What Write Around Portland does

Write Around Portland is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The organization delivers volunteer-facilitated creative writing workshops to underheard communities in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region, partnering with social service agencies, detention facilities, schools, and senior centers to reach participants who would not otherwise access structured creative-writing instruction. Since inception, the organization has run 1,538 writing groups serving 9,734 writers, hosted 282 public readings attended by 18,071 people, and produced 19,400 published books. In 2025, the organization served 693 participants across 70 writing circles with a small paid staff of 5 and a trained volunteer facilitator bench of 65+.

The program's product surface spans several structured offerings: the Agency Program delivers free workshops at partner institutional sites; Resonate provides a BIPOC-centered writing community; Prompt serves advanced returning writers; Freewrite is an open-enrollment community writing group; Workplace Roundtables is a corporate team-building format; and Inkwell is an alumni writing circle that retains graduates. Participants' work is showcased through public readings and published anthologies, and the "Raise Your Pen" stream engages donors as a fundraising mechanism. Delivery is entirely human-facilitated with no disclosed technology platform, automation, or digital distribution layer beyond standard nonprofit web and donor-management tooling.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack. The Agency Program is offered free to participants and is funded primarily by charitable contributions and grants. Earned revenue comes from workshop fees (community writing groups priced around $195, Workplace Roundtables priced around $1,500 per engagement), anthology book sales, and corporate sponsorships. The organization holds a Four-Star Charity Navigator rating and a Platinum GuideStar Transparency Seal, and has received public endorsements from authors including Dave Eggers and Ursula K. Le Guin, which supports fundraising credibility. Geographic scope is explicitly limited to the Portland-Vancouver metro region, and there is no evidence of remote, national, or international delivery.

Name

Write Around Portland

Legal name

Write Around Portland

Website

https://writearound.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Write Around Portland is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 in Portland, Oregon, that runs volunteer-facilitated creative writing workshops for underheard communities through partnerships with social service agencies, detention facilities, schools, and senior centers in the Portland-Vancouver metro region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Creative Writing Services

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Writing Craft & Technique Workshops (Voice, Structure, Character, Style) (EDAMAMAH), Creative Nonfiction & Memoir Workshops (EDAMAMAC)

Keywords

• Creative writing workshops
• Expressive writing programs
• Nonprofit community programs
• Therapeutic writing groups
• Facilitated writing workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Write Around Portland relies heavily on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. The organization has an Inkwell monthly giving program and accepts planned gifts.
2. Workshop Fees: Revenue from public workshop programs including Prompt (8-week series at $195-$295) and workplace roundtables ($500-$1,500). Agency programs are provided free to participants.
3. Book Sales: Sale of anthologies compiled from participant writing. Books sold for $16 each (general public) or $10 for published participants. Includes shipping through USPS Media Mail.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Event sponsorships for Raise Your Pen (up to $5,000), literary programming sponsorships ($2,500 for series), campaign sponsorships, and auction item donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Write Around Portland delivers facilitated creative writing workshops, primarily 6-10 week sequential groups at partner nonprofit, healthcare, correctional, and housing locations serving underheard communities, plus public programs (Resonate BIPOC circles, Prompt 8-week series, Freewrite single sessions) and Workplace Roundtables for corporate team building. Programs are led by trained volunteer facilitators using a research-backed expressive writing model and culminate in published participant anthologies.

Product overview

Write Around Portland is a nonprofit creative writing organization offering a portfolio of facilitated writing programs. The core offering is the Agency Program—6-10 week sequential writing groups at partner nonprofit locations (prisons, shelters, hospitals, treatment centers) that culminate in published anthologies. This is supplemented by public programming including Resonate (free BIPOC writing circles), Prompt (8-week themed workshop series at $195-295), and Freewrite (single-session circles). Workplace Roundtables provide team building for businesses at $500-1,500. The organization publishes seasonal anthologies and operates donor programs including Inkwell monthly giving and the annual Raise Your Pen fundraiser.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Resonate: A BIPOC Writing Circle - free virtual writing sessions for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color writers
• Freewrite
• Prompt
• Inkwell

Products and services

• Agency Program Sequential 6-10 week creative writing groups delivered at partner nonprofit, healthcare, correctional, housing, and youth-service locations (homeless shelters, prisons, hospitals, treatment centers, schools, senior centers). Facilitated by trained volunteers using a research-backed expressive writing model, the program culminates in published anthologies of participant work and is provided free to participants.
• Resonate: BIPOC Writing Circle Free virtual and in-person single-session writing circles exclusively for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Led by facilitators of color, each 90-minute session includes writing prompts, optional sharing, and strengths-based feedback, with no publication requirement and no experience necessary.
• Prompt Workshop Series 8-week virtual or in-person themed writing groups with the same cohort each week, combining freewriting, optional sharing, and strengths-based feedback. Priced at $195 virtual or $295 at Powell's City of Books, with the first session free and a refund option, plus financial-hardship free spots.
• Freewrite Writing Circles Single 90-120 minute virtual or in-person writing sessions with prompts, freewriting, optional sharing, and feedback. No commitment required, with sliding-scale pricing and limited free spots available for past participants or those experiencing financial hardship.
• Workplace Roundtables Creative team-building sessions for businesses and organizations using Write Around Portland's expressive writing model. Pre-Built Roundtable at $500 for up to 18 participants (50 minutes) and Custom Roundtable at $1,500 (fully customized), with additional participants at $150 per group of 18. Nonprofits receive 25% off; agency partners receive 50% off.
• Published Anthologies Books published at the culmination of writing-group seasons compiling participant work. Available for $16 each (general public) or $10 for published participants, with shipping included and distribution through the website and Portland independent bookstores.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of participants reported improved quality of life
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• The Standard (Insurance)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 September 2026Corporate sponsor for Raise Your Pen 2026 annual fundraiser. Provides major event support including recognition at highest sponsorship levels.
• Jupiter NEXTmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 September 2026Venue sponsor for Raise Your Pen 2026 annual fundraiser at 900 E Burnside St, Portland.
• ¿Por Qué No? TaqueriaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 September 2026Catering sponsor providing food for Raise Your Pen 2026 fundraiser. All items gluten and soy free.
• Marsh & Mallow CominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 September 2026S'mores sponsor for Raise Your Pen 2026 fundraiser.
• DocuMartminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 September 2026Print sponsor for Raise Your Pen 2026 event materials.
• A-to-Z WineworksminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 September 2026Wine sponsor for Raise Your Pen 2026 fundraiser.
• Literary Council (Writers for Write Around Portland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHonorary advisory board of notable Portland-area writers including Brian Benson, Erica Berry, Omar El Akkad, Kate Gray, Joon Ae Haworth-Kaufka, April Henry, Sara Jaffe, Sherri Levine, Astra Lincoln, Ami Patel, Paulann Petersen, and Armin Tolentino. Members publicly endorse the organization and support its mission to help people heal through creative writing.
• IRCO (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency partnership bringing creative writing workshops to immigrant and refugee communities, including afterschool programs at Menlo Park Elementary.
• PHAMEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with nonprofit serving adults with developmental disabilities, launching full 10-week writing groups at PHAME's new campus.
• REACH CDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffordable housing partner receiving writing programming for residents to help strengthen connections and combat isolation.
• Central City ConcerncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial service agency partner providing holistic services including creative writing programming for clients.
• New Avenues for YouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth services organization partnering to provide writing programs for youth experiencing homelessness.
• Powell's City of BookscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for in-person Prompt writing workshops, with accountability and community built around the iconic independent bookstore.
• Bird Alliance of OregonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature education partner providing special class content for 'Write Here on Earth' Prompt workshop series.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA): Nonprofit offering workshops for writers of color, with comparable equity-centered design and BIPOC-only workshop programming (similar to Write Around Portland's Resonate circles).
• Community Word Project: NYC-based nonprofit delivering arts and creative-writing residencies in underserved schools and communities. Comparable community-partnership delivery model and equity-driven mission.
• Community Writing Center: Smaller-scale nonprofit offering free community writing workshops and tutoring. Comparable free/low-cost creative writing model for under-served writers, though with narrower geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• GrubStreet: Boston-based nonprofit creative writing center offering multi-week workshops, generative sessions, and literary events. Comparable workshop portfolio (multi-week series, single sessions) and nonprofit revenue mix (workshop fees + donations).
• The Telling Room: Portland-based nonprofit writing center for youth that produces published anthologies of participant work. Comparable in-city, community-led creative writing model with a strong publication-output component and donor-funded revenue model.
• Seattle Arts & Lectures: Pacific Northwest nonprofit literary organization offering writing workshops, readings, and community programs. Comparable regional nonprofit literary-arts programming model and donor-supported structure.
• 826 Valencia: San Francisco-based nonprofit combining writing tutoring with creative writing workshops for youth and underserved communities. Comparable community-led, donation-supported model that culminates in published student anthologies.
• Free Arts NYC: Nonprofit delivering arts programming (including creative writing) to under-served youth via agency partnerships. Comparable donor-funded, volunteer-facilitated delivery model serving underheard communities.
• Literary Arts (Portland): Portland-based nonprofit literary organization running writing workshops, readings, and community literary programming. Most directly comparable peer: same city, same nonprofit creative-writing-workshop model, with overlapping audience and author networks.

Broad incumbents

• National Writing Project: National nonprofit network of teacher-led writing programs. Comparable teacher/facilitator training model (27-hour cohort training at Write Around parallels NWP's summer institute model) but operates at much larger national scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/writearoundpdx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/write-around-portland
• Instagraminstagram.com/writearoundpdx
• Xx.com/writearoundpdx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Write Around Portland