Crayons to Computers

What Crayons to Computers does

Crayons and Beyond (formerly Crayons to Computers) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 31-1507076) founded in 1997 and headquartered at 1350 Tennessee Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio. The organization operates a Teacher Resource Center that provides K-12 teachers in Greater Cincinnati with free or low-cost access to school supplies and educational materials for their classrooms. Its primary user base is regional teachers, with downstream beneficiaries being K-12 students — particularly underserved and foster children — served through partner school districts such as Mt. Healthy City Schools and Rees E. Price Academy.

The product surface combines a physical Teacher Resource Center (Tuesdays–Thursdays 2:30–6:30 PM and twice-monthly Saturdays) with online ordering for pickup and a direct-to-school delivery channel. Programmatic offerings include Hubbard's Cupboard (food and hygiene items added in 2022), Keep Our Kids Warm, Backpacks & Beyond, Forever Crayons, Push 4 Pencils, Crafts with Conviction, the Preschool Program, and Teachers' Lounge workshops. No proprietary technology is disclosed; the public website runs on Squarespace and the storefront is hosted via TeachersFreeStore.com. The organization is not a technology business and does not describe any AI or automation capabilities.

The revenue model is mission-funded: donations and grants from individuals and local foundations form the principal stream, supplemented by an annual teacher access fee that grants shopping rights at the Teacher Resource Center. A $6.1 million comprehensive campaign titled 'Level the Education Playing Field' is underway to roughly double students and teachers served by the 2030-2031 school year, with early foundation and individual contributions already at approximately 77% of goal. The organization holds a Four-Star Charity Navigator rating and a 2025 Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid/GuideStar, and is governed by a board of directors with Kirstin Eismin-Henry set to assume the President & CEO role effective July 6, 2026.

Name

Crayons to Computers

Legal name

Crayons and Beyond

Website

https://crayons2computers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crayons and Beyond (formerly Crayons to Computers) is a Cincinnati-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a Teacher Resource Center that supplies free or low-cost school materials to Greater Cincinnati K-12 teachers and their students, funded by donations, foundation grants, and a teacher access fee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Kids’ Book & Learning Materials Organization (HSAFAIAF)

Keywords

• School supply assistance
• Teacher resource center
• Educational nonprofit
• Classroom supply distribution
• Student support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and community supporters. They operate a comprehensive campaign ($6.1 million goal) to expand services.
2. Teacher Access Fees: Teachers pay an access fee to shop at the Teacher Resource Center and access supplies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Crayons and Beyond (formerly Crayons to Computers) operates a free Teacher Resource Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing K-12 teachers with access to school supplies, craft materials, and since 2022, food and hygiene items through the Hubbard's Cupboard program. Teachers pay a small annual access fee to shop in-store or place orders online for pickup or school-site delivery, with the goal of equipping classrooms and removing financial barriers for underserved students. The organization sustains these offerings primarily through donations, foundation grants, and a $6.1 million comprehensive campaign.

Product overview

Crayons and Beyond (formerly Crayons to Computers) is a nonprofit organization operating as a free store for teachers in the Greater Cincinnati area since 1997. The organization provides school supplies and educational materials to teachers at no cost, and has expanded beyond its original offering to include food and hygiene items, online ordering systems, and various community programs. The core product is the Teacher Resource Center which serves as the physical and digital storefront, supplemented by programs including Hubbard's Cupboard (food/hygiene supplies), Backpacks & Beyond, Forever Crayons, Push 4 Pencils, and Teachers' Lounge workshops. The organization offers both in-store shopping and online ordering with pickup or delivery options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teacher Resource Center A physical resource center at 1350 Tennessee Avenue, Cincinnati (store hours TUE–THU 2:30PM–6:30PM, 2nd & 4th Saturdays 9AM–1PM) that gives K-12 teachers in Greater Cincinnati access to free or low-cost school supplies, craft materials, and educational resources for their classrooms. Teachers pay an annual access fee to shop.
• Online Ordering for Pickup An online ordering service allowing teachers to place orders through the Crayons and Beyond platform and pick up supplies at the Teacher Resource Center location in Cincinnati. Targeted at Greater Cincinnati K-12 teachers who cannot shop in-store during operating hours.
• Online Ordering for Delivery An online ordering service that delivers school supplies from Crayons and Beyond directly to teachers at their schools across Greater Cincinnati, expanding access beyond the physical storefront and in-store shopping hours.
• Teachers' Lounge Workshops Workshops for Greater Cincinnati K-12 teachers that supplement the supply-distribution mission with professional and community programming.
• Hubbard's Cupboard A program added in 2022 that distributes food and hygiene items alongside school supplies to K-12 teachers and students in Greater Cincinnati, addressing food and hygiene insecurity beyond traditional classroom materials.
• Crafts with Conviction A program offering craft supplies and related services to teachers and students in the Greater Cincinnati area, extending the organization's creative-materials offering beyond the core Teacher Resource Center.
• Preschool Program A program serving preschool-aged children with educational supplies and resources in the Greater Cincinnati area.
• Keep Our Kids Warm A program providing warm clothing and supplies to children in need across Greater Cincinnati through partner schools and teachers.
• Backpacks & Beyond A program providing backpacks and related school supplies to K-12 students in Greater Cincinnati.
• Forever Crayons A program tied to crayons and long-term educational supply initiatives for Greater Cincinnati teachers and students.
• Push 4 Pencils A campaign and program focused on providing pencils and basic writing supplies to K-12 students in Greater Cincinnati.
• Community Programs General community outreach programs of Crayons and Beyond supporting local educational needs across Greater Cincinnati.

Quantifiable outcome

• Campaign aims to double the number of students and teachers served by 2030-2031 school year

Named customers2 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

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kids In Need Foundation: National 501(c)(3) that provides free school supplies to students and teachers in underserved communities through a network of affiliate Teacher Resource Centers. Operates the same core free-store-for-teachers model that Crayons pioneered, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Schoolhouse Supplies: Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit operating a free store for teachers that distributes donated school supplies. Closely mirrors Crayons' Teacher Resource Center model, including teacher access-fee structure and in-store shopping experience.
• DonorsChoose: National nonprofit platform that connects individual teachers with donors to fund specific classroom supply and project requests. Competes for the same donor dollars and addresses the same unmet classroom-supply need, but via a marketplace model rather than a physical store.
• AdoptAClassroom.org: National nonprofit that empowers donors to directly fund classroom supply budgets for individual teachers. Solves the same teacher-funding-supplies problem as Crayons but through a digital, classroom-sponsorship model rather than donated physical goods.
• Teachers' Treasures: Indianapolis-based nonprofit free store for teachers providing school supplies at no cost. Operates the same teacher-membership free-store concept as Crayons, including a physical resource center and teacher-paid access model.

Emerging players

• Pencils of Promise: International nonprofit that builds schools and funds education programs in developing countries, with supply components. Adjacent mission overlap on school-supply access for underserved students, but operates a different geography (international) and primary focus (school construction).
• Baby2Baby: National nonprofit distributing basic necessities including school supplies, clothing, and hygiene items to children in need. Overlaps with Crayons' Hubbard's Cupboard and Keep Our Kids Warm programs, but with a much broader child-welfare scope and a national footprint.

Others

• United Way of Greater Cincinnati: Regional funder and convener of Greater Cincinnati nonprofits; an active partner and potential funding source for Crayons rather than a direct competitor. Useful as ecosystem context for the local nonprofit funding landscape.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/C2CCincinnati

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Crayons to Computers