National Writing Project
The National Writing Project is a 50-year-old nonprofit that operates 148 university-based local sites and an online platform (Teach Write Now) delivering professional development to K–12 teachers and districts to improve writing instruction, reaching roughly 6 million students annually.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What National Writing Project does
The National Writing Project (NWP) is a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1974 and headquartered in Berkeley, California, that operates the largest U.S. network of teacher-leaders focused on writing instruction. It delivers professional development programs to K–12 teachers, school districts, and universities through 148 locally hosted Writing Project sites based at universities nationwide, complemented by the Teach Write Now online platform and the NWP Online community. Its core products are teacher professional development programs, writing assessment services, university-anchored local sites, and curated digital resource collections under sub-brands such as the College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP) and the Intersections Initiative.
NWP is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives, which provides administrative infrastructure. Revenue is derived primarily from grants (including from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Spencer Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Library of Congress, the William Penn Foundation, and the McDonnell Foundation), fees for professional development services, donations, and proceeds from merchandise sold through shop.nwp.org. Pricing for membership and programs is not publicly disclosed. The organization's distribution model combines self-serve digital access (Teach Write Now), direct district partnerships, and a network of 148 site-based resellers hosted at universities.
The organization reports reaching approximately 6 million students annually through programs led by a credentialed Teacher Consultant corps trained via the Invitational Institute, a 60-hour professional learning experience. Strategic partners include the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, LRNG (Collective Shift), John Legend's Show Me Campaign, and several science museums. The executive director is Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, and NWP has been recognized with a 2025 Library of Congress Literacy Award and a 2023 Regional Excellence Award.
National Writing Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- National Writing Project
- Legal name
- National Writing Project
- Website
- https://nwp.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The National Writing Project is a 50-year-old nonprofit that operates 148 university-based local sites and an online platform (Teach Write Now) delivering professional development to K–12 teachers and districts to improve writing instruction, reaching roughly 6 million students annually.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
National Writing Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Teacher Professional Development
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- K–12 Remedial Writing & Composition Support (EDANAJAC), Writing Skills & Composition Enrichment (EDAMAJAC)
Keywords
Where National Writing Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
National Writing Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Membership and Professional Development Services: NWP provides membership, professional development, and training services to teachers and schools. The organization is fiscally sponsored by Community Initiatives.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
National Writing Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NWP designs and delivers customized in-service professional development programs for K-12 teachers, schools, districts, and higher education institutions to improve the teaching of writing. Its core service is delivered through 148 university-based local Writing Project sites that train teachers as Teacher-Consultants via the 60-hour Invitational Institute, supported by online communities, the Teach Write Now platform, writing assessment services, and targeted programs such as C3WP.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Teach Write Now: A professional learning platform providing resources for teachers on writing instruction and civic engagement
- Building a More Perfect Union
- College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP)
- Intersections Initiative
Products and services
- NWP Online Open online activities and communities of practice for teachers across all grades as learners, innovators, and change-makers; serves K-12 teachers and educator communities seeking peer learning and resource sharing.
- Programs & Services Customized in-service professional development programs delivered in partnership with schools, districts, and community partners to improve writing instruction; targets K-12 schools, districts, and higher education institutions.
- Writing Assessment Services Services focused on writing assessment for educational institutions and teachers, supporting evaluation of student writing and instructional effectiveness.
- Local Writing Project Sites A nationwide network of 148 university-based Writing Project sites that connect teachers, university faculty, and community partners for sustained, long-term impact on writing instruction.
- Teach Write Now An online professional learning platform offering curated collections of teaching resources, lesson plans, and professional development materials for writing instruction; targets K-12 teachers and educators.
- College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP) A program focused on teaching argument writing through routine practices and supporting civic engagement in writing instruction; for schools and districts seeking argument-writing curricula.
- Book Bistro
Quantifiable outcome
- 6 million students reached annually
Companies that use National Writing Project
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
National Writing Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
National Writing Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)coreNWP administered the Building a More Perfect Union grant program, part of NEH's American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grantmaking for Organizations. This $2.75M initiative awarded 38 grants to humanities organizations across the U.S. to recover from pandemic interruptions and develop programming for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
- Alliance for Young Artists & WriterscoreNWP collaborated with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers to create the Teens Write Across America Marathon, a virtual writing program for teen writers that includes sessions hosted by local Writing Project sites and culminates with entries to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
- Spencer FoundationminorThe Spencer Foundation awarded a grant to the Philadelphia Writing Project to support the living archive initiative focusing on histories of Black youth in Philadelphia, partnering with Independence National Historical Park and the Colored Girls Museum.
- Library of CongressminorPhiladelphia Writing Project received funding from the Library of Congress for grant-funded research and programs.
- LRNG (Collective Shift) and Show Me CampaignminorPartnership between LRNG (powered by Collective Shift), NWP, and John Legend's Show Me Campaign to support the LRNG Innovators Challenge grants expanding connected learning opportunities for students.
- Community InitiativescoreNWP is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives, which provides administrative and organizational support.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
National Writing Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE): Preeminent professional association for English language arts educators; directly comparable because both organizations sit at the center of writing instruction professional development and teacher networks in the U.S.
- International Literacy Association (ILA): Global literacy-focused membership organization serving teachers and researchers; comparable because it operates overlapping professional development, advocacy, and resources for literacy and writing educators across K-12.
- Learning Forward (formerly National Staff Development Council): Professional association dedicated to educator professional development; directly comparable as it offers PD standards, training, and networks to schools and districts on very similar themes to NWP's teacher-learning work.
Broad incumbents
- Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Long-standing education nonprofit focused on teaching improvement and networks; comparable because it funds and operates teacher development networks and reform programs with similar funding sources to NWP.
- ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development): Broad-EDU professional association serving educators and district leaders with PD, publications, and conferences; comparable because it competes for the same district-level ELA/curriculum PD budgets that NWP serves.
- Edutopia (George Lucas Educational Foundation): Major K-12 innovation publisher and resource hub funded by a foundation; comparable because it disseminates research-validated teaching practices, including writing instruction, to educators nationwide.
Emerging players
- Newsela: EdTech company providing leveled content and writing/reading tools to K-12 districts; comparable because it delivers scalable digital literacy resources that compete for the same teacher and district wallet share for writing instruction.
- NoRedInk: Writing-focused edtech platform widely adopted in K-12 schools; comparable as a digital-native writing instruction solution that schools may select in lieu of or alongside NWP's PD-led approach.
- Teach For America: National teacher recruitment and development nonprofit; comparable because it is also a high-profile nonprofit network developing and placing teachers in high-need schools, addressing adjacent segments of educator capacity-building.
Regional players
- Teachers College, Columbia University - Reading and Writing Project: University-based K-12 literacy PD network affiliated with Teachers College; comparable because it is a similarly positioned university-anchored PD provider for literacy and writing teachers, anchored at a single institution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
National Writing Project social profiles
Digital presenceNational Writing Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
National Writing Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
National Writing Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
National Writing Project 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 National Writing Project
What does National Writing Project do?
NWP designs and delivers customized in-service professional development programs for K-12 teachers, schools, districts, and higher education institutions to improve the teaching of writing. Its core service is delivered through 148 university-based local Writing Project sites that train teachers as Teacher-Consultants via the 60-hour Invitational Institute, supported by online communities, the Teach Write Now platform, writing assessment services, and targeted programs such as C3WP.
Is National Writing Project a public or private company?
National Writing Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was National Writing Project founded?
National Writing Project was founded in 1974. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is National Writing Project based?
National Writing Project is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does National Writing Project make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership and Professional Development Services.
Who are National Writing Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), International Literacy Association (ILA) and Learning Forward (formerly National Staff Development Council). Broad incumbents are Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) and Edutopia (George Lucas Educational Foundation). Emerging players are Newsela, NoRedInk and Teach For America. Teachers College, Columbia University - Reading and Writing Project is listed as a regional player.
Does National Writing Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for National Writing Project.
What industry is National Writing Project in?
National Writing Project's product category is Teacher Professional Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAKAA, K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services, with a secondary code of EDANAJAC, K–12 Remedial Writing & Composition Support. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.