Founded in 1870, CCAE serves 11,000 participants annually with the highest-quality courses, as well as lectures, performances, art exhibitions, and poetry readings.

Based in Harvard Square, in two properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, CCAE offers more than 2,000 classes each year in seven centers of excellence: Languages and World Cultures; Visual Arts; Performing Arts; Literary Arts; Culinary Arts; Business & Technology; and Special Initiatives. Over 300 professionals teach these classes, consistently earning excellent reviews from students. Our audiences are diverse by age, race, and household income.

Some of our best-known programming includes The Blacksmith House Poetry Series (since 1973), featuring nationally known and emerging writers reading from their work. We run an annual fall Writers’ Conference and host daytime lectures as part of our Gonson Society Lecture Series. New to our event programming will be a Friday night concert series. Throughout the year we host art exhibitions.

The Cambridge Center for Adult Education strives to be one of the broadest ranging and most innovative communities of adult learners in the country. The Cambridge Center provides accessible education to all members of the community, and we are committed to experiential lifelong learning enriched by students and faculty of different racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, religious, and economic backgrounds.

CCAE’s annual operating budget is $2 million, and in the past several years has strategically expanded programming and made extensive improvements to its physical plant. The most recent strategic plan focused on ensuring the highest excellence in public programming and strengthening the institution’s physical plant and financial base.

The Board appointed a new Executive Director, Linda Burton, in June of 2016. CCAE’s Board of Directors serves as volunteer stewards of the organization and includes teachers, students, and community leaders whose combined expertise helps guide the Center, plan its future, preserve its legacy, and help generate needed resources for its success.