826 National
Non-profit OrganizationsCalifornia, United States11-50 Employees
826 National is a family of eight nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing. 826 is the largest youth writing network in the country currently serving 35,000 students annually and reaching an additional 23,000 through www.826Digital.com. 826 was founded in 2002 by Dave Eggers and the educator Nínive Calegari. What started as an after-school creative writing program in San Francisco is now an eight-city strong collaboration between centers, educators, and the community, to serve kids in under-resourced communities by celebrating creativity, teaching writing and publishing student stories. Our mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. Each chapter offers drop-in tutoring, field trips, workshops, publishing projects, and in-schools programs — all free of charge — for children, classes, and schools in under-resourced communities. 826 is especially committed to supporting teachers, offering services and resources for English language learners, and publishing all student work. All of 826 National's chapters offer unique retail experiences, as well.