Founded in 2002 in San Francisco, California, 826 is a nonprofit that runs eight writing and tutoring centers for students aged 6-18 nationwide. Each writing and tutoring center provides after-school tutoring at least four days a week, writing workshops to spark students’ interest in the subject, scholarships to helped under-privileged children gain access to a college education, and a variety of other initiatives to help the most at-risk youth further their educational endeavors. 

With centers in some of the biggest cities in the U.S., including Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and New York, 826 promotes creativity among both students and teachers to spark interest in reading and writing and improve test scores for under-sourced youth. Though the focus of the organization is on creative writing, students seeking after-school help can be tutored in any subject, including math and science. The centers also host field trips, where students craft stories that are shared amongst the group and made into books which they can take home and show off to family and friends. 826 volunteers are also made available to schools seeking assistance for extra-curricular writing programs, such as a school newspaper or yearbook.

In the 2011-12 school year alone, 826 served more than 31,000 students and 900 teachers, hosted more than 350 writing workshops, facilitated more than 750 field trips for 364 schools, and supported 180 in-school projects. Teachers and students alike are grateful for the program, and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. 

For more information, visit: http://826national.org/