What The Super Power Agency does

The Super Power Agency is a Scottish-registered literacy charity (SC046550) founded in 2016 in Edinburgh, operating programmes that provide free creative writing workshops, summer schools, and publishing opportunities to young people aged 8-18 in schools across Scotland. The organisation runs in-school workshops delivered by trained volunteers and writing facilitators covering primary through secondary year groups, free summer school programmes in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and an in-house publishing operation (Super Power Books) that has produced 72 books of youth writing since inception. It also operates the E.L.E.P.H.A.N.T. remote volunteer editing programme, provides free downloadable teaching resources to educators, and hosts an annual Young Writers/Young Voices showcase event.

The charity's core delivery is volunteer-driven and community-led: approximately 4-5 paid staff coordinate 200+ active volunteers who deliver workshops directly in classrooms, with supplementary community venue partnerships (e.g., Bridgend Farmhouse) and media partnerships (Fest Magazine, The Skinny) supporting programme reach. Its underlying technology infrastructure is minimal — Salesforce for data management and MailChimp for newsletter delivery — with no disclosed digital product, app, or platform. Annual accounts are published on the organisation's website, with the most recent covering financial year 2023-24.

The business model is entirely donation-funded, with no government support and all programmes provided free of charge to schools and young people. Revenue streams comprise charitable donations from individuals, trusts (Robertson Trust, Foundation Scotland), foundations, local government (Edinburgh City Council), corporate partners (Balfour Beattie, Ancestry, Urban Union, Amazon Literary Partnership), and minor secondary income from book sales through the Super Power Books shop and Amazon.

Name

The Super Power Agency

Legal name

Super Power Agency

Website

https://superpoweragency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Super Power Agency is a Scottish-registered literacy charity founded in 2016 that delivers free creative writing workshops, summer schools, and publishing programmes to young people aged 8-18 across 39-55 partner schools in Scotland, supported by 200+ volunteers and donation funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Literacy and Creative Writing Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF)

Keywords

• Creative writing workshops
• Youth literacy programs
• School writing partnerships
• Summer writing schools
• Charity publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable giving: The Super Power Agency operates as a registered charity (SC046550) relying entirely on donations from individuals, trusts, foundations, and corporate partners. All programmes are provided free of charge to schools and young people.
2. Book sales: Publications by young writers are available for purchase through the Super Power Books shop and Amazon, with proceeds supporting the charity's mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Super Power Agency is a Scottish registered charity that delivers free creative writing workshops, summer schools, and publishing programmes to young people aged 8-18 in primary and secondary schools across Edinburgh, Glasgow, and other Scottish regions. The charity also runs a volunteer editing programme (E.L.E.P.H.A.N.T.) and publishes anthologies of youth writing through its in-house imprint, Super Power Books.

Product overview

The Super Power Agency is a literacy charity offering creative writing programmes for young people in Scotland. Its core offering consists of creative writing workshops delivered in schools (P3–S5), free summer schools for ages 8–17 in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and an in-house publishing operation (Super Power Books) that produces anthologies of youth writing. The organisation also runs E.L.E.P.H.A.N.T., a remote volunteer editing programme, provides free teaching resources to educators, and hosts the annual Young Writers/Young Voices showcase event. All programmes are free to participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Writing Workshops
• Summer Schools
• E.L.E.P.H.A.N.T. Volunteer Programme
• Super Power Books
• Young Writers/Young Voices Showcase

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000 young people engaged since 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• 826 National NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Super Power Agency is modelled after 826 National, founded by Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari in San Francisco (2002), which has been replicated in 9 US cities and internationally. Gerald Richards, former CEO of 826 National, helped establish the SPA and served as its CEO.
• Fest MagazineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia partner for the Fringe Reviewing summer school programme where young people's reviews are published.
• The SkinnyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia partner for the Fringe Reviewing programme where young writers' work is published alongside professional journalists.
• Bridgend FarmhouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity venue partner hosting summer writing workshops in Edinburgh.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BookTrust: UK children's reading charity that provides books and resources to children, including programmes in schools. Comparable target audience (children/young people) and educational outcomes focus, though its core model is book distribution rather than creative writing workshops.
• The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth charity supporting disadvantaged young people through education, training, and personal development. Comparable in mission (disadvantaged youth support) and donor base (corporate, foundation, government), though with a much larger portfolio and broader youth focus.
• The Reading Agency: UK charity promoting reading and literacy across all ages through programmes in libraries, schools, and communities. Comparable in its literacy-improvement mission and school-based delivery, though its remit is broader and reading-focused rather than creative writing.
• Children's University: UK charity that provides learning and creative activities outside school hours for children, including creative writing and literacy programmes. Comparable in offering free creative enrichment to school-aged children across the UK.
• National Literacy Trust: UK-wide literacy charity addressing literacy inequality through schools, communities, and campaigns. Comparable as a literacy-focused charity serving disadvantaged young people with creative and educational programmes, though with a much broader national remit.
• Scottish Book Trust: Scotland's national literacy charity running creative writing workshops, author events, and book gifting programmes in schools. Operates a much larger portfolio across Scotland and is a key comparator for school-based creative writing and literacy programmes.

Direct peers

• 826 National: US-based nonprofit network of youth writing and tutoring centres founded by Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari. The Super Power Agency is directly modeled after 826 National, sharing the same creative writing workshop model, publishing output, and volunteer-driven delivery approach.
• Ministry of Stories: London-based charity inspired by 826 National that provides creative writing workshops and mentoring for young people aged 11-18. Closely comparable in mission, 826 lineage, and workshop-based delivery model, and serves as a UK peer in the same niche.

Emerging players

• Shakespeare Schools Foundation: UK charity that works with schools to deliver creative arts and performance-based programmes. Comparable in targeting schools for creative skill-building in young people, though focused on Shakespeare performance rather than creative writing.
• Arts Emergency: UK charity supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds through mentoring in arts and humanities. Comparable in targeting disadvantaged youth with creative skill-building, with overlapping volunteer and mentoring infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/superpoweragency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 The Super Power Agency