About ACA
Legal Compliance Statement
Adaptive Concepts Academy (ACA) is a nonprofit organization registered in the State of Michigan committed to providing project-based mentorship and real-world learning opportunities to STEM students and recent graduates. Our Professional Training Program (PTP) is designed to be educational, voluntary, and supportive of career development.
ACA’s model is fully compliant with U.S. labor and immigration law. Specifically:
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No Employment Relationship: ACA does not employ or contract participants. All work is educational and voluntary, with no wages or employee benefits.
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Unpaid, Educational Nature: Projects are structured to promote learning and professional growth, not to fulfill labor needs or generate commercial gain. Participants retain ownership of their work and are free to leave the program at any time.
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Optional services are not mandatory for participation in the program.
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Certificates of Completion: Participants who complete their mentored projects and publicly share their final report may receive a signed certificate of completion from ACA. This document is intended to support professional development and job-readiness.
ACA does not guarantee job placement. The goal of the program is to serve as a bridge between classroom learning and career readiness through community-impactful projects.
If you have questions about ACA’s policies or compliance practices, please contact David W. Clark at ACA@AdaptiveConcepts.org
Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau
Corporation Divison
June 24, 2025
Entity Name: ADAPTIVE CONCEPTS ACADEMY
Identification Number: 900053218
EIN (Employment Identification Number): 39-2854086
501(c)(3) Status: IRS tax-exemption status pending
Adaptive Concepts Academy (ACA) is a Michigan-registered nonprofit organization founded to solve a common and growing problem: recent STEM graduates are expected to have real-world experience before being hired—yet few accessible opportunities exist to gain that experience after graduation. ACA was created as a bridge between the classroom and the workplace, offering recent graduates the chance to build their resumes, sharpen their skills, and contribute to meaningful community-based research.
Our founder, David W. Clark, P.E., launched ACA after years of mentoring early-career engineers and recognizing the gap between academic knowledge and industry readiness. With a passion for both education and innovation, he envisioned an incubator where graduates could work on real-world projects aligned with their fields of study while serving a greater purpose—solving long-term problems in the public interest.
ACA's Professional Training Program (PTP) sets itself apart by operating as a hybrid of a research lab, professional development center, and community service hub. Participants engage in research projects that benefit underserved populations, environmental sustainability, or human mobility. These projects are designed not only to build technical proficiency but also to demonstrate initiative, teamwork, and leadership—qualities valued by employers in every STEM field.
What makes ACA's PTP unique is its dual-impact model: every project is both a learning experience for the graduate and a service to the community. ACA strives to ensure a win-win for both the participant receiving high quality educational skill-building experiences while helping to serve the community through service.
Whether you're a recent graduate looking to land your first job or a community partner seeking innovative solutions to technical challenges, ACA is here to connect talent with opportunity.