What 826DC does

826DC is a nonprofit youth writing and publishing organization founded in 2010 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., where it provides free year-round creative and expository writing programs to DC students ages 6-18. The organization is a chapter in the 826 National network (nine chapters serving approximately 350,000 students annually), and operates from a writing center in Columbia Heights alongside a retail storefront called Tivoli's Astounding Magic Supply Co. Core programs include In-School Writing, Editing, and Publishing residencies, Field Trips, the year-long Young Authors' Book Project, an After-School Writing Lab, and community Writing Workshops, with priority access for students eligible for free/reduced lunch or who identify as English Language Learners. Delivery is in-person at schools, the writing center, and community spaces across DC; no proprietary technology stack or digital product layer is disclosed beyond a website and a Substack launched in February 2026.

The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. Funding sources include individual donors (including recurring monthly 'Page Turners'), foundation and corporate grants (RealFoundations, HumanitiesDC, Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs, International Monetary Fund, Learn24 DC, National Endowment for the Arts, The Share Fund, Harman Family Foundation, Judy Family Foundation, DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities, Kimsey Foundation), and ancillary retail revenue from Tivoli's Astounding Magic Supply Co., where 100% of proceeds from magic supplies, tricks, novelty items, and student-authored publications support programs. Student publications are a meaningful reputational asset: 19 books spanning 2011 to 2025 were added to the Library of Congress collections in 2025 and shelved in the Main Reading Room of the Thomas Jefferson Building.

The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Robyn Lingo, supported by approximately 8 full-time staff plus interns and contract Guest Teaching Artists, with approximately 2,000-2,500 DC students served annually. Notable recent strategic activity includes featured presence at the September 2025 Library of Congress National Book Festival, the Substack launch, and the scheduled May 2026 Big Book Bash at Arena Stage celebrating the release of the 20th and 21st professionally published youth anthologies.

Name

826DC

Legal name

826DC

Website

https://826dc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

826DC is a Washington, D.C. nonprofit (founded 2010) providing free year-round creative writing programs to DC students ages 6-18 through in-school residencies, after-school labs, and publishing initiatives, funded by donations, grants, and a retail magic-supply storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Writing Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Essay, Research & Academic Writing (Middle/High School) (EDAMAJAL), K–12 Remedial Writing & Composition Support (EDANAJAC), Children’s Educational & Curriculum Publishing (MPAJAFAF)

Keywords

• Youth writing programs
• Creative writing education
• Student publishing services
• Nonprofit writing centers
• After-school writing workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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. Individual Donations: 826DC relies on individual donors to fund their free writing programs. They accept one-time and monthly donations through their website. Monthly donors ('Page Turners') provide reliable funding for long-term planning.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: 826DC receives support from foundations and corporate partners including RealFoundations, HumanitiesDC, Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs, International Monetary Fund, Learn24 DC, National Endowment for the Arts, The Share Fund, Harman Family Foundation, Judy Family Foundation, DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities, and Kimsey Foundation.
3. Student Publications Sales: Student-written books and anthologies are sold through Tivoli's Astounding Magic Supply Co. storefront (both online and physical location). 100% of proceeds support 826DC's writing programs.
4. Magic Shop Revenue: Tivoli's Astounding Magic Supply Co. sells magic supplies, tricks, and novelty items. All proceeds fund 826DC programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

826DC provides free writing programs for DC students ages 6-18, including In-School Writing, Editing, and Publishing residencies delivered in K-12 classrooms, Field Trips, the Young Authors' Book Project (a full-year classroom project producing professionally published anthologies), an After-School Writing Lab, and Writing Workshops. Programs are open enrollment for students and educator-enrolled for schools, with priority given to students eligible for free/reduced lunch or English Language Learners. Student work is published and sold through Tivoli's Astounding Magic Supply Co., with 100% of proceeds supporting programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tivoli's Astounding Magic Supply Co. 826DC's magic shop storefront that sells magic supplies and student publications, with proceeds supporting 826DC's writing programs.

Products and services

• In-School Writing, Editing, and Publishing Flexible short- and long-term writing residencies delivered in collaboration with K-12 teachers at DC schools, providing project-based creative and expository writing instruction to students.
• Field Trips Two-hour writing and bookmaking experiences for whole classes visiting 826DC. Free for qualifying DC public and public charter schools.
• Young Authors' Book Project A full-year classroom writing project that culminates in a professionally published book of student writing shared with readers across DC.
• After-School Writing Lab An open-enrollment after-school writing community for DC students hosted at 826DC's Columbia Heights writing center.
• Writing Workshops Exploratory writing sessions across diverse topics and genres offered outside of school, open to DC students ages 6-18.
• Tivoli's Astounding Magic Supply Co. 826DC's retail storefront selling magic supplies, tricks, novelty items, and student publications, both online and at its physical Columbia Heights location. 100% of proceeds support 826DC's writing programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19 books added to Library of Congress collection
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 826 NationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner826DC is one of nine chapters in the 826 National network, which includes youth writing and publishing centers from coast to coast. Through digital resources and in-person programs, the network serves close to 350,000 students ages 6-18 each year.
• RealFoundationsminorOthersListed as a partner and donor supporting 826DC's programs.
• HumanitiesDCminorOthersListed as a partner supporting 826DC's mission.
• DC Commission of the Arts and HumanitiesminorOthersListed as a partner and donor supporting 826DC's arts education programming.
• National Endowment for the ArtsminorOthersListed as a partner and funder supporting 826DC's writing programs.
• Learn24 DCminorOthersListed as a partner supporting youth learning and development programs in DC.
• Mayor’s Office on Latino AffairsminorOthersListed as a partner supporting 826DC's work with Latino youth and community.
• International Monetary FundminorOthersListed as a partner and donor supporting 826DC's programs.
• Young Playwrights' TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner826DC was featured alongside Young Playwrights' Theater in Spur Local's short documentary 'Spaces to Grow,' highlighting both organizations' work supporting youth arts education in DC.
• Dr. Tony Keith Jr.minorOthersProfessional author who wrote the foreword for 826DC's 'Now I See with Open Eyes' publication from the Young Authors' Book Project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• HumanitiesDC: DC-based humanities nonprofit that funds and supports 826DC's work. Comparable as a regional DC humanities/education ecosystem player, primarily a grantmaker.
• Martha's Table: DC-based nonprofit serving children and families with education, food, and community programs. Comparable as a regional DC education nonprofit serving similar underserved student populations, though broader in scope than 826DC.
• DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities: DC government arts funder and ecosystem partner that supports 826DC's programming. Comparable as a regional DC arts/education stakeholder, though its primary role is grantmaking rather than direct program delivery.

Direct peers

• 826 National: 826 National is the parent nonprofit network that 826DC belongs to, operating 9 youth writing and publishing centers coast-to-coast serving ~350,000 students. It is the most directly comparable entity as it runs the same model, programs, and brand that 826DC delivers locally.
• Writopia Lab: Writopia Lab runs creative writing workshops and publishing programs for kids and teens across multiple U.S. cities. It overlaps directly with 826DC's creative writing workshops, Young Authors' Book Project, and after-school writing lab offerings.
• Young Playwrights' Theater: A DC-based youth arts education nonprofit featured alongside 826DC in Spur Local's 'Spaces to Grow' documentary. It delivers in-school and after-school arts residencies to DC students, overlapping on target audience, delivery model, and geographic footprint.
• 826LA: Los Angeles chapter of the 826 National network delivering the same free youth writing and publishing programs. Direct comparable on operating model, mission, and program catalog to 826DC.
• 826NYC: Sister 826 chapter in New York City offering the same model of free creative and expository writing programs, in-school residencies, and student publishing. Directly comparable in operating model, mission, and program mix to 826DC.

Broad incumbents

• National Endowment for the Arts: Federal arts funder that provides grants supporting 826DC's writing programs. Comparable as a broader ecosystem incumbent shaping arts education funding nationwide, rather than as a direct service provider.

Emerging players

• Badgerdog Literary Publishing: Austin-based literary nonprofit that runs creative writing residencies in schools and publishes student work. Comparable to 826DC on the in-school residency + student publishing model, though smaller in scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/826dc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUtLocCOKQITsvLM4RirXIg
• Facebookfacebook.com/826DC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/826dc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 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 826DC