Split This Rock
Split This Rock is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit founded in 2008 that curates socially engaged poetry through The Quarry database, weekly newsletters, youth workshops, biennial festivals, and contests, serving poets, educators, organizers, and youth.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Split This Rock does
Split This Rock is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)-style nonprofit poetry organization founded in 2008. Its core functional offering is a curated portfolio of socially engaged poetry programs and publications, headlined by The Quarry — a searchable online database of over 600 contemporary poems organized by social justice theme, author identity, and geographic region — and a weekly Poem of the Week email newsletter that has run since 2009. The organization also runs biennial multi-day poetry festivals in Washington, DC, the DC Youth Slam Team and youth writing workshops, monthly and virtual open-mic series, two national poetry contests (the Sonia Sanchez–Langston Hughes contest and a prior Abortion Rights contest co-run with the Abortion Care Network), and the Freedom Plow Award for Poetry & Activism (2013, 2015, 2017).
The technology layer is modest: The Quarry is a self-serve, web-accessible content repository — searchable, audio/video/text-enabled, and thematically tagged — while workshops and festivals have shifted to virtual formats since COVID-19. Beyond The Quarry, distribution includes a Bonfire merchandise storefront, a 2025-launched Bookshop.org affiliate storefront, email newsletter signup, and a multi-platform social presence (Facebook, Twitter/X, Flickr, YouTube, Blogger). No API, SDK, mobile app, or third-party integrations are disclosed, and there are no AI/ML capabilities indicated in any product surface.
The organization serves four overlapping constituencies: practicing socially engaged poets, DC-area youth (including high-schoolers on the DC Youth Slam Team), educators and social-justice organizers who use the database in classrooms and organizing work, and broader poetry enthusiasts/donors. Revenue mechanics are entirely donation- and grant-driven — individual giving via mygiving.net, merchandise and book affiliate sales, corporate/foundation sponsorship (e.g., CrossCurrents Foundation for the Freedom Plow Award), and likely program grants. There is no commercial SaaS or fee-for-service revenue model; the unit economics are those of a small arts nonprofit (11–50 employees, single DC office) with an active fundraising campaign in 2025-2026 suggesting operating-budget pressure.
Split This Rock firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Split This Rock
- Legal name
- Split This Rock
- Website
- https://splitthisrock.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Split This Rock is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit founded in 2008 that curates socially engaged poetry through The Quarry database, weekly newsletters, youth workshops, biennial festivals, and contests, serving poets, educators, organizers, and youth.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Split This Rock industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Poetry & Literary Arts Services
- NAICS
- Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Poetry Workshops (EDAMAMAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAL), Writing Critique Groups & Peer Workshops (EDAMAMAJ), Spoken-Word Poetry Slams (MPAGACAF), Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)
Keywords
Where Split This Rock is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Split This Rock business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Split This Rock product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Split This Rock is a nonprofit arts organization that curates and delivers poetry programming and publications centered on socially engaged poetry. Its substantive products are The Quarry social justice poetry database (a searchable library of 600+ contemporary poems), the Poem of the Week newsletter series, biennial Poetry Festivals, youth writing workshops and the DC Youth Slam Team, virtual open mics, poetry contests and awards, and the Eco-Justice Project. Outputs serve poets, educators, youth, activists, and the general public, mostly at no cost.
Product overview
Split This Rock is a poetry organization (not a technology product company) offering a portfolio of programs and publications centered on socially engaged poetry. The core offerings include The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database (a searchable collection of 600+ poems), the Poem of the Week Series (weekly published poems via newsletter), and various programs including youth workshops, biennial festivals, poetry contests, awards, and readings. The organization does not operate a software-as-a-product business model; rather, it provides poetry programs, publications, and community-building activities focused on social justice themes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database - a searchable collection of over 600 poems by a diverse array of contemporary socially engaged poets, published by Split This Rock since 2009.
Products and services
- The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database A searchable online database of over 600 poems by diverse contemporary socially engaged poets, filterable by social justice theme, author identity, state, and geographic region, available in audio, video, and text formats. It is a free resource used by educators, organizers, and the general public.
- Poem of the Week Series A weekly newsletter publication of contemporary socially engaged poetry distributed via email, featuring audio or video versions of each poem along with alt text and image descriptions. It serves poets, educators, and poetry enthusiasts.
- Split This Rock Poetry Festival A biennial multi-day convening held in Washington, D.C. featuring readings, workshops, panel discussions, youth programming, open mics, activism activities, and a book fair. The festival brings together poets, educators, activists, and the public around socially engaged poetry.
- Youth Writing Workshop Series Poetry workshops and programming for youth, including the DC Youth Slam Team, Louder Than a Bomb competition, monthly youth open mics, and performances at universities and national youth conferences. Reaches youth across Washington, D.C.
- Youth Activist Poetry Anthology Project A summer program hosting youth in creating activist poetry anthologies, in partnership with Shout Mouse Press. Serves young writers in the Washington, D.C. area.
- Freedom Plow Award for Poetry & Activism An award honoring a poet doing innovative transformative work at the intersection of poetry and social change. Recognizes practicing poets whose work advances social justice.
- Sonia Sanchez-Langston Hughes Poetry Contest A national poetry contest serving to raise the visibility and prestige of poetry of provocation and witness. Currently on pause; serves practicing and emerging poets nationwide.
- Sunday Kind of Love Poetry Series A monthly poetry reading series co-sponsored with Busboys and Poets, historically held on the third Sunday of each month at the 14th & V Streets location in Washington, D.C.
- Virtual Open Mic: Poems of Persistence, Solidarity, and Refuge A virtual open mic poetry event series featuring socially engaged poetry. Open to poets and audiences nationwide via online participation.
- Poetry Writing Capsules Educational resources and writing prompts for poetry with social justice themes, used by educators and practicing poets.
- Eco-Justice Project A program focused on environmental justice through poetry, including the Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology, co-compiled with co-founder Melissa Tuckey.
- The Poetry Coalition A national coalition of poetry organizations that work together on shared programming initiatives. Split This Rock is an active member.
- Split This Rock Merchandise Store Merchandise including t-shirts, long-sleeved tees, hoodies, and tote bags sold through the Bonfire storefront, with revenue supporting the organization.
- Split This Rock Bookshop.org Storefront An affiliate storefront on Bookshop.org enabling supporters to purchase poetry books; revenue supports Split This Rock's mission.
Companies that use Split This Rock
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Split This Rock technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Split This Rock partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here DC 2016minorParticipated in the book arts and cultural festival commemorating the 2007 bombing of Baghdad's historic bookselling street, celebrating free exchange of ideas and knowledge
- Abortion Care NetworkminorCo-sponsored the Abortion Rights Poetry Contest from 2012 to 2017 with the Abortion Care Network, a national organization of independent abortion providers
- Shout Mouse PresscorePartnership for the Youth Activist Poetry Anthology Project, hosting summer programs for youth to create poetry anthologies
- Busboys and PoetscoreCo-sponsored the monthly Sunday Kind of Love poetry series held at Busboys and Poets 14th & V Streets location in Washington, DC
- The Poetry CoalitioncoreActive member of The Poetry Coalition, a national alliance of poetry organizations working to promote the value of poetry
- George Washington UniversityminorFestival daytime activities held at George Washington University's Cloyd Heck Marvin Center for the 2020 Poetry Festival
- Melissa Tuckey (Co-founder)corePartnered with co-founder Melissa Tuckey to compile and publish Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Split This Rock competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Urban Word NYC: NYC-based youth poetry nonprofit running slam teams, open mics, and the annual Louder Than a Bomb-style festival. Direct peer on the youth-poetry/slam side of Split This Rock's programming.
- Brave New Voices: International youth poetry slam network and festival. Directly comparable as a youth-focused spoken-word poetry organization running workshops, slams, and a flagship convening event.
- Cave Canem Foundation: Nonprofit devoted to Black poetry through retreats, workshops, prizes, and a national network. Closely comparable to Split This Rock as a mission-driven poetry nonprofit combining workshops, a literary community, and social-justice framing.
- Academy of American Poets: National nonprofit that promotes contemporary poets through Poem-a-Day, education programs, and prizes. Direct peer to Split This Rock as a poetry-focused nonprofit running publications, educator resources, and a national network of poets.
- Kundiman: Nonprofit dedicated to nurturing Asian American writers, especially through poetry workshops, retreats, and a national community. Comparable in operating a network of poets around an identity-and-justice mission.
- Shout Mouse Press: Nonprofit publishing house producing anthologies by and for underrepresented young writers. Direct peer and existing partner via the Youth Activist Poetry Anthology Project.
Broad incumbents
- Poetry Foundation: Largest US poetry nonprofit, publisher of Poetry magazine and operator of poetryfoundation.org. Comparable in mission (elevating poetry in public life) but significantly larger and broader in scope than Split This Rock.
- Poetry Society of America: Long-established poetry nonprofit running workshops, readings, and national competitions. Comparable in programming mix (workshops, contests, readings) but broader and more traditional in editorial focus than Split This Rock.
Emerging players
- Lambda Literary: Nonprofit celebrating LGBTQ literature through awards, writer programs, and community events. Adjacent peer in the literary-arts-and-justice space but focused on LGBTQ writers and prose/poetry more broadly.
- VIDA: Women in Literary Arts: Nonprofit advocating for women in literary publishing through count-based advocacy and programming. Overlaps with Split This Rock's social-justice lens but is more advocacy/research than workshop-driven.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Split This Rock social profiles
Digital presenceSplit This Rock financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Split This Rock leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Split This Rock funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Split This Rock 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 Split This Rock
What does Split This Rock do?
Split This Rock is a nonprofit arts organization that curates and delivers poetry programming and publications centered on socially engaged poetry. Its substantive products are The Quarry social justice poetry database (a searchable library of 600+ contemporary poems), the Poem of the Week newsletter series, biennial Poetry Festivals, youth writing workshops and the DC Youth Slam Team, virtual open mics, poetry contests and awards, and the Eco-Justice Project. Outputs serve poets, educators, youth, activists, and the general public, mostly at no cost.
Is Split This Rock a public or private company?
Split This Rock is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Split This Rock founded?
Split This Rock was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Split This Rock based?
Split This Rock is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Split This Rock's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Urban Word NYC, Brave New Voices, Cave Canem Foundation, Academy of American Poets, Kundiman and Shout Mouse Press. Broad incumbents are Poetry Foundation and Poetry Society of America. Emerging players are Lambda Literary and VIDA: Women in Literary Arts.
Does Split This Rock have an API?
No public API is recorded for Split This Rock.
What industry is Split This Rock in?
Split This Rock's product category is Poetry & Literary Arts Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAMAB, Poetry Workshops, with a secondary code of EDAMAMAL, Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops. Its NAICS code is 71151.