A Gathering of the Tribes

What A Gathering of the Tribes does

A Gathering of the Tribes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization founded in 1991 and headquartered at 151 1st Avenue #220 in New York City's East Village. The organization operates a publishing and cultural programming platform for traditionally underrepresented artists and writers, anchored by Tribes Magazine — an online literary publication featuring fiction, poetry, essays, reviews, and visual art, with an archive dating to 1991. Complementary revenue and content surfaces include the Fly by Night Press publishing arm, the SEGUE Reading Series and other events programming, community books, and artist-designed Steve Cannon tribute merchandise produced in collaboration with the Steve Cannon Estate.

The organization's business model is donation- and earned-revenue-based rather than transaction-fee-driven. Income derives from tax-deductible donations, unit-priced merchandise and magazine sales through its own e-commerce storefront and digital downloads, and event-related revenue from virtual and in-person programming. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the tribes.org website, with global reach for merchandise/publications and regional (NYC) reach for in-person events. Customer-facing technology is limited to a Squarespace-hosted website, an email newsletter signup, and social media channels — no proprietary platform, mobile application, API, or AI/ML capability is disclosed.

Operationally, the organization is led by a management team that has sustained programming following the July 2019 death of founder Steve Cannon; the current leadership structure beyond founder legacy is not detailed in available sources. The organization reports 11–50 employees, no subsidiaries, no parent company, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity. Headcount trends, revenue figures, and donor base metrics are not disclosed.

Name

A Gathering of the Tribes

Legal name

A Gathering of the Tribes

Website

https://tribes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization founded in 1991 in New York City that publishes Tribes Magazine and related literary works, runs reading and performance events, and sells artist-designed merchandise to amplify traditionally underrepresented artists and writers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Cultural Nonprofit Publishing

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Literary magazine publishing
• Arts nonprofit organization
• Cultural event programming
• Poetry fiction essays
• Community arts programming

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 Contributions: Tax-deductible donations to support the ongoing mission of the organization as a 501(c)(3) non-profit
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of artist-designed Steve Cannon tribute t-shirts and merchandise, with proceeds benefiting the organization
3. Magazine and Publication Sales: Sale of Tribes magazine issues (print and digital), anthologies, and community books from members
4. Event Revenue: Revenue from virtual and in-person events including readings, performances, and cultural programming

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

A Gathering of the Tribes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization that publishes Tribes Magazine, an online literary magazine featuring fiction, poetry, essays, reviews, and visual art by traditionally underrepresented artists and writers. The organization also produces community books through its Fly by Night Press publishing arm, hosts events such as the SEGUE Reading Series, and sells Steve Cannon tribute merchandise to fund its mission.

Product overview

A Gathering of the Tribes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization offering a platform for diverse, underrepresented artists and writers. The core offering is Tribes Magazine, an online literary publication featuring fiction, poetry, essays, reviews, and features, supplemented by Fly by Night Press for publishing community works. The organization also sells Steve Cannon Tribute merchandise through its shop, organizes events including the SEGUE Reading Series, and features community books. All offerings serve the mission of amplifying voices that challenge, inspire, and reflect the complexity of collective cultural fabric.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fly by Night Press: Publication press operated by the organization, publishing books by community members.

Products and services

• Tribes Magazine Online literary magazine featuring fiction, poetry, essays, reviews, and visual art by diverse underrepresented artists and writers. Published regularly with archived issues dating back to 1991.
• Fly by Night Press Publications Publishing arm producing books and literary works by community members, including poetry collections and anthologies.
• Steve Cannon Tribute T-Shirts Artist-designed tribute merchandise featuring original portraits and designs by diverse artists from the Tribes network honoring late founder Steve Cannon, with proceeds benefiting the organization.
• Events Program Virtual and in-person events including the SEGUE Reading Series, poetry readings, performances, and community gatherings showcasing artists and writers.
• Community Books Books by community members featured through the organization, including titles such as 'Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country', 'Light Wounds', and 'Thaddeus Rutkowski Tricks of Light'.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Steve Cannon EstatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration between the Steve Cannon Estate and A Gathering of the Tribes for the Steve Cannon Tribute T-shirt project, commissioning diverse artists from Tribes network to create original portraits and designs honoring the late founder.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kundiman: Nonprofit dedicated to nurturing Asian American writers and poets through workshops, residencies, and publications — comparable in mission, nonprofit funding model, programming mix, and editorial focus on historically underrepresented literary voices.
• The Center for Fiction: NYC literary nonprofit hosting readings, awards, and publications programs — directly comparable as an NYC-headquartered literary-arts nonprofit running programming, editorial output, and donor-driven operations in the same addressable ecosystem.
• 826 National: Network of youth writing nonprofits operating storefronts and publishing student work — directly comparable as a literary-arts nonprofit sustaining a publications-plus-events-plus-retail model for traditionally underrepresented writers.
• Cave Canem Foundation: 501(c)(3) literary nonprofit founded in 1996 devoted to Black poetry and the African diaspora — directly comparable as a mission-driven poetry nonprofit that also runs residencies, retreats, publications, and a community of underrepresented poets, mirroring Tribes' editorial-platform-and-events model.
• Asian American Writers' Workshop: New York City-based literary nonprofit producing publications, workshops, and public programs for Asian American writers — directly comparable as a NYC-centered 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit combining editorial output with live event programming and community building.

Emerging players

• Akashic Books: Independent literary publisher with a curated indie catalog and a cultural-preservation editorial lens — emerges as a partial-overlap peer through editorial positioning and an emphasis on community-rooted writing, though operating as a for-profit press rather than a nonprofit.
• Graywolf Press: Independent literary press focused on poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from a wide cultural spectrum — adjacent comparable to Fly by Night Press within Tribes' publishing arm, though non-aligned in nonprofit status.

Broad incumbents

• The Poetry Foundation: Large national 501(c)(3) publisher of Poetry magazine and steward of a major poetry library and programming slate — a broadly established incumbent operating the same literary-publication-plus-events nonprofit model but at meaningfully greater scale and budget.
• PEN America: National literary and free-expression nonprofit running events, awards, publications, and advocacy — broadly incumbent, overlapping with Tribes on literary programming and donor pools, but operating a wider advocacy and policy portfolio.

Regional players

• The Loft Literary Center: Minneapolis-based nonprofit literary arts center delivering readings, classes, and writer-services — comparable as a mission-driven literary nonprofit running programming and editorial offerings, but operating primarily in a different U.S. metro.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AGatheringOTT
• Facebookfacebook.com/AGatheringOfTheTribes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a-gathering-of-the-tribes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 A Gathering of the Tribes