Skipping Stones

What Skipping Stones does

Skipping Stones is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1988 in Eugene, Oregon, that publishes a multicultural literary magazine for teens and pre-teens (ages 8-17) and, more recently, for adult educators and supporters. The magazine features poetry, prose, articles, and artwork from youth contributors across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East, with content reviewed by multiple human reviewers before publication. It operates on a twice-yearly print cycle (Spring and Autumn issues) supplemented by free digital content published online between print issues, distributed as downloadable PDFs through its WordPress-based website at skippingstones.org.

The organization's product surface includes the core magazine, a free monthly e-newsletter, and four annual contest/award programs: the Youth Honors Awards, the Annual Haiku Contest, the Annual Book Awards (honoring roughly 25 books annually across multicultural, ecological, and teaching categories), and the Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest for fifth graders organized in partnership with the American Immigration Council. Additional special web-only issues and thematic content (e.g., the January 2025 Gaza issue and the May 2025 autistic non-speakers issue) have been introduced. Content is curated entirely through human editorial processes; no AI/ML tooling is in evidence.

Revenue is generated through four streams: (1) print magazine subscriptions and back-issue sales (e.g., 10 issues for $38, 38 issues for $100), (2) grants and individual donations — the largest revenue source, with Oregon residents eligible for a state tax credit for donations, (3) contest entry fees, and (4) free digital content distribution as a freemium reader-acquisition channel. The organization carries no commercial advertising. Distribution relies on a community-led go-to-motion: educator and librarian referrals, school partnerships, the website, e-newsletter, and word-of-mouth among contributors and readers. The team is small, led by Editor Arun Narayan Toké with a volunteer webmaster (Dennis Rivers), reflecting a lean operational model sustained primarily by philanthropic support rather than commercial revenue.

Name

Skipping Stones

Legal name

Skipping Stones

Website

https://skippingstones.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Skipping Stones is a nonprofit multicultural literary magazine founded in 1988 in Eugene, Oregon, publishing youth-authored poetry, prose, and art from contributors worldwide twice yearly, plus free digital content and annual contests.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multicultural Youth Literary Magazine

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Book Printing (2732)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAK

Literary Arts & Writing Organizations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAGAIAC

Children’s Nonfiction Educational (Science, History, Nature)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Children’s & Young Adult Educational Trade Publishing

SECONDARYEDAMAJAG

Literature & Book Clubs / Guided Reading Groups

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Reading, Writing & Literacy Enrichment

SECONDARYEDAMALAM

Writing, Journalism & Publishing Camps

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

Keywords

• Multicultural literary magazine
• Youth literary publication
• Nonprofit publishing
• Creative writing contests
• Multicultural education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Eugene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print Magazine Subscriptions and Back Issues: Sale of print magazine issues and back issues to readers, educators, schools, and libraries. Two issues published per year (Spring and Autumn) with print copies available for purchase.
2. Grants and Donations: Tax-exempt nonprofit relying on grants from foundations and individual donations to fund operations and charitable programs including free subscriptions to low-income schools and families.
3. Contest Entry Fees: Entry fees for various contests including Youth Honors Awards, Annual Haiku Contest, Annual Book Awards, and other creative writing contests.
4. Free Digital Content: Digital content available for free reading on the website, with online content added between print issues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Skipping Stones is a tax-exempt nonprofit that publishes a twice-yearly multicultural literary magazine (Spring and Autumn issues) featuring poems, stories, articles, and artwork from youth contributors ages 8-17 worldwide, with additional free digital content published online between print issues. The organization sells print subscriptions and back issues, distributes free materials to low-income schools and families, runs annual creative writing contests and book awards, and operates a free monthly e-newsletter. Operations are funded through print sales, contest entry fees, foundation grants, and individual donations.

Product overview

Skipping Stones is a multicultural literary magazine for teens and pre-teens that publishes poetry, stories, articles, and artwork from young contributors worldwide. The publication operates as a single unified magazine product (not a platform-plus-modules architecture), supplemented by a free e-newsletter and multiple annual contests and awards programs including the Youth Honors Awards, Annual Haiku Contest, Annual Book Awards, and the Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest. The organization also recently expanded to include a 'Content for Grown-ups' section. Content is distributed through printed issues (published twice yearly) and free digital content available online between issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skipping Stones Magazine A multicultural literary magazine for teens and pre-teens (ages 8-17) featuring poems, stories, articles, and photos from various cultures, regions, and ecosystems worldwide. Published twice yearly (Spring and Autumn issues), with additional free digital content published online between issues. Includes free digital access via website/PDF and purchasable print subscriptions and back issues.
• Youth Honors Awards Annual awards program recognizing outstanding creative works by youth contributors in various categories including art, poetry, prose, and multimedia.
• Annual Haiku Contest Annual Asian Celebration Haiku and Tanka Contest accepting entries from youth writers.
• Annual Book Awards Annual book awards program honoring recently published books in three categories: Multicultural & International, Nature & Ecology, and Teaching/Parenting Resources. Typically honors 25 books each year.
• Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest National creative writing contest for fifth graders organized in partnership with the American Immigration Council on themes related to immigration and multiculturalism. Winners' entries are published in Skipping Stones magazine.
• E-Newsletter Free monthly e-newsletter providing subscribers with updates on latest issues, stories, poems, artwork, articles, and upcoming themes.

Named customers3 records

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Immigration CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with American Immigration Council to organize a national creative writing contest for fifth graders on the theme that America is a nation of immigrants. Winners' entries are published in Skipping Stones magazine.
• Healing to HopeminorOthersUS-based nonprofit organization that works to support the psycho-social well-being of Palestinian children in partnership with its Bethlehem-based sister organization Anar.
• AnarminorOthersBethlehem-based sister organization of Healing to Hope, working to support psycho-social well-being of Palestinian children. Content contributors to Skipping Stones on children's experiences.
• Low-income schools, organizations, and familiesminorOthersReceives free books, magazine subscriptions and back issues as part of nonprofit charitable mission. Partner recipients of educational support.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ranger Rick (National Wildlife Federation): Ranger Rick publishes nature and ecology-themed magazines for children. Skipping Stones' Annual Book Awards explicitly honors a 'Nature & Ecology' category, signaling direct overlap in audience and editorial territory with this much larger incumbent.
• Highlights for Children: Highlights is a long-established, broad-appeal children's magazine covering reading, writing, and creative expression for younger audiences. It is a broader incumbent serving the same family/educator demographic but with a wider, less multicultural-curriculum focus than Skipping Stones.
• National Geographic Kids: National Geographic Kids is a large incumbent magazine publishing multicultural, global, and nature-themed content for children. It competes for the same school/library/parent buyer and broadly for the multicultural-curriculum shelf space Skipping Stones occupies.

Emerging players

• Bravery Magazine: Bravery Magazine features stories of inspiring women written for young readers, with a strong multicultural and empowerment editorial lens. It targets a similar educator/parent buyer and overlaps with Skipping Stones' mission of diverse representation, though newer and narrower in topic scope.
• The Dragon Lode: The Dragon Lode is a peer-reviewed journal focused on children's literature and literacy education, used by librarians, teachers, and researchers. It overlaps with Skipping Stones' educator segment and literacy-development mission, though as a professional journal rather than youth magazine.

Others

• Healing to Hope / Anar: Documented content partners with Skipping Stones on Palestinian children's welfare and storytelling. They are ecosystem participants rather than competitors, illustrating the kind of mission-aligned nonprofit partner network that could be expanded further.
• American Immigration Council: Skipping Stones' existing strategic partner for the Celebrate America creative writing contest. They are an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor; included because their programs share mission overlap and influence the same educator and immigrant-family audience.

Direct peers

• Cricket Media: Cricket Media publishes literary and educational magazines for children and teens (Cricket, Cobblestone, Calliope, Faces). It is the closest direct peer — same audience (ages 8-17), same product (printed literary magazines with educational content), and overlapping editorial mission around multicultural and global awareness.
• Stone Soup Magazine: Stone Soup is a literary magazine featuring stories, poems, and art written and illustrated by children ages 8-13. It directly competes with Skipping Stones for the same youth-writer-creator niche and educator audience, and uses a similar subscription + back-issue model.
• New Moon Girls: New Moon is an ad-free, girl-led magazine featuring content created by and for tween girls. It shares Skipping Stones' nonprofit-friendly editorial approach (no commercial ads), literary focus, and youth contributor model, though narrower in audience scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Skipping Stones