What The Highlights Foundation does

The Highlights Foundation (operating as Boyds Mills) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization founded in 1985 that provides workshops, retreats, online courses, and summer camps for children's book writers and illustrators. Headquartered at a retreat center on the historic family homestead of Highlights magazine founders Garry and Caroline Myers in Milanville, Pennsylvania, the organization addresses the professional development gap in children's publishing by offering craft instruction, industry education, manuscript feedback, and professional networking for creators working across picture books, chapter books, novels, nonfiction, poetry, and illustration.

The organization's product portfolio is organized by genre specialty (Picture Books, Early Readers & Chapter Books, Novels, Nonfiction, Poetry, Illustration) and program format (Crash Course in Children's Publishing, Whole Novel Workshops, Just Do It! workshops, Summer Camp, Custom & Personal Retreats). Programs are delivered both in-person at the Pennsylvania campus and online through virtual courses and community events. Supporting services include scholarships for financial access, free community programs (#HFGather), and a blog featuring free educational resources and webinars. No proprietary technology platform or software underpins the offerings.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time program registration fees ranging from $59 to $1,649 per program, supplemented by donations. The customer base consists of individual creators (children's book writers and illustrators) rather than enterprise clients, with marketing conducted through content marketing, email newsletters, and community word-of-mouth. The organization operates with a small staff of 1-10 employees and has no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or funding rounds.

Name

The Highlights Foundation

Legal name

Boyds Mills

Website

https://highlightsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Highlights Foundation (Boyds Mills) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that provides workshops, retreats, online courses, and summer camps to children's book writers and illustrators at its Pennsylvania retreat center, with program fees ranging from $59 to $1,649.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Writing and Illustration Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAL), Writing Craft & Technique Workshops (Voice, Structure, Character, Style) (EDAMAMAH)

Keywords

• Creative writing workshops
• Children's book education
• Illustrator retreats
• Writing craft courses
• Nonprofit arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

Milanville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Registration Fees: Revenue is generated primarily through one-time registration fees for workshops, courses, retreats, and summer camps. These are program fees where participants pay to attend educational sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Highlights Foundation operates the Boyds Mills Retreat Center, delivering in-person workshops, online courses, custom and personal retreats, and a Summer Camp for Writers and Illustrators aimed at children's book creators. Programs are organized by genre (picture books, chapter books, novels, nonfiction, poetry, illustration) and by format (Crash Course, Whole Novel Workshops, Just Do It! sessions) to help writers and illustrators develop craft, understand publishing, receive manuscript feedback, and build professional networks. Supporting offerings include scholarships, free community programs (#HFGather), and a blog with educational resources.

Product overview

Boyds Mills is a single-brand educational organization offering a unified portfolio of in-person and online programs for children's book writers and illustrators. The core offerings include in-person workshops and retreats at the historic Pennsylvania retreat center, virtual online courses, and residential summer camps. Supporting services include scholarships for financial access, free community programs (#HFGather), and a blog with free resources. Programs are organized by genre specialty (Picture Books, Early Readers & Chapter Books, Novels, Nonfiction, Poetry, Illustration) and format (Crash Course, Whole Novel Workshops, Just Do It! sessions, and custom retreats). The organization has operated since 1985 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving the children's publishing community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Person Workshops and Retreats On-campus workshops and retreats held at the Boyds Mills Retreat Center in the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains foothills, where writers and illustrators learn craft, network with peers and faculty, receive manuscript feedback, and find dedicated time and space to create in a community setting.
• Online Courses Virtual mini or intensive courses enabling children's book writers and illustrators to hone their craft and build community remotely through live instruction and interactive sessions.
• Custom and Personal Retreats Self-directed small-group or personal writing retreats that allow creators to work on their projects at the retreat center with flexible scheduling and optional group critique sessions.
• Summer Camp for Writers and Illustrators Multi-day immersive camp-style sessions (Session One and Session Two) for young creators to develop writing and illustration skills in a residential camp environment at the Boyds Mills Retreat Center.
• Crash Course in Children's Publishing An intensive program introducing aspiring children's book authors and illustrators to the children's publishing industry, covering both craft fundamentals and the business aspects of getting published.
• Whole Novel Workshops Intensive workshop programs focused on completing and refining a full novel manuscript for children, teens, or young adults, with feedback and support from faculty.
• Just Do It! Workshops Action-oriented workshops designed to help writers overcome obstacles and make significant progress on their children's book projects in a concentrated timeframe.

Quantifiable outcome

• Authors have signed first book contracts shortly after attending workshops, with some signing eight additional contracts within a year.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Hugo House: Seattle-based nonprofit literary center offering classes, workshops, and readings; comparable as a nonprofit writing education organization with a physical campus and program-fee revenue model.
• Gotham Writers Workshop: NYC-based writing school offering in-person and online classes across genres; directly comparable as a competitor in the paid creative-writing-workshop space, including for children's book programs.
• Sackett Street Writers' Workshop: Brooklyn-based independent creative writing school offering multi-week workshops and craft intensives; comparable in workshop-led, fee-based writing instruction for adult creators.
• Lighthouse Writers Workshop: Denver-based nonprofit literary arts organization providing workshops, retreats, and community programs for writers of all levels; comparable nonprofit educational model and program mix.
• The Loft Literary Center: Minneapolis-based nonprofit offering classes, workshops, and readings for writers across genres; closely comparable nonprofit model, programming breadth, and community focus.
• Tin House (Tin House Books / Workshops): Independent literary publisher and educator running craft workshops, residencies, and online courses; comparable in paid-workshop programming for aspiring and published authors.
• Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI): The leading international professional organization for children's book writers and illustrators, offering conferences, workshops, and networking — directly comparable to Boyds Mills in mission (kidlit creator education) and audience.
• GrubStreet: Boston-based nonprofit creative writing center running multi-day workshops, retreats, and online classes for writers across genres; comparable in nonprofit educational model, workshop portfolio, and community-led GTM.

Regional players

• Miami Book Fair / Miami Dade College writing programs: Large annual book fair and affiliated writing workshops serving a different geography (Florida) than Boyds Mills; comparable in offering craft workshops for aspiring and published creators in a community setting.

Broad incumbents

• Highlights for Children (Highlights Magazine): The flagship children's magazine brand sharing the Myers family lineage with Boyds Mills; an adjacent incumbent in children's content whose brand association directly enables Boyds Mills' positioning and differentiation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HighlightsFound
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highlights-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Highlights Foundation