Pencils of Promise

What Pencils of Promise does

Pencils of Promise is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in October 2008 by Adam Braun that delivers education access programs in rural Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos through three integrated offerings: School Builds (construction of classrooms and washrooms with communities contributing up to 20% of costs via labor and materials), Teacher Support (workshops, coaching, and e-reader-based digital learning for public primary school teachers), and WASH (water filters, sanitation facilities, hygiene education, and student-led WASH clubs). The organization operates from a New York headquarters and three in-country offices (Ho, Ghana; Quetzaltenango, Guatemala; Luang Prabang, Laos), staffed by approximately 50+ employees with all country directors being nationals of their regions.

The organization's underlying technology stack is operational rather than differentiated: Tableau-based real-time impact dashboards, Salesforce/Classy donor management, e-readers for digital content delivery, and a UserWay accessibility widget. Since 2008 it has built 550+ schools, all reported still open and operational, and operates an Online Fundraising Platform, a cryptocurrency donation program via The Giving Block (80+ tokens), and a U.S. government-certified 501(c)(3) compliance posture with GDPR-aligned donor data handling.

Pencils of Promise is funded entirely through donations and event revenue — no services are sold and no equity is issued. Revenue streams include one-time and recurring (Cornerstone Fund) individual donations, planned giving/legacy gifts, corporate partnerships (Citi, VaynerX, Fanatics Foundation), alternative-asset donations (crypto, stock, IRA), grassroots PoP Campaigner pages, and event-driven fundraising (an annual NYC gala with 420 guests raising $1.8M+ in 2025, plus a marathon team program with 220 runners across 11 global races in 2026, scaling from 98 runners across 5 races in 2025). Go-to-market is a hybrid direct-to-consumer plus community-led model supported by PR (Wired, SXSW EDU), organic social, and Adam Braun's NYT-bestselling memoir "The Promise of a Pencil."

Name

Pencils of Promise

Legal name

Pencils of Promise, Inc.

Website

https://pencilsofpromise.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pencils of Promise is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 that builds schools, trains teachers, and delivers WASH programs for rural communities in Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos, funded by individual donors, corporate partners, and event-based fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Organizations (HLAJAKAI), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Health, Population & WASH Aid Programs (BPADABAC)

Keywords

• School construction nonprofit
• Teacher training programs
• WASH infrastructure education
• Global education charity
• Community development services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters, including monthly Cornerstone Fund members, with 100% of online donations directed to programs.
2. Recurring Giving (Cornerstone Fund): Monthly giving program providing consistent, sustainable funding for education programs in Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos.
3. Alternative Asset Donations: Accepts cryptocurrency donations (80+ types via The Giving Block), stock/appreciated securities, and IRA charitable distributions.
4. Planned Giving/Legacy Gifts: Bequests and IRA beneficiary designations allowing supporters to include Pencils of Promise in wills and retirement accounts.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Brand partnerships, employee engagement campaigns, percentage of sales programs, and event sponsorships from companies like Citi, VaynerX, Fanatics Foundation.
6. Event Revenue: Annual gala sponsorships and tickets, marathon team fundraising minimums ranging from $1,000 to $7,500 per race.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pencils of Promise builds schools, trains teachers, and installs WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) infrastructure in rural communities across Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos. The organization runs three integrated programs—School Builds, Teacher Support, and WASH—funded primarily through individual donations, corporate partnerships, and event-based fundraising, with 100% of online donations directed to program delivery.

Product overview

Pencils of Promise is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of education-focused programs rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings consist of three interconnected programmatic areas: School Builds (constructing classrooms and washrooms in partnership with communities), Teacher Support (training, digital learning via e-readers, workshops, and coaching for teachers), and WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene including infrastructure, education, and student clubs). These are supplemented by The Cornerstone Fund recurring giving program, an Online Fundraising Platform for campaign creation, Cryptocurrency Donations via The Giving Block, Marathon Team fundraising events, and the Promise of a Pencil book. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with 100% of online donations directed to programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Builds Construction of structurally sound school classrooms and washrooms in partnership with rural communities in Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos. Communities co-invest by contributing up to 20% of infrastructure costs through labor and materials.
• Teacher Support Training, coaching, workshops, and digital learning resources (including e-readers with hundreds of culturally relevant e-books) for public primary school teachers in Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos, designed to improve teaching effectiveness and student outcomes.
• WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Installation of water filters and sanitation infrastructure in schools, combined with hygiene education workshops and student-led WASH clubs to keep children healthy and in school across Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos.
• The Cornerstone Fund (Recurring Giving) Monthly recurring donation program in which donors provide ongoing support for PoP's educational programs, receiving exclusive impact updates and virtual access opportunities. 100% of online donations are directed to programs.
• Online Fundraising Platform Self-serve online platform at fundraise.pencilsofpromise.org that enables supporters to create campaign pages, rally family and friends, and raise funds for PoP's education programs globally.
• Cryptocurrency Donations Program Cryptocurrency donation program that accepts 80+ cryptocurrencies (including Bitcoin and Ethereum) through partnership with The Giving Block to fund education programs globally.
• Marathon Team Program Charity marathon program in which runners participate in global races (Berlin, Chicago, NYC, Dublin, Honolulu, Tokyo, Disney) with race-specific fundraising minimums ranging from $1,000 to $7,500 to support PoP's education initiatives.
• Annual PoP Gala Annual fundraising gala in NYC with tiered sponsorships (Promise Sponsor $100,000 down to VIP Tickets $1,250) and individual tickets ($1,000), featuring awards and donor recognition.

Quantifiable outcome

• 550+ schools built and 100% remain open and operational
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fanatics FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Fanatics Foundation served as the Promise Sponsor at the annual 2025 PoP Gala where 420 guests gathered to raise over $1.8M for global education.
• FLOKIminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 December 2021Cryptocurrency company FLOKI partnered with PoP to build state-of-the-art schools in Nigeria, Guatemala, and Laos, combining crypto donations with tangible infrastructure impact.
• CiticoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCiti provides access to quality education to thousands of students through its E for Education initiative, combining financial support with employee engagement opportunities.
• VaynerXcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVaynerX couples PoP's impact with modern marketing execution to elevate storytelling, deepen digital strategy, and build cultural relevance that cuts through today's crowded attention economy.
• UNICEF GuatemalacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF Guatemala granted funds to PoP's Guatemala team to advance WASH programming and infrastructure, ensuring children can learn healthy habits and remain in school.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Long Way Home: Nonprofit building sustainable schools and education programs in Guatemala using local materials and labor. Directly comparable to PoP's Guatemala school-build and teacher-support work in the same geography.
• buildOn: Nonprofit that builds schools in developing countries and runs youth service-learning programs in the U.S. Highly comparable to PoP's community-partnered school build model and grassroots fundraising architecture.
• Malala Fund: Nonprofit advocating for girls' education in developing countries with policy advocacy and program funding. Comparable mission focus on educational access for marginalized children, though oriented more toward advocacy and scholarships than school construction.
• Room to Read: International nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality in education across low-income countries. Operates school construction, teacher training, and reading programs similar to PoP's school-build + teacher-support model, making it the closest direct comparable in mission and geographic footprint.
• WaterAid: International nonprofit focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries. Directly overlaps PoP's WASH programming and shares a multi-country, community-based implementation approach.
• charity: water: Nonprofit funding clean water and sanitation infrastructure in developing countries. Closely aligned with PoP's WASH program, with a comparable donor-centric branding and 100%-to-program funding model.
• Schools for Salone: Nonprofit supporting primary education infrastructure and programs in Sierra Leone. Comparable grassroots school-build and community-empowerment model, with a narrower geographic focus than PoP.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF USA: Large incumbent NGO with global education, WASH, and child-protection mandates. Already a partner of PoP in Guatemala; functions as both a potential funding source and a broader benchmark for international development scale.

Emerging players

• Bigger Than Me Foundation: Smaller nonprofit supporting school construction and education access in developing regions. Emerging player with thematic overlap to PoP's school-build focus, though at a much smaller operational scale.

Others

• VaynerX / VaynerMedia: Not-for-profit peer but a strategic GTM partner; Gary Vaynerchuk co-founded both firms and sits on PoP's board. Relevant as a marketing/distribution partner rather than a direct nonprofit competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@pencilsofpromise
• Facebookfacebook.com/pencilsofpromise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pencils-of-promise
• Instagraminstagram.com/pencilsofpromise
• Xx.com/PencilsOfPromis

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pencils of Promise