STORY PLANET
Story Planet is a Toronto-based registered charity that delivers free arts-based creative writing workshops to children aged 8-14 in equity-deserving communities, publishing their work in anthologies and a podcast, and operating the Alien Art Market storefront on Bathurst Street.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What STORY PLANET does
Story Planet is a Toronto-based registered charity (#827252057) founded in 2009 by children's media producer Liz Haines. The organization delivers free arts-based creative writing workshops to children and youth, primarily aged 8-14, in equity-deserving communities of Toronto, including Scarborough, Jane and Finch, and Regent Park. It operates as an official service provider of the Toronto District School Board, delivering 100+ free school workshops annually across programs such as WorldMaker, ComicMaker, Young Authors, StoryMaker, Story Tour, and 360° Stories, alongside fee-based after-school HIVE workshops ($220 for six sessions) and free summer camps. The Connected North partnership extends ComicMaker workshops virtually to remote Indigenous communities across Canada.
The organization's product surface comprises a curriculum of multi-session workshop programs, published anthologies of student work (150+ young authors published since 2018), the Story Planet Podcast, and a physical storefront called the Alien Art Market at 986 Bathurst Street selling student-created books and merchandise. There is no proprietary technology platform; delivery is human-led by professional writers, illustrators, and artists (including award-winning children's author Hilary Leung and Iowa Writers' Workshop-trained Lisa Srisuro). Outputs — published books, podcasts, and public showcases — function as both proof of impact and reputational assets.
Revenue is derived primarily from foundation and government grants (Ontario Trillium Foundation, St. Andrew's Charitable Foundation, The Auxilium Foundation, City of Toronto, Canada Healthy Communities Initiative) and individual donations (including securities and planned giving via Benevity), supplemented by modest merchandise sales and HIVE workshop fees. The organization partners with The Reading Partnership (360° Stories), the National Ballet of Canada (Story Dance), York University, Children's Book Bank, and a national network of Canadian Youth Writing Centres spanning Victoria to Halifax. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors with members drawn from TD, Northleaf, YouTube, Marsh, and Generate Canada.
STORY PLANET firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- STORY PLANET
- Legal name
- Story Planet
- Website
- https://storyplanet.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Story Planet is a Toronto-based registered charity that delivers free arts-based creative writing workshops to children aged 8-14 in equity-deserving communities, publishing their work in anthologies and a podcast, and operating the Alien Art Market storefront on Bathurst Street.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
STORY PLANET industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Arts Education
- NAICS
- All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel) (EDAMAMAA), Writing Craft & Technique Workshops (Voice, Structure, Character, Style) (EDAMAMAH), Writing, Journalism & Publishing Camps (EDAMALAM)
Keywords
Where STORY PLANET is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
STORY PLANET business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Gifts: Story Planet operates as a registered charity (Charitable # 827252057) relying on donations from individuals, corporate matching gift programs, and payroll deductions through Benevity.
- Merchandise Sales: The Alien Art Market storefront sells published books created by students and branded merchandise including the Intergalactic Bestiary book at $12.00.
- Workshop Fees: Some programs such as HIVE after-school workshops charge fees ($220 for 6 sessions) while school programs remain free to participants.
- Foundation and Government Grants: Funded by foundations including St. Andrew's Charitable Foundation, The Auxilium Foundation, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ecclesiastical Insurance, and government bodies including Toronto City Council and Canada Healthy Communities Initiative.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | School Programs - Free |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | HIVE After-School Workshop |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bestiary Book |
| Other | Monthly | Monthly Donation Tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
STORY PLANET product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Story Planet delivers free arts-based creative writing workshops and programs for children and youth, primarily delivered in Toronto District School Board schools in equity-deserving communities. Programs include in-school workshops (WorldMaker, ComicMaker, Young Authors, StoryMaker, Story Tour, 360° Stories), paid after-school HIVE workshops, free summer camps, and a publishing pipeline producing student-authored books and anthologies. Programs are facilitated by professional writers, illustrators, and artists.
Product overview
Story Planet is a non-profit organization that operates as a platform of creative writing programs for children in Toronto's equity-deserving communities. The offering consists of multiple workshop programs (WorldMaker, ComicMaker, Young Authors, StoryMaker, Story Tour, 360° Stories) delivered in schools, after-school settings (HIVE), and summer camps. These programs are complemented by published outputs including the Story Planet Podcast and anthologies of student work. The programs are led by professional writers and artists and focus on building creativity, confidence, and literacy through storytelling, comics, and world-building activities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Alien Art Market: A storefront on Bathurst Street where Story Planet works, hosts public programs, and sells books and gifts.
- Intergalactic Travel Authority
Products and services
- WorldMaker
Quantifiable outcome
- 100+ free workshops delivered annually to schools
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use STORY PLANET
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
STORY PLANET technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
STORY PLANET partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.
- National Ballet of Canada (YOU Dance)flagshipStory Dance collaboration where students wrote songs and poetry with Story Planet facilitators, then choreographed by the Ballet's Senior Teaching Artist for performance at York University. Featured on CTV News.
- Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF)minorFor the second year, Story Planet oversaw kids' programming at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, lining up authors and illustrators to share craft with aspiring young comic-makers.
- Toronto District School Board (TDSB)coreStory Planet is an official service provider of the TDSB, allowing them to work with amazing students and teachers every day through free creative writing workshops.
- The Children's Book Bank Jane & FinchcoreConnects families with free books and a love of reading. From their welcoming space at Yorkgate Mall, Story Planet runs after-school and summer programs for kids and teens—meeting young people during critical gaps when learning and creativity need the most support.
- Connected NorthcoreConnected North connects schools in remote Indigenous communities with free programming via satellite. Story Planet delivers ComicMaker workshops to students in communities lacking stable internet access, nearly 2,000 kilometres away.
- The Reading PartnershipcoreDelivers the 360° Stories program together, giving writers aged 9-12 the skills and professional mentorship to become published authors. Since 2018, they've published more than 150 young authors.
- Canadian Youth Writing CentresminorStory Planet is partnering with youth writing centres from Victoria to Halifax: Alexandra Writers (Calgary), Story Studio (Victoria), Writers Exchange (Vancouver), Monster House (New Brunswick), and United for Literacy (Halifax). Collaborating on online programs bringing young writers together across Canada.
- Singing Our Stories (York University)minorYork University project celebrating newcomer youth, partnering with Story Planet to bring children and teens from African countries together around food and storytelling—cooking, writing, and publishing a cookbook.
- CJRU Radio (Toronto Metropolitan University)minorRadio station of Toronto Metropolitan University that supports the Story Planet Podcast project.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
STORY PLANET competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DreamYard Project: Bronx-based arts education nonprofit running in-school and after-school creative writing, poetry, visual art, and publishing programs for youth in under-resourced communities; comparable mission, delivery model, and equity framing to Story Planet.
- Writers in the Schools (WITS): Houston-based nonprofit that sends professional writers into K-12 classrooms to lead creative writing workshops and publishes student work, with an explicit equity and access mission — closely aligned with Story Planet's TDSB in-school delivery and equity-deserving communities focus.
- 826 National: 826 National is the US umbrella for a network of nonprofit creative writing and tutoring centers (e.g., 826 Valencia, 826NYC) that deliver free writing workshops to students ages 6–18 in schools and after-school settings, publishing student-authored books — the closest international analogue to Story Planet's model.
- InsideOut Literary Arts Project: Detroit-based nonprofit that places professional writers in schools to teach creative writing to youth, publishes student anthologies, and runs citywide literacy programming — directly comparable to Story Planet's in-school workshop + student publishing model.
- The 52nd Street Project: NYC nonprofit that pairs professional artists and writers with neighbourhood youth to create original published work and performances; comparable professional-mentor-led, equity-focused youth creative-writing model.
- Writers' Exchange: Vancouver-based nonprofit providing free one-on-one writing support and group programs for inner-city and Indigenous youth; listed by Story Planet as a Canadian Youth Writing Centres partner, sharing the youth-focused creative writing mission.
- Story Studio Writing Centre: Victoria, BC–based nonprofit running creative writing programs for youth and adults, including school workshops and summer camps; Story Planet lists Story Studio as a partner in the Canadian Youth Writing Centres network, and the two share a workshop + publishing model.
- The Reading Partnership: Toronto-area nonprofit literacy organization that co-runs Story Planet's 360° Stories program; focuses on literacy intervention and student publishing for children in priority communities, making it both a strategic partner and the closest operational peer in the Toronto market.
Broad incumbents
- DreamBox Learning: Established education technology company delivering adaptive supplemental learning in schools at scale; relevant as a broad incumbent in school-delivered supplemental enrichment, contrasting Story Planet's in-person workshop approach.
- Facing History and Ourselves: Well-established nonprofit providing supplemental curriculum, professional development, and storytelling resources for K-12 educators focused on equity and civic education; a broader, more institutionalized peer in school-delivered equity-focused enrichment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
STORY PLANET social profiles
Digital presenceSTORY PLANET financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
STORY PLANET leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles21 records
STORY PLANET funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
STORY PLANET M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about STORY PLANET
What does STORY PLANET do?
Story Planet delivers free arts-based creative writing workshops and programs for children and youth, primarily delivered in Toronto District School Board schools in equity-deserving communities. Programs include in-school workshops (WorldMaker, ComicMaker, Young Authors, StoryMaker, Story Tour, 360° Stories), paid after-school HIVE workshops, free summer camps, and a publishing pipeline producing student-authored books and anthologies. Programs are facilitated by professional writers, illustrators, and artists.
Is STORY PLANET a public or private company?
STORY PLANET is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was STORY PLANET founded?
STORY PLANET was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is STORY PLANET based?
STORY PLANET is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does STORY PLANET make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Gifts are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales, workshop Fees and foundation and Government Grants.
Who are STORY PLANET's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DreamYard Project, Writers in the Schools (WITS), 826 National, InsideOut Literary Arts Project, The 52nd Street Project, Writers' Exchange, Story Studio Writing Centre and The Reading Partnership. Broad incumbents are DreamBox Learning and Facing History and Ourselves.
Does STORY PLANET have an API?
No public API is recorded for STORY PLANET.
What industry is STORY PLANET in?
STORY PLANET's product category is Youth Arts Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAMAF, Children’s & YA Writing Workshops, with a secondary code of EDAMAMAA, Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel). Its NAICS code is 61169 and its SIC code is 2731.