Since 2008, the focus of the foundation has been its Free Education Initiative which has led to the creation of 241 courses representing 10 of the highest enrollment majors[clarification needed] in the US.

The foundation also funds the creation of new materials when needed, which are then openly licensed for use by other organizations and individuals.

[1] The foundation works with consultants to design the courses, typically university and college faculty members or subject experts.

If suitable texts and documents are not found, the foundation works with faculty to compile new materials which it releases to the OER community under a Creative Commons license.

[1] The Saylor Academy offers some courses with college credit recommendations from the National College Credit Recommendation Service, a program of the University of the State of New York,[5] and through the ACE National Guide, a program of the American Council on Education.