Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC) is a nonprofit consulting group that provides critical race theory-aligned diversity and “antiracist” training and seminars to schools. MAEC has been called “one of the country’s most prominent antiracist auditing nonprofits.” The group provides “technical training” to schools across the country, often in the form of “audits” that assess the degree of systemic bias in the schools, and then makes proposals for long-term policies intended to eliminate achievement gaps. ¹

MAEC is a nonprofit that charges fees for its services. However, since 2011, most of MAEC’s fees are paid for by the U.S. Department of Education through its “technical training” program. MAEC also receives grants from private foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ²

Services

Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium offers consulting services to school districts to assist in the implementation of programs to achieve social justice education goals, including closing racial and class achievement gaps and eliminating alleged systemic biases. MAEC also provides technical assisting training, which is financed by a U.S. Department of Education grant. ^{3 4}

Many of MAEC’s customers reached out for its services after embarrassing public relations scandals. In March 2019, the Maine Regional School District 21 announced it was engaging the services of MAEC after reaching a settlement with one of its teachers who lodged a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission over allegedly being retaliated against over her complaints about two racist incidents. ⁵

In February 2019, the Dover (New Hampshire) School District solicited MAEC after public backlash due to a video which surfaced of a teacher conducting a lesson in which students sang about the Ku Klux Klan to the tune of “Jingle Bells.” The fee for MAEC’s consulting was entirely paid by the U.S. Department of Education through its technical training program. ⁶

School districts have also hired MAEC for “audits” of anti-discrimination policies and practices. One contract described MAEC interrogating “systems, practices, and policies that do not create access, opportunities, and equitable outcomes for every student’s academic and social emotional well-being.” ⁷

In April 2021, MAEC released an “equity report” on the South Portland (Maine) School Department based on interviews with teachers and students. The report alleges that teachers commonly used racial and anti-gay slurs in school, and that students felt the administration would not punish offenders. One teacher admitted that he had trouble relating to non-white students. ⁸

In November 2020, Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools announced it was spending $454,680 on an “antiracism audit.” That same year, the district sustained a $155 million budget cut and student enrollment dropped by 2,000 students. ⁹ All students and staff members are required to participate in the audit, and family and community members were also asked for input. To oversee the audit, the district assembled an Antiracism Audit Steering Committee chaired by minority advocacy groups like the NAACP and the Black and Brown Coalition, and by labor unions, including affiliates of the SEIU and the National Education Association. The audit will be completed in May 2022, at which point the district will implement a plan to eliminate supposed systemic oppression. ¹⁰

Funding

Since 2001, Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium has generated $19 million in revenue, of which $17 million came from taxpayer-backed sources. ¹¹ In 2020, the group earned almost $3.8 million. ¹²

In 2020, MAEC received $202,229 from the federal government as part of the Payment Protection Program (PPP) to support struggling businesses and nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic. ¹³

In 2019, MAEC received $275,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ¹⁴

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education gave MAEC an Equity Assistance Center Grant, which enabled the group to provide its services to 850 schools in 15 states. Through the grant, most of MAEC’s fees are paid for by the federal government. ^{15 16}

Controversy

In March 2021, the Washington Free Beacon reported that from 2011 through 2019, Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium paid $282,296 to the law firm of Mark Shaffer, the husband of MAEC president Susan Shaffer. The law firm was first employed by MAEC in 2008 while Susan Shaffer was executive director. ¹⁷

1. Nester, Alex; Schoffstall, Joe. “President of Taxpayer-Funded Antiracist Group Funneled Nearly $300,000 to Husband’s Law Firm.” Washington Free Beacon. March 9, 2021. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/campus/president-of-taxpayer-funded-antiracist-group-funneled-nearly-300k-to-husbands-law-firm/.
2. Nester, Alex; Schoffstall, Joe. “President of Taxpayer-Funded Antiracist Group Funneled Nearly $300,000 to Husband’s Law Firm.” Washington Free Beacon. March 9, 2021. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/campus/president-of-taxpayer-funded-antiracist-group-funneled-nearly-300k-to-husbands-law-firm/.
3. “Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium, Inc. Is Awarded The U.S. Department Of Education’s Equity Assistance Center Grant For the Mid-Atlantic Region.” CISION. November 2, 2011. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mid-atlantic-equity-consortium-inc-is-awarded-the-us-department-of-educations-equity-assistance-center-grant-for-the-mid-atlantic-region-133070613.html.
4. Services.” Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://maec.org/services/.
5.  Russell, Eric. “School district settles with former Kennebunk teacher over racial incidents.” Press Herald. June 20, 2019. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://www.pressherald.com/2019/06/20/school-district-settles-with-former-kennebunk-teacher-over-racist-incidents/.
6. Stucker, Kyle. “Dover schools to form equity plan after KKK jingle.” Fosters. February 6, 2019. Updated February 7, 2019. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://www.fosters.com/news/20190206/dover-schools-to-form-equity-plan-after-kkk-jingle.
7. “Award of Contract – Anti-racist System Audit Consultant.” Montgomery County Public Schools. November 10, 2020. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/BV3SAD71B71F/$file/Award%20Cont%20Anti-racist%20Audit%20Consultant.pdf.
8. “South Portland school equity report found teachers used racist, homophobic language.” Fox 23. April 13, 2021. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://fox23maine.com/news/local/south-portland-school-equity-report-finds-teachers-using-racist-homophobic-language.
9. Clark, Chrissy. “MD School Districts to Spend Over $450,000 on ‘Anti-Racist Audit’.” Washington Free Beacon. November 11, 2020. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/campus/md-school-district-to-spend-over-450000-on-anti-racist-audit/.
10. “Welcome to the MCPS antiracism audit website.” Montgomery County Public Schools. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/antiracist/index.aspx.
11. Nester, Alex; Schoffstall, Joe. “President of Taxpayer-Funded Antiracist Group Funneled Nearly $300,000 to Husband’s Law Firm.” Washington Free Beacon. March 9, 2021. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/campus/president-of-taxpayer-funded-antiracist-group-funneled-nearly-300k-to-husbands-law-firm/.
12. “Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium 990.” ProPublica. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521790753/05_2021_prefixes_52-54%2F521790753_202006_990_2021052618199251.
13. Nester, Alex; Schoffstall, Joe. “President of Taxpayer-Funded Antiracist Group Funneled Nearly $300,000 to Husband’s Law Firm.” Washington Free Beacon. March 9, 2021. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/campus/president-of-taxpayer-funded-antiracist-group-funneled-nearly-300k-to-husbands-law-firm/.
14. “Mid Atlantic Equity Consortium.” Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/committed-grants/2019/08/inv001605.
15.   Nester, Alex; Schoffstall, Joe. “President of Taxpayer-Funded Antiracist Group Funneled Nearly $300,000 to Husband’s Law Firm.” Washington Free Beacon. March 9, 2021. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/campus/president-of-taxpayer-funded-antiracist-group-funneled-nearly-300k-to-husbands-law-firm/.
16. “Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium, Inc. Is Awarded The U.S. Department Of Education’s Equity Assistance Center Grant For the Mid-Atlantic Region.” CISION. November 2, 2011. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mid-atlantic-equity-consortium-inc-is-awarded-the-us-department-of-educations-equity-assistance-center-grant-for-the-mid-atlantic-region-133070613.html.
17. Nester, Alex; Schoffstall, Joe. “President of Taxpayer-Funded Antiracist Group Funneled Nearly $300,000 to Husband’s Law Firm.” Washington Free Beacon. March 9, 2021. Accessed October 26, 2021. https://freebeacon.com/campus/president-of-taxpayer-funded-antiracist-group-funneled-nearly-300k-to-husbands-law-firm/.