Our story
Affordable Education Institute began in 2023 with a single book in progress and a conviction that serious learning should be more reachable than it often is.
What AEI is building
Affordable Education Institute is an educational nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to knowledge through publishing, public learning resources, and educational initiatives.
While our first major program focuses on affordable pathways to college credit, our l mission includes broader public education efforts, educational research, and learning resources for the general public.
"I didn't write the first book to make money. I wrote it to help people reach their goals faster, and for less. It seemed to me that an increasing amount of knowledge was being kept behind a paywall"
The motivation was personal. Watching friends carry the weight of student loans, delayed plans, and narrowed choices made the cost of education impossible to ignore.
But the answer was never to treat learning cheaply. The goal became simpler and harder at the same time: keep the rigor, cut the barrier, and make educational opportunity more reachable for the people ready to do the work.
That first book was on economics. It became the starting point for a broader organization built around access to knowledge.
— Trevor Reilly · Founder & Director
Who's behind it
Founder & Director · Arizona
An MBA and a bachelor's in sociology and political science with a long-standing belief that rigorous learning should be within reach. Author of our first guide.
Tennessee
A classroom teacher and one of the founder's oldest friends, helping keep the work clear, accurate, and genuinely teachable.
Want to lend your skills? We'd love volunteers. Say hello →
Where things stand
We're a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, currently volunteer-run with no paid staff. We are candid that we are still in the early build stage, and every dollar goes toward growing useful educational work.
Tax-exempt nonprofit — donations are tax-deductible (EIN 92-3129746).
Founded the year the first economics guide was written.
The earliest support helps shape what AEI can become.