About
Our Mission
826DC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around our understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.
With this in mind we provide drop-in tutoring, field trips, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications. All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student’s power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in his or her individual voice.
826DC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit corporation based in the District of Columbia. Our tax ID number is 26-2426166.
The Museum of Unnatural History
826DC’s storefront, The Museum of Unnatural History, showcases the rarest of rare and the surrealist of surreal artifacts from times long past. Dedicated unnaturalists and enthusiasts of history (that might not have ever happened) will love perusing the vast collections and museum curios. Be sure to marvel at the museum’s unbelievable animal assortment, featuring everything from weagles to owlephants, and explore, if you dare, the store’s built-in cave (yep – it really has a cave). But we also sell Unicorn Tears, Confused Wood (from the makers of Petrified Wood), Weather Rocks, Wallace’s Primordial Soup, Future Mold, Scorpion Finders, and much more. Come visit.
Our Story
826DC’s programs are modeled after 826 Valencia, the inspiration for the founding of 826 National, which now counts with eight affiliates, including Washington, DC, throughout the United States. 826 National was co-founded by author Dave Eggers and by veteran educator Ninive Calegari, whose experience as a teacher shaped the 826 model.
Our staff and trained volunteers collaborate with teachers to create project-based learning opportunities that are appropriate for their specific classroom needs and educational goals. We have a storehouse of creative and expository writing workshops and projects that we have tailored for wide-ranging classrooms throughout the District.
We also work closely with teachers to design new workshops and long-term projects to suit specific content-areas, special curriculum units, interdisciplinary projects, and after-school programs.
To lend students the one-on-one attention they need to help them thrive as learners, we provide trained tutors for every workshop and project we bring to public schools and community-based organizations in the District.
If you want to learn more about 826DC or are interested in developing a classroom partnership with us, please write us at info@826DC.org. To find out more about 826 locations in other cities, visit the 826 National website.