The Moth

What The Moth does

The Moth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit storytelling organization headquartered at 75 Broad Street, 26th Floor, New York City, founded in 1997 by George Dawes Green. It operates a multi-platform portfolio centered on true personal stories told live and without notes: live Mainstage events and StorySLAM competitions held in 8+ cities (including NYC, Boston, Houston, Louisville, Berkeley, and Melbourne), the Peabody Award-winning Moth Radio Hour distributed nationwide via PRX and Atlantic Public Media, the Moth Podcast (on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, RSS since 2008), and a searchable Story Library of thousands of archived stories. The organization runs two distinct program arms: an Education Program (K-12 All-City, Mainstage Matinee for high school students, Moth Teacher Institute, curriculum resources, and Storytelling School) and a Community Program organized into vertical initiatives serving specific populations (Black Voices, Justice, Economic Mobility, Veterans, Muslim, Immigrant, LGBTQIA+, and Health & Wellbeing), partnered with organizations such as SAGE, JED Foundation, Innocence Project, Harlem Children's Zone, and First Book.

The underlying technology is modest: AWS-based audio and image storage for podcast and story content, and Airtable for community program application management; notably, no proprietary ML pipeline, public API, or patents are present. The business model is a nonprofit hybrid: ticketed event revenue (one-time sales for Mainstage, StorySLAM, and the annual Moth Ball gala), recurring membership donations (monthly), fee-based education programming (sliding-scale for educators, multi-year contracts for school/community institutions), advertising/sponsorship (corporate partnerships including SXSW 2026), merchandise and book sales through an owned e-commerce storefront, and foundation grants (W.K. Kellogg, Doris Duke, Tow, Bill & Melinda Gates, William Penn). GTM is community-led and event-driven: acquisition flows from live events, StorySLAMs, free podcast and radio distribution, email newsletters, a content blog (Dispatches), and partner referrals.

The Moth serves a heterogeneous audience — general ticketholders, members, K-12 educators and students (600,000 educators and 6.5 million children through First Book), partner nonprofits, and dedicated community populations — making it a long-tail, diversified nonprofit with no single enterprise customer dominating revenue. Operationally the organization runs with approximately 50 staff across Education, Community, Production, and Programs, with Catherine Burns as Artistic Director, Sarah Austin Jenness as Executive Producer of the Radio Hour, and a board-governed structure.

Name

The Moth

Legal name

The Moth

Website

https://themoth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Moth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit storytelling organization founded in 1997, producing live Mainstage and StorySLAM events, the Peabody Award-winning Moth Radio Hour, a podcast, education programs for K-12 schools, and community workshops serving diverse populations across the U.S. and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Live Events Revenue: Ticket sales for Mainstage events, StorySLAMs, and special programming. Moth Ball annual gala tickets. Membership and donation programs supporting live event access.
2. Education Programs: Fee-based educational programming including weekend intensives, week-long programs, 8-week programs, college essay prep, and bespoke programming for schools and community organizations. Also includes Moth Teacher Institute with sliding scale pricing.
3. Podcast and Radio Content: The Moth Podcast and Radio Hour distributed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, RSS, and presented by PRX. Peabody Award-winning content generating audience engagement and potential membership revenue.
4. Sponsorships and Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsorship opportunities for events and programs. Partnerships with media companies including SXSW Comedy Festival collaborations.
5. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling books, branded merchandise, and storytelling-related products.
6. Foundation and Grant Funding: Non-profit funding from foundations including W.K. Kellogg Foundation ($250,000), Doris Duke Foundation, Tow Foundation, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supporting specific programs and community initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Moth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces and presents live, true personal storytelling told without notes, distributed through live Mainstage and StorySLAM events, The Moth Radio Hour, The Moth Podcast, and a Story Library archive. It also runs K-12 and educator programs (Mainstage Matinee, Moth Teacher Institute, Curriculum Resources) and a Community Program delivering storytelling workshops to underserved populations including veterans, immigrants, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and justice-involved people, plus MothWorks private workshops for organizations.

Product overview

The Moth is a global storytelling organization operating a multi-platform portfolio centered on live, true personal storytelling. The core offerings include The Moth Radio Hour (Peabody-Award winning public radio show), The Moth Podcast (original podcast episodes), and Live Storytelling Events (Mainstage shows and StorySLAM competitions). Supporting these distribution channels are the Education Program (All-City, Mainstage Matinee, Moth Teacher Institute, Curriculum Resources, Storytelling School) and Community Program (workshops with community partners and initiatives like The Black Voices Project, The Justice Project, The Economic Mobility Project, and Veteran Voices Project). Additional offerings include MothWorks (private/organizational workshops), Books & Games, and My Life in Stories guided journal products. The Moth Global Community extends programming internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Moth Radio Hour: Peabody Award-winning radio program featuring true stories told live.
• The Moth Podcast
• Moth Education Program
• Moth Community Program
• MothWorks
• StorySLAM
• GrandSLAM
• Mainstage

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaching 600,000 educators and 6.5 million children through First Book partnership
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments10 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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and ongoing.

• First BookflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational storytelling partnership for children and educators in low-income communities. Made possible by $250,000 W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant over 18 months. Leverages The Moth's storytelling expertise with First Book's distribution network of 600,000 educators and 6.5 million children.
• SXSWcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Moth as media partner for SXSW 2026 Comedy Festival lineup featuring stand-up showcases, improv, and live podcast recordings alongside Dropout, Netflix, Fox Entertainment Studios, iHeartMedia, and Comic Relief.
• New AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint 'American Dreams' storytelling show celebrating America's 250th anniversary, bringing storytelling programming to Washington D.C.
• SAGEongoingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGBTQIA+ initiative partner advocating for LGBT seniors through storytelling workshops and community showcases.
• The JED FoundationongoingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth and wellbeing initiative partner providing mental health support through storytelling programs.
• The Innocence ProjectongoingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJustice Project partner working to exonerate wrongly convicted individuals through storytelling and advocacy.
• MOBIongoingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGBTQIA+ initiative partner providing workshops and storytelling opportunities for the community.
• Muslim Writers CollectiveongoingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuslim Voices Project partner supporting storytelling workshops and narrative bridge-building.
• Achilles InternationalongoingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeteran Voices Project partner supporting veterans through adaptive sports and storytelling.
• Bronx Legal ServicesongoingStrategic or Co-development PartnerImmigrant Voices initiative partner providing immigration legal support combined with storytelling programs.
• Harlem Children's ZoneongoingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic Mobility Project partner serving children and families in Harlem through community-based programs.
• PRX (Public Radio Exchange)coreTechnology or IntegrationPodcast distribution partner presenting The Moth Radio Hour nationally, making content available through public radio stations and podcast platforms.
• Atlantic Public MediacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProduction partner for The Moth Radio Hour through Jay Allison, producing the Peabody Award-winning program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Story Collider: The Story Collider produces live storytelling shows and a podcast centered on true personal stories about science, with the same nonprofit structure and live storytelling format as The Moth, making it a close direct peer.
• Story District: Story District (formerly SpeakeasyDC) runs storytelling workshops, classes, and live shows in Washington D.C. It competes directly with The Moth in the live personal storytelling events category and offers comparable education programs.
• StoryCorps: StoryCorps is a nonprofit oral history and storytelling organization that records, preserves, and shares personal stories, with a similar mission to amplify human voices through audio storytelling. It is the most direct mission-aligned peer to The Moth.
• RISK!: RISK! is a live storytelling show and podcast featuring true stories people never thought they'd dare to share, operating in a similar live-event plus podcast format that directly competes for storytelling audiences.
• Live Wire Radio: Live Wire Radio is a public radio program blending live storytelling, interviews, and comedy, distributed on public radio stations. It competes in the same audio storytelling and live performance category as The Moth Radio Hour.
• Snap Judgment: Snap Judgment is a storytelling radio show and podcast with themed episodes of true stories, distributed via public radio and podcast platforms in a manner closely parallel to The Moth Radio Hour and Podcast.
• Selected Shorts: Selected Shorts is a public radio show and live performance series featuring short fiction read by notable actors, sharing The Moth's format of curated literary/narrative content delivered live and broadcast on public radio.

Broad incumbents

• This American Life: This American Life is the dominant public radio storytelling program and podcast, produced by WBEZ and serialized by PRX. It occupies the same audio storytelling category as The Moth but at significantly greater scale and broader thematic scope.
• WNYC Studios: WNYC Studios is a major public radio podcast producer behind shows like Radiolab and On the Media. It operates at much larger scale in adjacent storytelling and audio journalism categories overlapping The Moth's audience.

Others

• PRX (Public Radio Exchange): PRX is The Moth's distribution partner for the Radio Hour and a leading public radio podcast network. It is thematically adjacent as an infrastructure and distribution provider for narrative audio content similar to The Moth's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheMoth
• Xx.com/themoth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-moth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 The Moth