Stanford Storytelling Project

What Stanford Storytelling Project does

Stanford Storytelling Project (SSP) is an academic program within Stanford University, founded in 2008, that teaches storytelling craft across all forms and media to the Stanford student community. The program is led by Director Jonah Willihnganz and operates from Sweet Hall on the Stanford campus, with a stated headcount range of 11-50 staff including senior producers, a community engagement lead, and a program coordinator. SSP sponsors Stanford courses, weekly workshops (Open Storytelling and Audio Documentary workshops on Fridays, Writer's Studio on Mondays), the three-quarter Braden Storytelling Grant (up to $2,500 per student), the Dalai Lama Fellowship ($1,000 stipend, co-run with the Graduate School of Education), and the newer Story Pharmacy Grant (developed with Stanford's Life Design Lab). All programs are offered free of charge to Stanford students.

SSP produces four podcasts — State of the Human (award-winning, with continuous themed seasons from 2013-2014 through 2024-2025), Off the Page (fiction and poetry), Soundings (Braden Grant audio documentaries), and Meeting the Moment (current-events themed). Audio production training in the Braden Grant uses third-party tools Descript and Hindenburg. Content distribution runs through Stanford's KZSU campus radio, major podcast platforms, and a major live events series (running since 2010) featuring high-profile speakers such as Ira Glass, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, Cheryl Strayed, and Jad Abumrad. The program co-sponsors events with numerous Stanford internal units including the Speaker's Bureau, Continuing Studies, Stanford Live, the Graduate School of Education, and Medicine and the Muse.

SSP has no independent revenue stream. It operates as a nonprofit educational initiative funded by Stanford University, with no external shareholders, venture backing, funding rounds, or commercial pricing. There is no AI/ML capability, no patents, no commercial product roadmap, and no standalone financial reporting. The program's strategic posture is one of programmatic expansion within Stanford's institutional ecosystem, deepening integration across Stanford schools and centers rather than pursuing external monetization or geographic expansion.

Name

Stanford Storytelling Project

Legal name

Stanford Storytelling Project (a program of Stanford University)

Website

https://storytelling.stanford.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stanford Storytelling Project is a nonprofit academic program within Stanford University, founded in 2008, that teaches storytelling craft through courses, weekly workshops, grants, fellowships, live events, and four podcasts serving Stanford undergraduate and graduate students free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. University-sponsored educational program: As a Stanford University program, SSP operates as a non-profit educational initiative. The program is free for Stanford students and open to the Stanford community. The Braden Grant provides up to $2,500 to students for travel and research expenses for their audio documentary projects. Dalai Lama Fellows receive a $1,000 stipend to support project development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stanford Storytelling Project sponsors courses, workshops, podcasts, grants, fellowships, and live events that give Stanford students opportunities to engage with storytelling craft across all forms (from myth to memoir) and all media (from print to performance). Programs include award-winning podcasts such as State of the Human, recurring workshop series, the Braden Storytelling Grant (up to $2,500), and the Dalai Lama Fellowship ($1,000 stipend).

Product overview

Stanford Storytelling Project is an educational initiative at Stanford University founded in 2008, offering a portfolio of programs exploring story craft and practices for personal and social change. The core offerings include four podcasts (State of the Human, Off the Page, Soundings, Meeting the Moment), two workshop programs (Writer's Studio, Story Exchanges), three grant/fellowship programs (Dalai Lama Fellowship, Braden Storytelling Grant, Story Pharmacy Grant), Stanford courses, and a live events series. These programs work together to help students appreciate how stories work, work on us, and can work for us across all media formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• State of the Human: Award-winning podcast featuring research and creative work from the Stanford community
• Off the Page
• Soundings
• Black Voices
• Story Eclipse

Products and services

• State of the Human An award-winning podcast produced by SSP featuring research and creative work from the Stanford community.
• Off the Page SSP's fiction and poetry podcast showcasing storytelling through literary arts.
• Soundings A podcast featuring audio documentaries produced by Braden Grant recipients, aired on KZSU Stanford radio station.
• Meeting the Moment A podcast series addressing current events and timely topics for the Stanford community.
• Writer's Studio Weekly writing workshops held most Mondays from 6:00-7:30pm, covering craft elements like interviewing for story, flash fiction, collaborative writing, and multimedia approaches.
• Story Exchanges Community storytelling workshops that bring people together through shared narrative experiences.
• Dalai Lama Fellowship A year-long program (collaboration with Graduate School of Education) developing inner resources and skills for leading social change, featuring Head, Heart, and Hands curriculum with $1,000 stipend.
• Braden Storytelling Grant Annual grant supporting student research, writing, and production of audio documentaries with up to $2,500, teaching, training, and mentorship during March-December.
• Story Pharmacy Grant A developing public resource in collaboration with the Life Design Lab, creating a curated collection of stories organized by conditions they helped meet (loneliness, heartbreak, exhaustion).
• SSP Courses Stanford courses sponsored by SSP exploring story craft and practices across media formats from myth to memoir, print to performance.
• SSP Events Series Live event series featuring storytellers including Neil Gaiman, Cheryl Strayed, Jad Abumrad, Margaret Atwood, Ira Glass, bringing wisdom to the Stanford campus.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ideas Out LoudcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual collaboration with Ideas Out Loud to present Black Voices, a storytelling show promoting the voices and stories of the Black community at Stanford. Eight storytellers trained by SSP coaches tell true stories live onstage every February.
• Stanford Speaker's BureaucoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsorship of events including Alan Lightman evening and other major speaker events through the Stanford Speaker's Bureau.
• Stanford Continuing StudiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored events including Sherman Alexie evening and other author events through Stanford Continuing Studies.
• Stanford LiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored events with Stanford Live including Anna Deavere Smith performances.
• Stanford University Speaker's BureaucoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Alan Lightman event with Stanford University Speaker's Bureau.
• Stanford Graduate School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored Bonnie Garmus evening event with Stanford Graduate School of Education, The Clayman Institute, and Department of Feminist and Gender Studies.
• Stanford ArtsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint sponsorship with Stanford Arts for Harriet film screening and Black storytelling/activism events.
• Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Harriet film screening events with Institute for Diversity in the Arts.
• Program in African and African American StudiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored events with Program in African and African American Studies.
• Black Community Services CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored events with Black Community Services Center for Harriet film screening.
• Center for Biomedical EthicsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Rebecca Skloot event with Center for Biomedical Ethics.
• Medicine & the Muse Program in Medical Humanities & the ArtsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Rebecca Skloot event with Medicine & the Muse Program.
• Stanford Concert NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored Sudan Archives Night of Storytelling and Song with Stanford Concert Network.
• Medicine and the MusecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored Healing Spells event with Medicine and the Muse for February 2026.
• Life Design LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Life Design Lab on Story Pharmacy Grant - developing a curated collection of stories that have helped people meet significant challenges in their lives.
• KALWminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia support from KALW for Jad Abumrad/Radiolab event.
• ASSU Speaker's BureauminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Ira Glass event with ASSU Speaker's Bureau.
• Immersion in the Arts: Living in Culture (ITALIC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Cameron Esposito event with Immersion in the Arts: Living in Culture (ITALIC).
• Stanford Department of Religious LifeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Anna Deavere Smith event with Stanford Office of Religious Life.
• Stanford Graduate School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between SSP and Graduate School of Education on Dalai Lama Fellowship - a year-long program developing inner resources and skills to lead social change.
• Stanford Office of Religious and Spiritual LifeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPreviously involved in overseeing the Dalai Lama Fellowship program.
• Stanford Distinguished Careers InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFaculty and staff mentors for Dalai Lama Fellowship include Distinguished Careers Institute Fellows.
• LifeWorks Program for Integrative LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored The Living Odyssey event with Martin Shaw and Madeline Miller through LifeWorks Program for Integrative Learning.
• The McCoy Center for Ethics in SocietyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored Sarah Broom event with The McCoy Center for Ethics in Society.
• On Call CafecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with student-run On Call Cafe for Story Eclipse - story nights where students perform true stories from their lives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tin House: Tin House is a literary magazine and book publisher that also runs the Tin House Winter Workshop and craft-focused writing intensives. Comparable to SSP because it combines literary publishing with supplemental craft-based writing education and fellowships.
• Narrative Magazine: Narrative Magazine is a literary nonprofit publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry alongside running writing workshops and mentorship programs. Its craft-workshop and literary-publishing model parallels SSP's Writer's Studio and podcast publishing.
• StoryCorps: StoryCorps is a nonprofit oral-history project producing audio-recorded personal stories and a podcast distributed via NPR. Like SSP's Soundings, it is built on audio documentary production, mentorship, and structured storytelling programs with strong institutional partnerships.
• Catapult: Catapult is a literary organization running writing workshops, craft programs, and grants for emerging writers. Like SSP's Writer's Studio and Braden Grant, it offers cohort-based creative-writing education with mentorship and publishes associated literary content.
• The Kenyon Review: The Kenyon Review is a literary journal affiliated with Kenyon College that runs the Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop and other craft programs. Like SSP, it is an academic-institution-affiliated program offering intensive creative-writing workshops and literary publishing.
• Lambda Literary: Lambda Literary runs writing retreats, workshops, and fellowships for LGBTQ writers alongside literary programming. Comparable to SSP's grant/fellowship model (Braden, Dalai Lama) as a nonprofit organization providing cohort-based craft education and literary community-building.
• The Moth: The Moth is a nonprofit storytelling organization producing live true-storytelling events and a popular podcast (The Moth Radio Hour). Like SSP, it centers narrative craft, hosts regular community storytelling events, and distributes audio storytelling content to a broad audience.

Emerging players

• The Creative Independent: The Creative Independent is a publishing platform for creators featuring interviews, guides, and community resources on creative practice. Like SSP, it focuses on craft development and community support for storytellers and makers, though its format is editorial rather than workshop-based.

Broad incumbents

• Radiolab: Radiolab, hosted by Jad Abumrad (a recurring SSP guest), is a Peabody-winning public-radio narrative-audio program. Like SSP, it uses sound design to tell stories blending science, culture, and personal narrative, and represents a comparable narrative-audio production model.
• This American Life: This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass (a recurring SSP guest), is a flagship public-radio storytelling program distributed via podcast and broadcast. While broader in scale than SSP, it represents the same narrative-audio category SSP's podcasts operate in.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stanfordstory
• Facebookfacebook.com/stanfordstory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stanford-storytelling-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stanford Storytelling Project