Make Way for Books
Make Way for Books is a Tucson-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free early literacy programs, a bilingual mobile app, and educator coaching to approximately 30,000 children, families, and early childhood educators across Arizona each year.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersTucson, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Make Way for Books does
Make Way for Books is a Tucson, Arizona-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1998 by Dr. Mary Jan Bancroft that delivers early literacy programs, services, and resources to children from birth to age 5, their families, and early childhood educators throughout Arizona. The organization reaches approximately 30,000 beneficiaries annually across 17 school districts, 150+ nonprofit partners, and 200+ under-resourced preschools and childcare centers, operating from a Tucson headquarters and a Phoenix regional office. Its programmatic portfolio comprises The Story Project (school-based educator coaching serving ~700 educators per year), Family Education and Literacy including Story School (an 11-week two-generation model where children and parents learn together), the Cuéntame Collaborative (support for home-based childcare providers), Cover to Cover (community outreach at non-traditional sites such as food banks and laundromats), and a bilingual mobile application available on iOS and Android.
Make Way for Books firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Make Way for Books
- Legal name
- Make Way for Books
- Website
- https://makewayforbooks.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Make Way for Books is a Tucson-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free early literacy programs, a bilingual mobile app, and educator coaching to approximately 30,000 children, families, and early childhood educators across Arizona each year.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Make Way for Books industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early Literacy Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early Literacy & Pre-Reading Learning Tools (EDAFAOAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Foundational Literacy & Early Reading Apps (EDACANAA), Early Literacy & Pre-Reading (Phonics, Letter Knowledge) (EDAGACAA), Family Engagement & Parent-Facing Early Learning Content (EDAGACAJ), Family Literacy (Parent/Child & Intergenerational) (EDAAAAAE)
Keywords
Where Make Way for Books is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tucson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Make Way for Books business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting early literacy programs. Donors can give one-time or monthly gifts, with donations qualifying for Arizona Qualified Charitable Organization (QCO) tax credit.
- Foundation Grants: Major grants from foundations including a $500,000 grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation for Story School expansion in Maricopa County, and participation in the WRITING CHANGE initiative (collaboration between The Estée Lauder Companies and Amanda Gorman).
- Planned Giving: Charitable bequests through wills/trusts, charitable lead trusts, beneficiary designation gifts, charitable gift annuities, and IRA rollovers for long-term donor engagement.
- Stock and Property Gifts: Gifts of stocks, securities, and real estate accepted through Schwab account, providing tax-advantaged giving options for donors.
- Workplace Giving: Corporate workplace giving campaigns, matching gifts programs, and workplace fundraising initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Others | All programs and services are provided free of charge to children, families, and educators |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Make Way for Books product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Make Way for Books provides free early literacy programs, services, and resources to more than 30,000 young children (birth to age 5), parents and caregivers, and early childhood educators across Arizona each year. Offerings include school-based educator coaching and professional development (The Story Project), two-generation family education programs (Story School, Cover to Cover), home-based provider support (Cuéntame Collaborative), and a bilingual English/Spanish mobile app and digital learning platform.
Product overview
Make Way for Books is an early literacy nonprofit organization that provides a comprehensive suite of programs and a digital application to support young children (birth to 5 years), families, and educators. The portfolio centers on four key offerings: The Story Project (school-based literacy support with coaching and professional development for educators), Family Education and Literacy including Story School (two-generation model where children and parents learn together), the Make Way for Books App (bilingual mobile application providing books and activities), and Cuéntame Collaborative (support for home-based childcare providers). These programs work together through a Neighborhood School Readiness model that engages and empowers families, supports educators, and develops children's emergent literacy skills, reaching more than 30,000 children, families, and educators annually throughout Arizona.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Story Project: School-based early literacy program providing research-based support to educators, parents, and children at preschools, child care centers, and home providers through on-site coaching and professional development.
- Story School
- Cuéntame Collaborative
- Cover to Cover
Products and services
- The Story Project: School-Based Literacy Research-based early literacy program providing one-on-one coaching, professional development workshops, and books to educators at preschools, childcare centers, and home-based care providers, serving nearly 700 educators annually with on-site support and classroom resources.
- Story School Intensive two-generation program where children and parents learn together weekly in positive group settings, using books and stories as primary engagement tools to foster emergent literacy and language skills while empowering parents with knowledge and skills; available in virtual, hybrid, and in-person formats through an 11-week series.
- Cover to Cover Community outreach program that meets families in the community with early literacy programming at various community locations including food banks, laundromats, swap meets, and WIC clinics.
- Cuéntame Collaborative Program providing coaching, books, resources, and Community of Practice to home-based early childhood care providers to build knowledge-base and skills for implementing higher-quality literacy and language practices, with emphasis on bilingualism and biliteracy as assets to children's development.
- Make Way for Books App Bilingual early literacy and language mobile application available on iOS and Android that accelerates children's literacy gains by providing access to quality, developmentally appropriate books, research-based early literacy and STEAM activities, and resources for parents to support learning from birth to age 5 and beyond; fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% of children develop critical emergent literacy and language skills
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Make Way for Books
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Make Way for Books technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Make Way for Books partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.
- Rotary Club of TucsonmajorSelected Make Way for Books to receive major portion of net proceeds (estimated $50,000 annually) from their Tucson Classic Car Show for five years. Supports mobile early literacy 'schools without walls' reaching children without access to quality preschool. Members also collect book donations and provide volunteer support for events.
- First Things FirstcoreSystems-building partner working to improve the early childhood educational system. Co-chairs the First Focus on Kids Kindergarten Readiness Change Network. Cuéntame Collaborative model recognized as exemplary practice by First Things First's Quality Assurance Team.
- Helios Education FoundationcoreSystems-building partner in efforts to improve Arizona's educational system and early childhood outcomes.
- Read On ArizonacoreStatewide public/private partnership working to create and coordinate services to improve literacy outcomes for children in Arizona. Make Way for Books has worked with the Lectio Institute at Harvard through this partnership.
- United Way of Tucson and Southern ArizonacoreCo-leads Read On Tucson initiative and provides partnership for various community programs and outreach efforts.
- Literacy Connects CoalitioncoreCoalition partner working to improve literacy outcomes in the Tucson community.
- University of ArizonacorePartners with multiple departments and schools to provide internships and learning opportunities for students interested in early childhood literacy. Knowledge River program and The Child Language Center collaborate on initiatives.
- Tucson Unified School DistrictcoreFamily Resource Centers partner site for Cover to Cover programming and Parent Literacy Workshop partner.
- Pima County Public LibrarycorePartner library sites including Quince Douglas Library, Eckstrom-Columbus Library, and Valencia Library for programming and community outreach.
- Community Food Bank of Southern ArizonacoreCover to Cover partner site bringing early literacy programming to families accessing food bank services.
- Arizona Governor's OfficesupportingGovernor's office estimates around 2,500 licensed home care providers in Arizona with more than 200 in Pima County, providing context for the need for Make Way for Books' Spanish-language professional development workshops.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Make Way for Books competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Reach Out and Read: National 501(c)(3) that leverages pediatricians to promote early literacy and book distribution. Highly comparable in mission (early literacy from birth) and model (free books + caregiver engagement), though it operates nationally and through medical settings rather than preschools.
- Reading Is Fundamental (RIF): Largest U.S. children's literacy nonprofit, focused on providing free books and literacy resources to underserved children. Direct peer in mission, book-distribution model, and free-to-family positioning; operates at significantly larger national scale.
- Raising A Reader: National nonprofit focused on early literacy through parent engagement and book-rotation programs for children birth to 8. Closely comparable two-generation approach (parents as literacy partners) and family-focused book distribution model.
- First Book: Nonprofit that distributes free or low-cost books and resources to programs serving children in need. Comparable book-distribution backbone and focus on under-resourced early-childhood settings; much larger national footprint and corporate donor network.
- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Sends a free, age-appropriate book each month to children from birth to age 5. Direct competitor in the birth-to-5 free book distribution space, though its model is purely book-gifting versus Make Way for Books' coaching + family engagement model.
- Footsteps2Brilliance: Digital early literacy platform providing bilingual (English/Spanish) books and activities for PreK–3. Direct competitor on bilingual mobile/digital delivery for early literacy; commercial B2B model versus Make Way for Books' nonprofit/community model.
- Room to Grow: Nonprofit providing early childhood support to families facing systemic inequities from prenatal to age 3. Comparable family-centered, two-generation model serving under-resourced families in a defined geography (Boston/NYC).
Emerging players
- LENA: Nonprofit that uses wearable technology to measure early language environments and provides coaching to parents. Comparable two-generation, research-backed approach with a tech-enabled delivery model and similar focus on birth-to-5 language outcomes.
Broad incumbents
- National Center for Families Learning: National nonprofit promoting family literacy and two-generation learning across a broader age range. Comparable family-engagement philosophy and literacy mission; larger national scope and broader programmatic portfolio.
- Too Small to Fail: Clinton Foundation initiative focused on the early language and brain development of children birth to 5. Comparable mission on early literacy/language gap, but operates as a national awareness/campaign effort rather than direct service provider.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Make Way for Books social profiles
Digital presenceMake Way for Books financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Make Way for Books leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Make Way for Books funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Make Way for Books M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Make Way for Books
What does Make Way for Books do?
Make Way for Books provides free early literacy programs, services, and resources to more than 30,000 young children (birth to age 5), parents and caregivers, and early childhood educators across Arizona each year. Offerings include school-based educator coaching and professional development (The Story Project), two-generation family education programs (Story School, Cover to Cover), home-based provider support (Cuéntame Collaborative), and a bilingual English/Spanish mobile app and digital learning platform.
Is Make Way for Books a public or private company?
Make Way for Books is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Make Way for Books founded?
Make Way for Books was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Make Way for Books based?
Make Way for Books is headquartered in Tucson, United States, in the North America region.
How does Make Way for Books make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation Grants, planned Giving, stock and Property Gifts and workplace Giving.
Who are Make Way for Books's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Reach Out and Read, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), Raising A Reader, First Book, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, Footsteps2Brilliance and Room to Grow. LENA is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are National Center for Families Learning and Too Small to Fail.
Does Make Way for Books have an API?
No public API is recorded for Make Way for Books.
What industry is Make Way for Books in?
Make Way for Books's product category is Early Literacy Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAOAO, Early Literacy & Pre-Reading Learning Tools, with a secondary code of EDACANAA, Foundational Literacy & Early Reading Apps. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.