Literacy in Community

What Literacy in Community does

Literacy in Community (LINC) is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 that delivers early childhood literacy programs for families with children from birth to age 5, with particular focus on eight underserved neighborhoods across all five NYC boroughs. Its core offerings consist of free community reading events, family workshops, caregiver education programs, and book distributions built on the science of reading, supplemented by a bilingual (English/Spanish) mobile application on iOS and Android that supports event discovery, attendance tracking, and rewards. LINC operates three notable sub-brands: City's First Readers, a coalition of 17 nonprofit organizations funded by the NYC Council that LINC has coordinated since 2014; Upper Manhattan Early Childhood Connect (UMECC), a multi-sector collective impact initiative with NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center; and the LINCubator, a fee-for-service professional development model for educators and community organizations. The organization also runs the Very Involved Parent (VIP) Academy, which trains parent volunteers to lead neighborhood literacy programs.

LINC's revenue is generated through a diversified nonprofit funding stack: individual donations (one-time, recurring, planned giving, stock, DAF, IRA), corporate partnerships (Deloitte, Iovino Enterprises, Blacks@Microsoft, Fidelis Care, Tiffany & Co.), government grants led by NYC Council funding for City's First Readers, and the LINCubator fee-for-service revenue. Programming is delivered free of charge to families, eliminating financial barriers in the target neighborhoods where approximately 50% of children enter kindergarten behind in literacy. Distribution flows through 200+ community partner locations (libraries, hospitals, daycares, parks, cultural institutions), neighborhood manager field staff, virtual programming, and the mobile app. The organization holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and a Candid Platinum Seal, indicating strong accountability and transparency signals.

The organization is led by Executive Director Shari Levine, with a leadership team including a Deputy Executive Director, Chief of Strategic Initiatives, Chief Program Officer, Chief of Advocacy & Community Mobilization, Senior Director of Early Literacy, and Director of Strategic Initiatives, plus neighborhood-level contacts for each of the eight target communities. LINC's go-to-market combines community-led engagement, event-driven advocacy (City Hall rallies, City's First Readers Month), channel partner distribution through libraries and hospitals, and direct sales of LINCubator services to schools and community organizations.

Name

Literacy in Community

Legal name

Literacy, Inc.

Website

https://lincnyc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Literacy in Community (LINC) is a NYC-based nonprofit that delivers free early childhood literacy programs for families with children birth to age 5 in eight underserved neighborhoods, coordinating a 17-organization citywide coalition funded by the NYC Council.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Literacy Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Literacy & Early Language Development Programs (EDACALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Literacy & Pre-Reading (Phonics, Letter Knowledge) (EDAGACAA), Early Literacy & Phonics Programs (EDAMAJAA), Foundational Literacy & Early Reading Apps (EDACANAA), Early Literacy & Pre-Reading Learning Tools (EDAFAOAO), Early Literacy & Reading Intervention Programs (EDAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Early childhood literacy
• Community literacy programs
• Family literacy services
• Caregiver education workshops
• Early literacy initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: LINC relies heavily on individual donations, with various giving options including one-time gifts, monthly recurring donations, stock or wire transfers, Donor-Advised Fund contributions, IRA charitable deductions, tribute gifts, and bequests. Tax ID: 13-3911331.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Financial support from corporate partners including employee engagement programs, event sponsorship, program sponsorship, and publishing/author partnerships. Partners include Deloitte, Iovino Enterprises, Blacks@Microsoft, and Fidelis Care.
3. LINCubator Fee-for-Service: Paid professional development and caregiver workshop programs offered to schools, libraries, and community organizations seeking to strengthen early literacy practices. This scalable model embeds early literacy into daily operations of early care providers.
4. Government Grants and Contracts: Citys First Readers initiative funded by NYC Council since 2014, with 17 nonprofit partner organizations coordinated by LINC. Additional government funding from regional and local officials for programming in target neighborhoods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LINC delivers free early childhood literacy programs for families with children from birth to age 5 across New York City's five boroughs. The organization runs community reading events, family workshops, caregiver education programs, and book distributions through 200+ community partner sites in 8 target neighborhoods, supported by a bilingual mobile app. It also coordinates the 17-organization City's First Readers coalition funded by NYC Council, the NYC Reads initiative, the Upper Manhattan Early Childhood Connect (UMECC) collective impact hub, and the fee-for-service LINCubator professional development model.

Product overview

Literacy in Community (LINC) offers a unified portfolio of early childhood literacy programs centered on its core in-person and virtual community reading events, caregiver workshops, and family engagement programming for children 0–5. The core offering is the LINC Literacy Programs, which include Reading Discoveries, Reading Celebrations, Reading Everywheres, Community Celebrations, Diversity Through Literacy events, and the Very Involved Parent (VIP) Academy. This is supported by the LINC Mobile App for iOS and Android, which enables families to find events, track attendance, and register for programs. LINC also coordinates two major sub-brand initiatives: City's First Readers (CFR), a 17-organization NYC Council initiative, and NYC Reads, a birth-to-fifth-grade continuum in select neighborhoods. LINC further operates Upper Manhattan Early Childhood Connect (UMECC), a collective impact hub, and the LINCubator, a fee-for-service professional development model for educators and community partners. All programs are grounded in the science of reading and designed for families in high-need NYC neighborhoods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• City's First Readers (CFR): A New York City Council initiative coordinated by LINC, consisting of 17 nonprofit organizations united to develop and deliver effective early childhood literacy programs in NYC.
• Upper Manhattan Early Childhood Connect (UMECC)
• The LINCubator

Products and services

• LINC Literacy Programs A suite of free community reading events, family workshops, and caregiver education programs for families with children ages 0–5, grounded in the science of reading. Programs are delivered in-person across eight neighborhoods in all five NYC boroughs with virtual offerings, including Reading Discoveries, Reading Celebrations, Reading Everywheres, and Community Celebrations.
• LINC Mobile App A bilingual (English/Spanish) caregiver mobile application available on iOS and Android that helps families find nearby LINC events in their preferred language, track attendance and earn rewards, discover age-appropriate storytimes and workshops, register for programs, and receive event reminders.
• City's First Readers (CFR) A New York City Council–funded initiative coordinated by LINC bringing together 17 nonprofit organizations and libraries to deliver free early childhood literacy programs across all five boroughs for children from birth to age 5, including community reading events, caregiver workshops, hospital outreach, and the annual CFR Month celebrations.
• NYC Reads An initiative providing continuous literacy support for children from birth through fifth grade in the neighborhoods of East Harlem, East New York, and South Jamaica. Families receive integrated services including after-school literacy programming, library partnerships, and home-based literacy support, with demonstrated improvements in third-grade ELA test scores.
• Upper Manhattan Early Childhood Connect (UMECC)

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of caregivers read five or more days a week to their child
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Bellevue HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Launched Hospital Baby Campaign in December 2025 as part of Citys First Readers initiative, connecting new parents to early literacy resources.
• Brooklyn Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Citys First Readers coalition partner providing literacy programming and book distributions to families across Brooklyn.
• New York Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Major Citys First Readers partner providing literacy programs and book distributions at NYPL branches citywide.
• Queens LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Citys First Readers coalition partner delivering literacy programs in Queens.
• Reach Out & ReadcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Citys First Readers partner integrating early literacy into pediatric healthcare settings.
• JumpstartcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Citys First Readers coalition partner focused on early literacy programming.
• Committee for Hispanic Children & FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Citys First Readers coalition partner serving Hispanic and Latino families.
• Jewish Child Care AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Citys First Readers coalition partner.
• Video Interaction ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Citys First Readers partner providing video-based early literacy interventions.
• Hunts Point Alliance for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Citys First Readers coalition partner serving Hunts Point community.
• New Alternatives for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Citys First Readers coalition partner supporting children with special needs.
• City YearcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013NYC Reads Initiative partner supporting literacy development in East Harlem, East New York, and South Jamaica.
• Reading PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013NYC Reads Initiative partner providing volunteer reading support.
• Springboard CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013NYC Reads Initiative partner focused on literacy improvement.
• NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner in Upper Manhattan Early Childhood Connect (UMECC) collective impact initiative, integrating healthcare and early literacy services in Upper Manhattan.
• Fidelis CareflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSix-year collaboration on Diversity Through Literacy campaign celebrating diverse representation in childrens literature. Annual campaign hosts events across NYC boroughs.
• DeloittecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter providing audit and assurance services and past project collaboration with LINC on literacy initiatives.
• Iovino EnterprisescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting LINC mission through general counsel representation and community engagement.
• Blacks@Microsoft (BAM)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMicrosofts Black employee network collaborated with LINC on diversity initiatives in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
• Tiffany & Co.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted LINC Reading Buddy teddy bear decorating station at annual Bring Your Child to Work Day, with bears distributed to LINC families.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner hosting literacy events at Bronx Zoo and other WCS venues, connecting families to wildlife experiences and early literacy.
• Lincoln HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitys First Readers Hospital Baby Campaign participant in The Bronx.

Scale indicators9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Large-scale book-gifting program mailing free age-appropriate books monthly to children from birth to age 5. Comparable to LINC as a broad incumbent in early-childhood book distribution; LINC's free book-distribution model across its 35 Literacy Zones operates against this national benchmark.
• Reading Is Fundamental: Long-established national literacy nonprofit focused on book ownership and reading engagement for children, including early childhood. Comparable to LINC as an incumbent in the early-literacy and book-distribution category where LINC competes for philanthropic attention and serves overlapping school-age populations.
• Parents as Teachers: National nonprofit providing parent-education home-visiting programs to support early childhood development from birth through kindergarten. Comparable to LINC as a much larger, established national player in the parent-education and family-literacy space; LINC's VIP Academy echoes Parents as Teachers' parent-coaching model.

Emerging players

• City Year New York: AmeriCorps-affiliated nonprofit placing near-peer mentors in public schools to improve attendance, social-emotional learning, and literacy outcomes. Comparable to LINC as an NYC literacy-adjacent partner in East Harlem, East New York, and South Jamaica; though broader in scope, it competes for the same school-based literacy funding and volunteer attention.

Direct peers

• Jumpstart: National nonprofit focused on early literacy outcomes for preschool-age children in underserved communities through one-on-one mentoring and curriculum. Directly comparable to LINC — Jumpstart is a fellow Citys First Readers coalition partner serving overlapping NYC families with parallel literacy programming.
• Reading Partners: Nonprofit mobilizing community volunteers to provide one-on-one literacy tutoring to K-5 students in under-resourced schools. Directly comparable to LINC — Reading Partners is an NYC Reads initiative partner working in the same East Harlem, East New York, and South Jamaica neighborhoods LINC prioritizes.
• Committee for Hispanic Children & Families: NYC-based nonprofit serving Hispanic and Latino families with early childhood, family-engagement, and education programs. Directly comparable to LINC — CHCF is a Citys First Readers coalition partner serving the same immigrant families in the same NYC neighborhoods.
• Springboard Collaborative: Nonprofit operating family-literacy and early-reading summer programs in low-income urban neighborhoods. Directly comparable to LINC — Springboard is a fellow NYC Reads partner delivering literacy programming in overlapping communities with similar family-engagement methodology.
• Reach Out and Read: National nonprofit that integrates early literacy into pediatric care, distributing books and guidance at well-child visits. Directly comparable to LINC because LINC is itself a Reach Out & Read coalition partner and shares the same hospital-anchored early-literacy model across the same NYC families.

Regional players

• New York-Presbyterian Hospital (community health programs): Major NYC hospital system running community health and early-childhood initiatives including the UMECC partnership with LINC. Comparable as a healthcare-system actor embedding literacy into clinical workflows, but as a much larger, non-literacy-specialized institution it competes with LINC for the same hospital-anchored distribution slots.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/linc_nyc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/lincnyc1
• Facebookfacebook.com/literacyinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/literacy-in-community
• Instagraminstagram.com/lincnyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Literacy in Community