Narrative 4

What Narrative 4 does

Narrative 4 is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in December 2012 by National Book Award-winning author Colum McCann and Lisa Consiglio, with public launch in Chicago in June 2013. The organization operates a global story exchange methodology designed to build empathy, connection, and civic engagement, primarily serving K-12 schools, higher education institutions, community organizations, and corporations across 35 countries. The organization uses a distributed delivery model through trained facilitators and regional hubs located in New York (headquarters), Limerick (Ireland), Abuja (Nigeria), Tampico (Mexico), and Joe Slovo Township (South Africa). At scale, Narrative 4 has engaged 285,000+ participants in Story Exchanges between 2023 and 2025, with 1,200+ school partners and trained facilitators spanning 39 US states.

The core product is the Story Exchange, a structured four-step workshop framework (Prepare, Share, Retell, Reflect) where participants share personal stories, listen with intention, and retell one another's experiences in first person. Supporting products include Civic Engagement Projects (a five-phase framework translating storytelling into community action), Facilitator Training programs, the Buy-In Playbook (advocacy tool), and a library of tools and lesson plans organized by grade level. The Jackie Bezos Global Learning Lab, developed with support from the Bezos Family Foundation, serves as the digital platform providing facilitators with learning resources, training modules, and global interaction capabilities. The methodology is research-validated through peer-reviewed studies with Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, University of Oxford, Ohio State University, and University of Chicago, producing measurable outcomes including a 13.30% increase in empathy toward classmates and a 30% reduction in students reporting being treated cruelly.

Revenue is generated through a multi-stream nonprofit model: individual/foundation/corporate donations, membership tiers with annual gifts, partnership fees from schools and universities, and grants. Disclosed funding includes the 2022 Amazon Literary Partnerships Grant and the 2021 NBCUniversal Social Impact Grant, with ongoing support from the Bezos Family Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. The organization operates with a hybrid leadership team combining literary credibility (Artists Network including Sting, Colum McCann, Ishmael Beah, Marlon James), academic research authority (Dr. Marc Brackett, Board President and founder of Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence), and nonprofit operational expertise, with Lisa Consiglio serving as CEO and Colum McCann as President and co-founder.

Name

Narrative 4

Legal name

Narrative 4

Website

https://narrative4.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Narrative 4 is a US-based nonprofit operating in 35 countries that delivers the Story Exchange methodology—a structured four-step storytelling workshop used in K-12 schools, universities, and community organizations to build empathy, connection, and civic engagement through a global network of trained facilitators and regional hubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social-Emotional Learning Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Writing Critique Groups & Peer Workshops (EDAMAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Instructional Design & Storyboarding Platforms (EDAFAHAB)

Keywords

• Social emotional learning
• Storytelling workshops
• Empathy education programs
• Civic engagement curricula
• Facilitator training services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Narrative 4 operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners. The organization offers membership tiers with annual gifts, providing donors with exclusive access to events and behind-the-scenes program access.
2. Partnership Fees: Schools, universities, and organizations pay partnership fees to access N4's programs, facilitator training, and curriculum tools. Training prepares internal staff to lead Story Exchanges independently.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Narrative 4 delivers facilitator-led Story Exchange workshops and Civic Engagement Projects built on a proprietary four-step storytelling methodology (Prepare, Share, Retell, Reflect) that helps participants build empathy, perspective-taking, and community action. It packages this methodology with facilitator training, curriculum tools, lesson plans, and the Jackie Bezos Global Learning Lab digital platform, sold as partnership programs to K-12 schools, higher education institutions, community organizations, and corporations across 35+ countries.

Product overview

Narrative 4 offers a suite of story-based programs centered around the Story Exchange methodology—a structured four-step process (Prepare, Share, Retell, Reflect) where participants share personal stories, listen with intention, and retell one another's experiences. The core offerings include Story Exchange Workshops as the flagship program, paired with Civic Engagement Projects that translate storytelling into community action. Supporting products include Facilitator Training for internal capacity building, The Buy-In Playbook for advocacy, and a comprehensive library of Tools & Lesson Plans categorized by resource type (Story Exchange, Skill Building, Books & Literacy, Arts Integration, Civic Engagement) and grade level. The Jackie Bezos Global Learning Lab serves as the digital platform providing facilitators access to resources and training modules. The Artists Network, a sub-brand featuring founding artists like Colum McCann and Sting, supports marketing, fundraising, and strategic growth. Membership programs offer additional engagement opportunities for donors and supporters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jackie Bezos Global Learning Lab: Digital learning platform supported by the Bezos Family Foundation for Narrative 4 facilitators

Products and services

• Story Exchange Workshops A guided workshop where participants share personal stories, listen with intention, and retell one another's experiences in first person across a four-step process (Prepare, Share, Retell, Reflect). Designed for K-12 schools, higher education institutions, community organizations, and corporations to build empathy, perspective-taking, and stronger relationships.
• Civic Engagement Projects A practical framework that moves students and community participants from storytelling to community-led action and impact. Built on a sequenced Civic Engagement Framework (Connection, Reflection, Exploration, Co-Creation, Activation) and paired with lesson plans for schools and community organizations.
• Facilitator Training Comprehensive training that equips educators, community leaders, and corporate staff with the skills, tools, and confidence to lead Story Exchanges independently. Includes certification, access to toolkits, learning resources, and ongoing peer support.
• Jackie Bezos Global Learning Lab A single digital touchpoint for Narrative 4 facilitators providing learning resources, training modules, and global interactions. Created with support from the Bezos Family Foundation to make programs accessible to schools and organizations worldwide.
• Narrative 4 Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 13.30% increase in empathy toward classmates with additional gains toward people beyond students' immediate circles
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Open Doors NYCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization featured on N4's civic engagement page, supporting storytelling and community programs.
• Greater Good Science Center (UC Berkeley)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing research support and resources for social-emotional learning initiatives.
• 6 SecondscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization focused on emotional intelligence, aligned with N4's empathy-building mission.
• Yale Center for Emotional IntelligencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner led by Dr. Marc Brackett (N4 Board President). Conducts Emotion Revolution Survey research showing positive outcomes at N4 schools. Dr. Brackett is founding director of the Center and author of Permission to Feel.
• University of OxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting studies on empathy, connection, and pro-sociality through storytelling. Oxford researchers found measurable increases in empathy and perspective-taking among Story Exchange participants.
• The Ohio State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner collaborating with Oxford on studies showing Story Exchange reduces polarization and strengthens social cohesion among high school students.
• University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer-reviewed research partner. Study found significant increases in closeness with peers and boosts in empathic feelings after Story Exchange participation.
• Creative VisionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Kenya implementing the Unique and United program engaging 1,600+ students across 40 schools through 2026, using art to express themes of unity and diversity.
• Tomorrow's Youth Organization (TYO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Palestine (Nablus) delivering trauma-informed storytelling programs that support youth leadership and community resilience.
• Enseñá X ArgentinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Mariana Crespo, implementing N4 Learning Journey with elementary school students in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• FUNtazia (Bulgaria)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBulgarian partner led by Polina Kotseva, integrating emotional intelligence and shared storytelling. 1,750 Bulgarian youth connected through N4 Story Exchanges since 2023.
• La Fiesta de la Palabra (Colombia)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivering Story Exchanges to educators and community groups across Colombia. 30 educators trained, reaching 17 communities.
• DOX Centre for Contemporary Art (Czech Republic)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBringing storytelling into schools, libraries, and cultural spaces. N4 expanding access across 60+ schools through educator training and festivals.
• Harmony Movement (Canada)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner delivering Story Exchanges in English and French across Canada, led by Professors Rosa Hong, Liz Coulson, and Shekoufeh Sakhi.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Direct peers

• The Moth: The Moth runs live storytelling events and education programs that use personal narrative to build community and connection. It is comparable to Narrative 4 as a storytelling-based nonprofit with education programming and a celebrated artists/educator network.
• StoryCorps: StoryCorps is a nonprofit that records and archives personal conversations to promote empathy and human connection. It overlaps directly with Narrative 4's Story Exchange on the core mechanism of structured personal storytelling for social-emotional impact, though StoryCorps emphasizes recorded interviews rather than facilitator-led exchanges.
• Facing History and Ourselves: Facing History and Ourselves is a nonprofit that provides curricula and professional development for K-12 schools to build empathy, civic agency, and awareness of identity and bias. It is the closest direct peer to Narrative 4 in mission, methodology (story-driven classroom engagement), and school-district sales motion.

Emerging players

• Peace First: Peace First is a nonprofit that equips young people with tools, grants, and mentorship to lead community change projects. Its emphasis on youth-led civic action via storytelling and reflection is directly comparable to Narrative 4's Civic Engagement Projects.
• Random Acts of Kindness Foundation: RAK Foundation provides free K-12 kindness and empathy curricula, lesson plans, and educator resources. It is comparable to Narrative 4 as a free-to-school empathy program and a key substitute for schools evaluating low-cost SEL alternatives.
• RULER (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence): RULER is the SEL framework developed by Narrative 4 Board President Marc Brackett at Yale, adopted by 5,000+ schools. It is an adjacent, partially overlapping program targeting the same school buyers with similar outcomes and would be a natural complement or substitute.
• Roots of Empathy: Roots of Empathy is a nonprofit that runs empathy-building programs in K-8 classrooms. It competes for similar school SEL budgets and has demonstrated measurable empathy outcomes analogous to Narrative 4's research base.

Broad incumbents

• Ashoka: Ashoka is a large global nonprofit that supports social entrepreneurs and youth changemakers through school and university programs. It is broader in scope than Narrative 4 but shares the changemaker-educator narrative and global facilitator-network GTM.
• Greater Good Science Center (UC Berkeley): Greater Good produces research, curricula, and educator resources on empathy, compassion, and well-being. It is already a Narrative 4 research partner and competes indirectly for educator training budgets in the SEL space.

Regional players

• International Storytelling Center: International Storytelling Center is a Tennessee-based nonprofit promoting the art and application of storytelling. While not a direct competitor in school SEL, it overlaps thematically on storytelling-as-empowerment and shares educator training programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/narrative4
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIyyK8_lMeGUDiPA8uAhWNQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Narrative4
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/narrative-4
• Instagraminstagram.com/narrative4

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Narrative 4