Our Story
Future Now Learning (FNL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in the Chicagoland area dedicated to ensuring that the future of technology includes everyone. We deliver high-impact, accessible programs that help young people and adult learners understand, use, and benefit from emerging technologies—starting with artificial intelligence and expanding to other future-ready STEM skills.
Future Now Learning was founded in 2025 by Jessica Burgess, a nationally recognized STEM educator and science communicator with more than 15 years of experience helping learners make sense of complex scientific and technological ideas. After years spent teaching in classrooms, developing public STEM programs at a major science museum, and leading national STEM outreach at a Department of Energy national laboratory, Jessica saw a troubling pattern: the communities most capable of benefiting from emerging technology were often the least likely to have access to it. Schools wanted help. Workforce agencies needed modern training. Learners felt left out of a fast-changing world. And yet, the potential in these communities was unmistakable. Jessica founded FNL to close this gap—to make future-ready learning accessible, empowering, and transformative for everyone.
FNL now operates two core program pathways that bring emerging technology education directly to where learners are. For students, our in-school Future Now Foundations model brings a five-day immersive experience into classrooms, helping young people understand how technologies like artificial intelligence and automation actually work while building confidence, curiosity, and awareness of new career pathways. For adults, our Future Now Skills program delivers practical, workforce-focused training at workforce agencies and social service organizations, supporting adults who want to re-enter the workforce, shift careers, or build digital confidence. Across all programs, we meet learners where they are and help them develop both the skills and the self-belief needed to succeed.
Our approach centers on empowerment, equity, and real-world relevance. We translate complex ideas into hands-on, relatable learning experiences. We work in deep partnership with schools, workforce agencies, and community organizations to ensure our programs respond to community needs. And above all, we focus on helping learners see themselves in the future—not as bystanders, but as creators, contributors, and leaders.