The Pencil Box

What The Pencil Box does

The Pencil Box is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (legally Pencil Box, Inc., EIN 46-1149635) that operates the only free school supply store specifically serving teachers in under-resourced schools throughout Tulsa County, Oklahoma. Founded in 2015, the organization enables qualifying teachers to physically "shop" a store-like environment and select essential classroom supplies — pencils, paper, and other basics — at no cost, ensuring that economically disadvantaged students have the tools required for classroom learning. During the current school year, the organization reports serving 25,639 students through 535 active teacher partners, distributing $1.3M in retail value of supplies and accumulating $8.7M in cumulative community impact since inception.

Name

The Pencil Box

Legal name

Pencil Box, Inc.

Website

https://pencilboxtulsa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Pencil Box is a Tulsa County, Oklahoma 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a free school supply store where teachers from under-resourced schools can shop at no cost for classroom essentials. It serves approximately 535 teachers and 25,639 students annually, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulsa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations from Individuals, Businesses, and Foundations: The Pencil Box operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies entirely on donated supplies and financial contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and organizations. No revenue is generated from product sales as all supplies are provided free of charge to qualifying teachers and students.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Pencil Box operates a free physical store in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, where teachers from under-resourced public schools can personally "shop" for essential classroom supplies to distribute to their students at no cost. The organization serves as a donation-based distribution channel, channeling contributed supplies and financial contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and organizations directly to qualifying educators.

Product overview

The Pencil Box operates as a single-service nonprofit organization offering a free school supply store for teachers in Tulsa County. The core offering is a physical and operational free store where qualifying teachers can select and obtain classroom supplies to support underserved students. The organization functions as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 46-1149635), receiving donated supplies and contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and organizations to distribute at no cost.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Pencil Box Free Store A free physical school supply store where teachers from under-resourced Tulsa County public schools can personally "shop" for essential classroom supplies at no cost. The store distributes donated supplies provided by individuals, businesses, foundations, and organizations, with teachers selecting items specifically needed for their classrooms to support their students' learning needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,639 students served in current school year with essential learning tools
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Schoolhouse Supplies: Schoolhouse Supplies operates a free store for public school teachers in Portland, Oregon, allowing teachers to shop for classroom supplies at no cost. It is a near-identical operating model to The Pencil Box, differentiated primarily by geography — making it a strong direct peer for benchmarking.
• AdoptAClassroom: AdoptAClassroom is a national nonprofit that enables donors to directly fund classroom supply purchases for individual teachers across the U.S. It is directly comparable as a teacher-centric supply funding intermediary serving under-resourced classrooms, with a similar donor-to-classroom supply mission.
• Kids In Need Foundation: Kids In Need Foundation is a national nonprofit that distributes free school supplies to students and teachers through a network of Resource Centers and partner teacher stores. It is highly comparable in operating free-store-style supply distribution hubs for under-resourced schools, matching the core operating model of The Pencil Box at greater geographic scale.
• DonorsChoose: DonorsChoose is a national nonprofit crowdfunding platform that lets individuals fund classroom supply requests submitted by public school teachers. It is the closest direct peer because both organizations channel donor contributions into essential school supplies for under-resourced teachers, differing mainly in distribution model (online requests vs. in-person free store).
• Education Fund (Miami): The Education Fund operates in South Florida providing classroom resources and supplies to teachers in high-need schools, including free supply distribution. It is a direct peer in mission and free-distribution operating model, serving a different metro geography from Tulsa.

Broad incumbents

• Baby2Baby: Baby2Baby is a large national nonprofit that distributes diapers, clothing, and basic essentials to children living in poverty. It is a broader-incumbent peer operating at much greater scale in adjacent children's-essentials distribution, with overlapping donor base and supply-chain infrastructure from corporate partners.

Emerging players

• Learn Fresh: Learn Fresh is a nonprofit delivering STEM engagement and educational programming to under-resourced schools. It is an emerging-player peer sharing the under-resourced-school teacher and student beneficiary base, though focused on programming rather than physical supplies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pencilboxtulsa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Pencil Box