sign up directly; their kids' Spark & Anvil app progress will sync automatically into your teacher dashboard.