Lead to Read KC
Lead to Read KC is a Kansas City 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 that mobilizes 1,700+ volunteer reading mentors and delivers tutoring, author visits, and community book distribution to elementary students across four school districts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersKansas City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Lead to Read KC does
Lead to Read KC is a Kansas City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit literacy organization founded in 2011 by former teachers Lynn and Jean Rundle, focused on improving reading proficiency among first through third grade students in high-need public and charter elementary schools across the Kansas City metropolitan area. The organization serves students in districts where only 23% of third graders read on grade level, targeting early-grade literacy as a foundational intervention. Programs are delivered free of charge to 33+ partner schools across four school districts (Kansas City Public Schools, Hickman Mills C-1, Center, and Belton), supported by approximately 20 paid staff and 1,700-2,000 trained volunteer Reading Mentors.
The organization operates four integrated programs: Reading Mentoring (one-on-one volunteer reading during school lunch hours), Tutoring (delivered via a partnership with Hoot Reading's live video chat platform using Science of Reading methodology with certified teachers), Author Partnerships (interactive author school visits and read-aloud sessions), and Reading Is Everywhere (community book distribution through 100+ basket locations). The technology footprint is light, relying on third-party Hoot Reading for tutoring delivery and DonorPerfect for donation processing, with no proprietary AI or software product. Independent program evaluation is conducted by the UMKC Urban Education Research Center.
Lead to Read KC is funded entirely through philanthropic channels: individual donations via a monthly Honor Roll giving program, corporate sponsorships (Burns & McDonnell, Hallmark, Citi, American Century, Henderson Engineers, Onspring), foundation grants (Hall Family Foundation, George K Baum Family Foundation, United Way of Greater Kansas City), and book drives. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. The organization holds a Platinum Candid Seal of Transparency (2026) and AASL Commendation (2023).
Lead to Read KC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lead to Read KC
- Legal name
- Lead to Read, Inc.
- Website
- https://leadtoreadkc.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lead to Read KC is a Kansas City 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 that mobilizes 1,700+ volunteer reading mentors and delivers tutoring, author visits, and community book distribution to elementary students across four school districts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lead to Read KC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Literacy Nonprofit Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 Remedial Reading & Literacy Intervention (EDANAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early Literacy & Reading Intervention Programs (EDAGAAAD), Reading Comprehension & Close Reading Enrichment (EDAMAJAB), Library, Reading Motivation & Independent Reading Programs (EDAMAJAO)
Keywords
Where Lead to Read KC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kansas City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lead to Read KC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals, including monthly giving program (Honor Roll). Donors can contribute through the organization's website via secure donation processing.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners sponsor events, programs, and provide employee volunteer opportunities. Includes event sponsorships for KC Reads, Trivia Night, and The KC Book Fair.
- Foundation Grants: Funding from family foundations (Hall Family Foundation, George K Baum Family Foundation, Curry Family Foundation) and community foundations (United Way of Greater Kansas City, Truman Heartland Community Foundation).
- Book Drive Revenue: Book drives generate donations through partner bookstores and retail wish lists. Revenue supports the Reading Is Everywhere book distribution program.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Lead to Read KC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lead to Read KC delivers free children's literacy programs across the Kansas City metropolitan area, primarily through volunteer-led one-on-one Reading Mentoring sessions during school lunch hours for first through third graders in high-need elementary schools. It supplements mentoring with online Tutoring (via Hoot Reading), Author Partnerships for school visits, and Reading Is Everywhere community book distribution, all funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.
Product overview
Lead to Read KC is a nonprofit literacy organization offering four integrated core programs: Reading Mentoring (one-on-one volunteer reading sessions), Tutoring (online instruction via Hoot Reading partnership), Author Partnerships (author school visits), and Reading Is Everywhere (community book distribution). These programs work together to address Kansas City's literacy crisis by providing mentorship, individualized instruction, author engagement, and book access. Additional offerings include One Day, One Book corporate team volunteer events, Fourth Thursday Book Fulfillment, and Fun Friday Book Sorting volunteer activities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Reading Mentoring One-on-one reading mentorship program connecting adult volunteers with first through third grade students in high-need Kansas City elementary schools for 30-minute weekly sessions during the lunch hour. Delivered free of charge to partner schools and students.
- Tutoring Individualized online tutoring program delivered through partnership with Hoot Reading, providing high-dosage, evidence-based literacy instruction (Science of Reading methodology) for kindergarten through third grade students with certified teachers via live video chat.
- Author Partnerships Program bringing local children's authors to partner schools for interactive read-aloud sessions that build social-emotional skills, identity, and love of reading in elementary students.
- Reading Is Everywhere Community book distribution program that places books in 100+ community locations across the Kansas City metro (social service agencies, healthcare clinics, food pantries, barbershops, salons, police stations, churches), distributing over 4,500 books monthly for children to take home free of charge.
- One Day, One Book Team-based corporate volunteer reading event in which organization volunteers visit elementary classrooms to read one-to-one with students for 30 minutes, with each student receiving their own copy of the book to keep.
- Fourth Thursday Book Fulfillment Monthly volunteer event held on the fourth Thursday where community members pack books for Reading Is Everywhere community partner locations.
- Fun Friday Book Sorting Volunteer event held on select Fridays where participants clean, sort, label, and shelve book donations for the Reading Is Everywhere program.
Quantifiable outcome
- First graders made significantly larger gains in reading scores than control students
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Lead to Read KC
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lead to Read KC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Lead to Read KC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Hoot ReadingcoreCross-sector collaboration implementing high-dosage tutoring programs in local schools. Hoot Reading provides live video chat platform and certified teachers for 1:1 reading instruction. Since 2021, delivered 10,000 lessons to 800+ Kansas City students. Partnership addresses pandemic learning loss by improving equitable access to evidence-based reading instruction.
- 15 and the Mahomies FoundationcoreKansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes' foundation partnership on Read for 15 program. Supports Read for 15 by recruiting partner schools, coordinating classroom resources, and encouraging students to read 15 minutes daily. Annual Reading Rally celebrates program completion with 3,000+ students.
- KMBC 9 Cares for KidsminorOne of six nonprofit partners in KMBC 9's community outreach initiative connecting viewers with local nonprofits providing resources and support for Kansas City children.
- Kansas City Public SchoolscorePrimary school district partner for Reading Mentoring program. KCPS students show improved attendance rates (62.1%) and reduced disciplinary incidents. Organization is recognized as Community Champion by district.
- Kansas City Kansas Public SchoolscoreCross-state school district partner serving Kansas City, Kansas area students with Reading Mentoring programs.
- Center SchoolscorePartner school district with multiple elementary schools participating in Reading Mentoring program including Center Elementary, Boone Elementary, and Indian Creek Elementary.
- Hickman Mills C-1 School DistrictcorePartner district including Truman Elementary in the 2026-27 school year.
- Missouri Charter Public SchoolscoreNetwork of charter schools providing partner locations across Kansas City metro including Académie Lafayette, Academy For Integrated Arts, Crossroads Academy, and others.
- Urban Education Research Center (UMKC)coreUniversity research center that completed independent two-year program evaluation examining Reading Mentoring impact on student achievement, attitudes, and social skills.
- Rockhurst UniversityminorUniversity partnership for program evaluation including Michelle Hartman's Reading Is Everywhere basket program assessment.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lead to Read KC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Room to Read: Global literacy nonprofit operating at much larger scale across multiple countries, focused on literacy and gender equality in education. Comparable literacy mission but operates internationally and at materially larger scale than Lead to Read KC's regional model.
- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: High-profile book-gifting program mailing free books to children from birth to age five. Highly comparable book distribution model with celebrity-driven brand recognition similar to Lead to Read KC's Mahomes partnership.
Direct peers
- Reading Partners: National nonprofit that mobilizes volunteer tutors to provide one-on-one reading support to K-5 students in under-resourced schools. Closest direct peer to Lead to Read KC's Reading Mentoring and Tutoring programs, with a nearly identical volunteer-driven, school-embedded model.
- Book Trust: National nonprofit that gives students in Title I schools choice in selecting books to keep, building home libraries. Directly comparable to Reading Is Everywhere's book access mission but with student-choice selection rather than community-basket distribution.
- Reach Out and Read: National nonprofit that partners with pediatricians to promote early literacy and book distribution to families with young children. Comparable mission around early literacy and book access, though distributed through healthcare rather than schools.
- First Book: National nonprofit providing new books and educational resources to children in low-income communities. Comparable book distribution and literacy access mission with similar donor and corporate funding model.
- Reading Is Fundamental (RIF): National children's literacy nonprofit focused on book distribution and reading motivation in underserved communities. Closely comparable to Lead to Read KC's Reading Is Everywhere program, with both organizations emphasizing book ownership and access equity.
- Raising A Reader: National early literacy nonprofit that partners with schools and community organizations to promote shared reading routines and book access for families with young children. Comparable in early-literacy focus and community-based distribution approach.
Regional players
- Literacy Inc (LINC): New York City-based community literacy nonprofit mobilizing volunteers and coordinating book distribution across underserved neighborhoods. Closely comparable operating model to Lead to Read KC but focused on NYC rather than KC metro.
Others
- United Way of Greater Kansas City: Regional community foundation that funnels workplace giving and grants to local nonprofits including Lead to Read KC. Acts as both a financial intermediary and a peer organization working on education and basic needs across the same KC metro footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lead to Read KC social profiles
Digital presenceLead to Read KC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lead to Read KC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Lead to Read KC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
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Lead to Read KC 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 Lead to Read KC
What does Lead to Read KC do?
Lead to Read KC delivers free children's literacy programs across the Kansas City metropolitan area, primarily through volunteer-led one-on-one Reading Mentoring sessions during school lunch hours for first through third graders in high-need elementary schools. It supplements mentoring with online Tutoring (via Hoot Reading), Author Partnerships for school visits, and Reading Is Everywhere community book distribution, all funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.
Is Lead to Read KC a public or private company?
Lead to Read KC is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Lead to Read KC founded?
Lead to Read KC was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lead to Read KC based?
Lead to Read KC is headquartered in Kansas City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lead to Read KC make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships, foundation Grants and book Drive Revenue.
Who are Lead to Read KC's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Room to Read and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Direct peers are Reading Partners, Book Trust, Reach Out and Read, First Book, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Raising A Reader. Literacy Inc (LINC) is listed as a regional player. United Way of Greater Kansas City is listed as an others.
Does Lead to Read KC have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lead to Read KC.
What industry is Lead to Read KC in?
Lead to Read KC's product category is Children's Literacy Nonprofit Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDANAJAA, K–12 Remedial Reading & Literacy Intervention, with a secondary code of EDAGAAAD, Early Literacy & Reading Intervention Programs. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.