Wisconsin Literacy

What Wisconsin Literacy does

Wisconsin Literacy is a Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that operates as a statewide coalition supporting 80 community-based adult, family, and workplace literacy programs serving 88-89% of Wisconsin counties. The organization runs an annual cadence of tutor training (free for tutors and instructors), plain language training (virtual and on-site), webinars, and conferences including the biennial Health Literacy Summit and the forthcoming Forward Conference co-sponsored with the Correctional Education of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Health Literacy division, established in 2010, delivers a portfolio of fee-for-service consulting, organizational health literacy assessments, plain language document revisions, and condition-specific public workshops (e.g., on opioids, diabetes, dementia, maternal health, and COVID-19 vaccine outreach, the latter having lifted Hmong vaccination rates in Eau Claire County from 25% to 53%).

The organization's core technology is the Achieve database, an affordable program-management and reporting system designed for the operational needs of small and mid-sized literacy programs. Distribution is essentially coalition-mediated: member agencies deliver literacy services to end learners using volunteer tutors, while Wisconsin Literacy provides capacity-building, professional development, and advocacy from its Madison headquarters. Revenue is drawn from five streams: individual donations (including The Big Share campaign), corporate and foundation grants, membership dues from 501(c)(3) member programs, training and professional development fees, and workplace literacy contracts. Strategic positioning rests on regional consultant support for member agencies and formal partnerships with five Wisconsin state agencies (Departments of Public Instruction, Children and Families, Health Services, Corrections, and Workforce Development) plus the Wisconsin Technical College System.

Name

Wisconsin Literacy

Legal name

Wisconsin Literacy, Inc.

Website

https://wisconsinliteracy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wisconsin Literacy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit statewide coalition that supports 80 community-based adult and family literacy programs serving 88-89% of Wisconsin counties through training, advocacy, and the Wisconsin Health Literacy division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Literacy Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundational Reading & Writing Literacy (EDAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Literacy (Parent/Child & Intergenerational) (EDAAAAAE), Health Literacy (Navigating Care, Medication, Preventive Info) (EDAAAAAF), Basic Digital Literacy (Device, Internet, Email) (EDAAAAAC)

Keywords

• Adult literacy services
• Literacy coalition
• Health literacy training
• Plain language training
• Community education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Individual Giving: Individual donations from supporters, with options for one-time and recurring contributions. The organization runs The Big Share campaign for online giving.
2. Corporate and Foundation Giving: Funding from corporations and foundations to support literacy programs and capacity building for member agencies.
3. Membership Dues: 501(c)(3) non-profit literacy programs pay membership dues to join the coalition and receive training, support, and resources.
4. Training Services Fees: Fees for tutor training, plain language workshops, and health literacy services provided to member agencies and external organizations.
5. Workplace Literacy Fee-for-Service: Fee-for-service workplace literacy programs where employers contract with literacy agencies for employee training during paid time.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wisconsin Literacy strengthens 80 community-based adult and family literacy programs across Wisconsin through training, capacity building, advocacy, and professional development. The organization delivers tutor training, plain language training (virtual and on-site), health literacy services through its Wisconsin Health Literacy division, workplace literacy programs, and the Achieve database for member program reporting. Services support adult learners in reading, writing, math, ESL, digital skills, and job readiness pathways including GED and HSED.

Product overview

Wisconsin Literacy is a nonprofit statewide coalition that provides a portfolio of adult education and literacy services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include tutor training programs, plain language training (available virtually or on-site), health literacy services, and the Achieve database for program management. Wisconsin Health Literacy (WHL), a division of Wisconsin Literacy, delivers specialized health literacy programs and consulting services including professional development, organizational assessments, and plain language revisions. The organization serves 80 community-based literacy programs across Wisconsin through training, advocacy, and capacity-building support. The service model combines in-person training, virtual instruction, and resource distribution to support adult learners in reading, writing, math, English (ESL), digital skills, and job readiness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wisconsin Health Literacy (WHL): A division of Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. that works with both community-based organizations and healthcare organizations to improve health literacy, enabling every person to find, understand, and use health information and services.

Products and services

• Tutor Training Free trainings for pre-service and in-service literacy tutors and instructors designed to build capacity in adult literacy education for community-based literacy programs.
• Plain Language Training (Virtual and On-Site) Plain language training offered virtually (introductory lessons, advanced strategies, small group practice) and on-site (interactive and customizable at client locations), using proven plain language strategies.
• Achieve Database An affordable, user-friendly database that meets the unique program and reporting needs of community-based literacy programs.
• Health Literacy Services Training offerings that include discussion about health literacy and its connection to health outcomes, delivered through the Wisconsin Health Literacy division.
• Webinars Various training webinars covering topics such as ELL strategies, workplace literacy, and teaching methodologies, including Digital Tools for Teaching, Tutor Coordinators Networking Calls, and Small Programs Networking Calls.
• Health Literacy Professional Development Professional development training on health literacy best practices for healthcare professionals and organizations.
• Health Literacy and Plain Language Revisions Revision and recommendation services for health communications and products including print materials, documents, transcripts, websites, and apps.
• Digital Health Literacy Professional Development Training on using technological tools to find health information, manage health, and treat health conditions safely and effectively.
• Organizational Health Literacy Assessment Evaluation of an organization's health literacy environment including review of institutional resources, policies, practices, communication materials, and norms.
• Health Literacy Consulting Tailored health literacy consulting to meet organizational needs with customized support and guidance.
• Medication Label Initiative Program to make prescription medication labels easier to read and understand, contributing to 4 million easier-to-read prescription labels produced statewide.
• Plain Talk Health literacy program focused on improving health communication and understanding for community audiences.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Community Outreach Vaccination outreach initiative to disseminate COVID-19 and health information through community partnerships.
• All of Us Digital Literacy Projects Digital literacy initiatives delivered as part of the All of Us research program.
• Let's Talk About... Workshop Series Series of community workshops on health literacy topics including medicines, treating pain, opioids, pain medicines, preventing diabetes, and the flu.
• Health Online: Finding Information You Can Trust Workshop teaching consumers how to search for and recognize reliable health information online.
• Improving Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementia Care through Health Literacy Program focused on improving dementia care through health literacy strategies.
• Youth Health Literacy Materials Health literacy educational materials designed for youth audiences.
• Workplace Literacy Programs Fee-for-service workplace literacy programs where employers contract with literacy agencies for employee basic skills training delivered during paid work time.

Quantifiable outcome

• Instruction provided to more than 18,000 adults and children annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Correctional Education of Wisconsin (CEA-W)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2026Co-sponsoring The Forward Conference: Advancing Adult, Corrections, and Family Education on September 28-29, 2026
• Black and Brown Womyn Power Coalition (BBWPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022COVID-19 vaccine community outreach partnership that doubled vaccination rates among Hmong population in Eau Claire County
• Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Host partner for 2022 Health Literacy Summit, national adult education coalition
• ProLiteracymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Host partner for 2022 Health Literacy Summit, national literacy organization
• Joint CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Host partner for 2022 Health Literacy Summit
• Department of Public Instruction (DPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership for adult education and literacy advocacy statewide
• Department of Children and Families (DCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCF grant project helping TANF-eligible individuals earn high school equivalency credentials
• Department of Health Services (DHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for health literacy programming and vaccine community outreach
• Department of Corrections (DOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorrections education partnerships including county jails and state facilities
• Department of Workforce Development (DWD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce connections and WIOA Title II adult education coordination
• Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner16 technical college districts coordinate job training priorities and facilitate student transitions to career pathways
• Reach Out and Read Advisory CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState advisory council focusing on early literacy
• Governor's Council on Workforce Investment (CWI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWL Executive Director serves on this council determining strategic direction for Wisconsin's workforce

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ProLiteracy: National adult literacy organization that is also a current partner of Wisconsin Literacy. It is a broad incumbent operating membership, training, and advocacy programs across the U.S., making it directly comparable on mission, member-coalition model, and adult basic education focus.
• Reach Out and Read: National early-literacy nonprofit. A current advisory-council partner of Wisconsin Literacy, it operates at broader scale with a related family-and-early-literacy focus, making it a comparable nonprofit peer.
• Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy: National family literacy foundation funding adult and family literacy programs across the U.S. Highly comparable mission (family literacy, adult learners, funding member programs) with broader national scope.

Direct peers

• Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE): National membership coalition for adult basic education professionals and programs. COABE and Wisconsin Literacy share the membership-based coalition structure and adult literacy advocacy mission, making them direct organizational peers.
• Literacy New York: New York statewide coalition of community-based literacy programs. Operates an essentially identical coalition-and-member-agency model to Wisconsin Literacy at the state level, making it one of the closest structural peers.
• Massachusetts Literacy Foundation: State-level nonprofit coalition supporting adult literacy programs across Massachusetts. Closely matches Wisconsin Literacy in scope, geography (single state), and coalition-based service delivery to member agencies.
• Literacy Texas: Texas statewide adult literacy coalition providing training, technical assistance, and advocacy to member programs. Functionally analogous to Wisconsin Literacy in mission, model, and statewide coalition role.

Emerging players

• Dollar General Literacy Foundation: Corporate foundation that funds adult, family, and youth literacy programs. Comparable as a funder of the same member-agency ecosystem Wisconsin Literacy serves, though operating as a grantmaker rather than a service coalition.
• National Center for Families Learning: National nonprofit focused on family literacy and adult education. Shares Wisconsin Literacy's family-literacy segment focus and coalition-of-programs orientation, though at national scale.

Others

• Center for Applied Linguistics: Research and applied linguistics organization working on adult ESL, literacy, and language education policy. Comparable on adult ESL and literacy focus, and operates as an adjacent subject-matter expert in the same sector.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wisliteracy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqEw6yLLoJdMb6GjW5k1Vjw
• Facebookfacebook.com/WisconsinLiteracy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wisconsin-literacy-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/wisconsinliteracy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Wisconsin Literacy