Ministry of Stories

What Ministry of Stories does

Ministry of Stories is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1138553, Company No. 07317370) founded in 2010 by author Nick Hornby to help young people aged 6-18 in east London develop writing and communication skills. The organization delivers free creative writing programmes through three core channels: Community Writing Labs held at its Hoxton Street writing centre, in-school School Projects delivered across Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Islington, and Continuing Professional Development training for teachers. It also operates Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, a retail shop selling novelty goods (with all profits funding the writing programmes), and the Monster Mail letter-exchange service. The charity reports having helped more than 800 young writers in a recent year, with 100% of teachers stating projects improved student writing and 99% of students reporting enjoyment.

The business model is a hybrid charity structure combining unrestricted and restricted income from multiple sources: individual donations (one-off and monthly), corporate partnerships (Amazon Literary Partnership, Penguin Random House UK, Raconteur, UBS, Wonderbly and others), trust and foundation grants (Arts Council England National Portfolio funding, Garfield Weston Foundation, Jack Petchey Foundation, City Bridge Foundation, Portal Trust and approximately 25 other funders), retail revenue from the Monster Supplies shop and online store at monstersupplies.org, and venue hire (£240-£975 per day). The organization operates without any proprietary technology platform — its website at ministryofstories.org is a standard content management and donation site, and no APIs, mobile applications, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. A small staff team of 1-10 paid employees is supplemented by more than 300 trained volunteers who deliver frontline programmes.

Geographically the charity is concentrated in east London, though it is developing a national network through its CPD training for teachers and is a member of the Story Venues Consortium — a UK-wide network of eight literary charities collectively engaging 380,000+ children annually. The organization is relocating from its original Hoxton Street premises to a larger Kingsland Road facility in September 2026, increasing weekly capacity from current levels to 200 young people and projected schools reach of 3,000 children per year.

Name

Ministry of Stories

Legal name

Ministry of Stories

Website

https://ministryofstories.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ministry of Stories is a UK charity founded in 2010 by author Nick Hornby that delivers free creative writing programmes to young people aged 6-18 in east London through community writing labs, school partnerships, teacher training, and a retail shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Creative Writing Education

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creative Writing & Storytelling (Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting) (EDAMAAAI), Writing Skills & Composition Enrichment (EDAMAJAC), Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK)

Keywords

• Creative writing education
• Youth literacy programs
• School writing workshops
• Charity retail fundraising
• Volunteer mentoring programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail sales - Hoxton Street Monster Supplies: The organization operates a fantastical retail shop selling novelty items for monsters. All profits from the shop are donated to Ministry of Stories writing programmes. Products include tinned fear, brain jam, monster supplies, and novelty gifts.
2. Individual donations: One-off and recurring donations from individuals. Donors can give specific amounts (e.g., £10 for snacks, £100 to train mentors, £300 for workshops). Monthly giving options available.
3. Corporate partnerships and giving: Corporate partners provide funding, employee volunteering opportunities, and product development support. Partners include Amazon Literary Partnership, Raconteur, Penguin Random House UK, and others.
4. Trust and foundation grants: Grants from trusts and foundations including Arts Council England, Garfield Weston Foundation, Jack Petchey Foundation, and many others support specific programs.
5. Venue hire: The writing centre is available for hire for events, away days, and training. Rates range from £240-£975 depending on space and charity/community status.
6. Monster Mail letter exchange service: Sells letter writing packs for the monster-human letter exchange program where people write to monsters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Ministry of Stories runs free creative writing programmes (community writing labs, in-school projects and teacher CPD) for children and young people aged 6-18 in east London. These programmes are funded through individual donations, corporate partnerships, trust and foundation grants, and profits from the Hoxton Street Monster Supplies retail shop. A Monster Mail letter-exchange service and venue hire of the writing centre provide additional income that supports the free programmes.

Product overview

Ministry of Stories is a single unified offering—a charitable creative writing centre and programs for young people in east London—not a software platform. The core product portfolio consists of Community Writing Labs (free after-school writing sessions for ages 6-18), School Projects (in-school workshops led by professional writers), and Training for Professionals (CPD for teachers). These programs are supported by Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, a retail shop (both in-store and online at monstersupplies.org) that sells novelty monster-themed products and donates all profits to fund the writing programs. Additional offerings include the Monster Mail letter exchange service, Venue Hire of their creative space, Learning Resources for teachers, and the Imagination Showcase publishing platform for young writers' work. The organization was co-founded by author Nick Hornby in 2010 and operates from a secret door in the Hoxton Street Monster Supplies shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hoxton Street Monster Supplies: A fantastical shop purveying quality goods for the Living, Dead and Undead (Vampires, Werewolves, Sasquatch, etc.). Products include Brain Jam, Tins of Fear, Cubed Earwax, Banshee Balls, Dragon Treats, and more. All profits fund Ministry of Stories writing programmes. Named 'No. 1 Kids' Shop in London' by Time Out Magazine.

Products and services

• Community Writing Labs Free after-school, weekend and holiday writing labs for children and young people aged 6-18 in Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Islington, led by professional writers and supported by trained volunteer mentors.
• School Projects Bespoke in-school creative writing projects for primary and secondary schools in east London, including workshops, teacher CPD and bespoke anthologies/audio productions led by professional writers (poets, playwrights, authors).
• Training for Professionals (CPD) Continuing professional development training for teachers and educators in creative writing methodology, building a national network of like-minded professionals.
• Hoxton Street Monster Supplies Retail Shop Physical (and online at monstersupplies.org) novelty retail shop selling monster-themed goods (Brain Jam, Tins of Fear, Banshee Balls, Cubed Earwax); all profits fund the charity's writing programmes.
• Monster Mail Letter Exchange Service Monster-human letter writing exchange service available in-store and through paid online letter-writing packs, generating revenue to support programmes.
• Venue Hire Hiring out the writing centre for events, away days, training and book launches; accommodates up to 35 seated or 50 standing; charity/community discounts available.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of teachers said projects improved students' writing
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 826 ValenciacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInspired by 826 Valencia in San Francisco, the original writing centre founded by Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari that hides behind a shop for pirates.
• Story Venues ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of eight 'story venues' network including Alibi (Exeter), Discover (East London), Grimm & Co (Rotherham), The Reader (Liverpool), The Story Museum (Oxford), The Writers Block (Cornwall) and Z-Arts (Manchester). Collectively engage 380,000+ children annually.
• Communion RecordscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on 'Share More Air' album - unique collaboration with Ben Folds and 56 children aged 8-13 from east London.
• BBCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with BBC to create 'Chronicles of Hoxton Street' audio soap with young writers to mark 70th anniversary of The Archers.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Apples and Snakes: England's leading organisation for spoken-word poetry, with significant work in schools and with young writers. Comparable as a UK charity running creative writing and performance programmes for young people.
• Z-Arts: Manchester-based children's arts venue running creative writing, theatre and participation programmes for young people. Co-member of the Story Venues Consortium and direct comparator as a regional creative-arts-for-young-people charity.
• The Reader: Liverpool-based charity that uses shared reading and literature to improve wellbeing, including dedicated work with children and young people. Co-member of the Story Venues Consortium alongside Ministry of Stories.
• 826 National: Network umbrella for 826 writing centres across the US. Comparable as a federated model of similar youth-writing charities with shared pedagogy, volunteer mentoring, and creative retail fundraising concepts.
• The Story Museum: Oxford-based museum and creative writing charity for children and families. Co-member of the Story Venues Consortium; comparable mission of engaging young people through stories and creative writing.
• 826 Valencia: San Francisco-based creative writing centre founded by Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari in 2002 that hides behind a pirate-supplies shop. Direct model for Ministry of Stories, which was explicitly inspired by it and replicates the secret-door retail/charity hybrid structure.
• Discover Children's Story Centre: East London-based storytelling and creative writing centre for children aged 0–11. Co-member of the Story Venues Consortium and the most geographically overlapping peer, also serving Tower Hamlets families.
• Grimm & Co: Rotherham-based creative writing charity for children and young people, also operating a magical retail shop (Emporium of Research & Enlightenment) that funds its programmes. Co-member of the Story Venues Consortium alongside Ministry of Stories.

Regional players

• Alibi Library of Things / Alibi: Exeter-based creative writing and storytelling charity listed as part of the Story Venues Consortium alongside Ministry of Stories. Direct peer in mission but operating in the South West rather than London.
• The Writers' Block: Cornwall-based creative writing centre for children and young people, also part of the Story Venues Consortium. Direct model peer but operating in a different UK region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Mini_Stories
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNf06uN5VvCEvchmYBCffVg
• Facebookfacebook.com/MinistryofStories
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/ministry-of-stories
• Instagraminstagram.com/ministryofstories

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles30 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 Ministry of Stories