100 Story Building

What 100 Story Building does

100 Story Building is a not-for-profit social enterprise headquartered in Footscray, Melbourne, that delivers creative writing and literacy programmes to children and young people aged 5-18, with a particular focus on marginalised cohorts. The organisation was founded in 2009 as Pigeons and rebranded to 100 Story Building in 2012, opening its dedicated Footscray centre in 2013. Its core programmes include the Early Harvest annual publishing programme — Australia's only fiction book series written and edited entirely by children aged 10-12, produced in partnership with Hardie Grant Children's Publishing — alongside Story Hubs (co-designed creative spaces within schools), After-School Programmes (Creative Club for primary students and Perfectly Normal Human Writers for teens), Holiday Programmes, Interactive Video Workshops, and the Story Building Box physical activity kit. The organisation has reached more than 45,000 participants since 2013 across hundreds of programmes.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model combining low-ticket consumer income (book sales at A$16.99-A$24.99, the Story Building Box at A$39.95, after-school programmes at A$285 per semester with concession places offered free), fee-for-service community consultation contracts with local government councils and government departments (e.g., the Department of Transport and Planning's Quest 2050 engagement programme reaching 517 students across 20 schools), teacher professional learning, and donations/fundraising campaigns supporting subsidised access. Customer segments span primary beneficiaries (children/teens), schools and teachers, local government and state government, libraries and cultural institutions, and community organisations.

The organisation is governed by a board and led as of January 2025 by CEO Lena Cirillo, supported by a small leadership team and creative learning leads. It operates as a member of the International Alliance of Youth Writing Centres alongside 60 international peer organisations. No venture capital, private equity, or parent company ownership is indicated; financial transparency is limited as no revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

100 Story Building

Legal name

100 Story Building

Website

https://100storybuilding.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

100 Story Building is a Melbourne-based not-for-profit social enterprise delivering creative writing workshops, child-led publishing (Early Harvest), and youth engagement consultations to marginalised children, schools, and local government across Victoria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Creative Writing and Literacy Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel) (EDAMAMAA), Children’s Activity & Workbook Publishing (MPAJAFAG), Creative Writing & Storytelling (Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting) (EDAMAAAI)

Keywords

• Creative writing workshops
• Youth literacy programs
• Children's publishing programs
• After-school creative programs
• Teacher professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Footscray

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sale of Early Harvest anthologies and other publications created by young writers, priced A$16.99-A$24.99 per book. Also sells Story Building Box at A$39.95.
2. After School Programs: Semester-long creative writing workshops for primary school students (Creative Club) and teens (Perfectly Normal Human Writers) at A$285.00 per semester.
3. Consultation Services: Fee-for-service creative consultation work with local government, education, arts and culture organizations. Income generated supports story making programs for children who cannot afford them.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Social enterprise relying on donations and fundraising campaigns (e.g., annual Early Harvest fundraiser) to support programs for marginalized children.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

100 Story Building delivers creative writing and storytelling workshops, after-school and holiday programs, school-based programs, and a child-led publishing program (Early Harvest) for children and young people aged roughly 8-18. It also sells books and the Story Building Box product, runs interactive video workshops, and provides paid community consultation and teacher professional learning services to schools, councils, libraries, and government clients.

Product overview

100 Story Building is a social enterprise offering a portfolio of creative literacy programs and services for children and young people. The core offerings include the Early Harvest program (an annual professionally published book created entirely by young editors and writers), Story Hubs (co-designed creative spaces in schools), and Interactive Video Workshops (pre-recorded digital learning modules). Supporting programs include After School Programs (Creative Club for primary students and Perfectly Normal Human Writers for teens), Holiday Programs (themed workshops during school breaks), and Teacher Professional Learning services. The organisation also sells The Story Building Box (a physical activity kit) and publishes children's books through its shop. Community Consultations provide engagement services for councils and organisations seeking youth voice in planning. Learn at Home Resources offer free creative activities for families and educators. All offerings centre on developing creativity, literacy skills, and confidence in young people through storytelling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Harvest Publishing Program A child-led publishing program in which children and young people write, edit, design, and publish their own stories as printed anthologies and books. It is the centre's flagship creative writing initiative.
• Creative Club After-School Program An after-school creative writing program for children and young people, delivered in semester blocks (e.g., A$285 per semester), with subsidised and concession places available.
• Perfectly Normal Human Writers After-School Program An after-school creative writing program targeted at children and young people, focused on developing storytelling skills and confidence through mentored writing sessions.
• Holiday Programs Short-format creative writing workshops and intensives delivered during school holidays for children and young people.
• School Programs and Workshops Curriculum-aligned creative writing workshops, author residencies, and writing programs delivered by published authors in primary and secondary schools.
• Story Hubs Community creative writing hubs where children and young people can attend ongoing workshops and develop their writing practice in a supportive environment.
• Interactive Video Workshops Online interactive video creative writing workshops delivered remotely to children and young people, enabling participation outside the Footscray centre.
• The Story Building Box A curated physical product containing creative writing prompts and materials that children and young people use to develop stories at home or in the classroom.
• Community Consultations Arts-based youth consultation services commissioned by local councils and government bodies to engage children and young people in shaping policy, strategy, and community programs through creative writing methodologies.
• Teacher Professional Learning Professional development workshops for teachers that build their capacity to deliver creative writing and storytelling in the classroom, aligned with literacy curriculum outcomes.
• Published Books and Anthologies Children's writing publications produced through the Early Harvest program and distributed via the centre's e-commerce shop and publishing partner Hardie Grant's trade distribution network.
• Flemington Book Club A community reading and creative writing engagement program run in partnership for young people in the Flemington area.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35,000+ children and young people have participated in programs since 2009
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Hardie Grant Children's PublishingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Publisher partner for Early Harvest program publications, including Two-Faced Tales and upcoming Early Harvest 2026 anthology.
• International Alliance of Youth Writing CentrescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009100 Story Building is a member of the International Alliance of Youth Writing Centres, joined by 60 other international members in a common belief that young people need places where they can write and be heard.
• Centre for Multicultural YouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Centre for Multicultural Youth as part of 2025 partnerships supporting newly arrived young people.
• Footscray West Writers FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Footscray West Writers Festival as part of 2025 community partnerships.
• Moonee Valley LibrariesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting Flemington Kids Book Club and community reading programs.
• RotaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting Flemington Kids Book Club community initiatives.
• Department of Transport and PlanningmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVictorian government department partnered for Quest 2050 engagement workshops reaching 517 students from 20 schools to gather youth perspectives on planning for 2050.
• Express MediaminorOthersCreative Programs Manager Magenta Sheridan previously CEO of Express Media, which runs Voiceworks magazine and Toolkits program for emerging writers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Australian Children's Laureate Foundation: National organization that promotes children's literature and runs school-based author engagement programs. Shares the children's-literacy advocacy mission and overlaps on ambassador relationships (e.g., Sally Rippin, Alice Pung), positioning it as a thematic peer and ecosystem connector rather than direct competitor.
• State Library Victoria: Major Victorian cultural institution that delivers children's literacy programs, school workshops, and teacher professional development. Both an active partner (delivering PD workshops for 100 Story Building) and a potential substitute for schools seeking creative-literacy programming, particularly for free or subsidised offerings.

Emerging players

• Kids' Own Publishing: Australian non-profit that publishes books made by children and adults, with a focus on community-based authorship and storytelling. Shares the child-as-author publishing model with 100 Story Building's Early Harvest program but operates at smaller scale and with broader community demographics.

Broad incumbents

• 826 National: US umbrella organization supporting a national network of 826-inspired youth writing centres, including the founding 826 Valencia. Functions as a broader incumbent in the same category, providing infrastructure, fundraising, and replication support that individual centres like 100 Story Building operate within.

Direct peers

• 826 Valencia: San Francisco-based creative writing and tutoring centre for young people that directly inspired the founding of 100 Story Building (originally as Pigeons) in 2009. Both organizations run after-school workshops, publish student writing, and operate tutoring centers; 826 Valencia is the template and ongoing model peer.
• Express Media: Melbourne-based non-profit that publishes Voiceworks magazine and runs the Toolkits national program for emerging young writers aged 14-25. Direct local peer serving an overlapping young-writer audience; 100 Story Building's Creative Programs Manager Magenta Sheridan was previously CEO of Express Media, evidencing tight ecosystem ties.
• Ministry of Stories: London-based youth writing charity inspired by 826 Valencia that runs creative writing workshops, mentoring, and publishing programs for children and young people aged 11-18. Direct international peer operating the same workshop-plus-publication model for marginalized young people, and a fellow member of the International Alliance of Youth Writing Centres.
• Story Factory: Sydney-based non-profit that delivers creative writing workshops and publishes books written by young people aged 7-17. Story Factory is the closest Australian peer, with a near-identical model combining in-centre workshops, school programs, and student-authored publications, and competes for the same philanthropic and government funding pools.
• Fighting Words: Ireland-based creative writing centre for children and young people, co-founded by Roddy Doyle, that runs free workshops and publishes student writing. Direct international peer in the same International Alliance network, with a comparable workshop-plus-publication model focused on access for marginalized youth.

Regional players

• The Wheeler Centre: Melbourne-based literary centre offering writing workshops, author events, and education programs including school outreach. Overlaps with 100 Story Building on school creative-writing programming in the same Victoria geography, but operates a broader literary remit without the youth-only specialist focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCs1o2Kxv8HCaxxppimwzqw
• Facebookfacebook.com/100storybuilding
• Instagraminstagram.com/100storybuilding
• Xx.com/100storyb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/100-story-building

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 100 Story Building