Quill.org
 | |
| Formation | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Peter Gault |
| Type | 501(c)(3) non-profit |
| Headquarters | New York City, United States |
| Stephanie Cohen (Cloudflare), Heejae Lim (TalkingPoints), Peter Norvig (Stanford), Matthew Rodriguez (Millennium Management), Tony Sebro (Change.org), Ben Sussman (Pomelo Care), Paul Walker (Goldman Sachs) | |
| Website | quill |
Quill.org is an American nonprofit educational technology organization.
History
[edit]The organization was cofounded by Peter Gault in 2012.[1] Its approach was inspired by "The Writing Revolution", published in The Atlantic by Peg Tyre, which outlined a writing methodology based on sentence-level writing.[2] It first received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2013.[3] Under the name Empirical Resolution Inc., Quill.org received tax-exempt status in 2014.[4] It was part of the 2015 cohort of tech nonprofits in Fast Forward,[1] and also participated in accelerator programs with LearnLaunch and the Edwin Gould Foundation.[5]
In 2018, Quill.org developed writing and assessment tools using artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the Google AI For Social Good Impact Challenge.[1] It initially used predictive artificial intelligence, but later switched to generative artificial intelligence.[6] In 2023, Quill.org and CommonLit launched AIWritingCheck.org, a tool for detecting AI-generated text in student essays.[7][8]
Products
[edit]Quill.org's aim is to support reading, writing, and critical thinking development in grades 3–12.[6] Quill.org has a library of free online activities. Teachers, schools, or school districts must pay for advanced features like detailed student diagnostic reports.[9][10] Its activities are aligned with the Common Core English standards[11] and intended to supplement regular classroom instruction.[6] Its learning tools incorporate AI-based coaching for students.[12][13]
Operations
[edit]Quill.org is designated a 501(c)(3).[4] As of 2024[update], it had received grants of $2.2 million from the Overdeck Family Foundation, nearly $2 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, $1.3 million from Google.org, and $750,000 from the Patrick McGovern Foundation.[1] Quill.org reported revenues of $6.96 million and expenses of $5.2 million in 2024.[4]
The executive director is co-founder Peter Gault.[4] It is headquartered in New York City.[4] Quill.org's Generative AI Playbook outlines its use of AI. Components include a Teacher Advisory Council, which reviews writing prompts, and a group of curriculum developers who evaluate student responses.[6][14]
Usage
[edit]Quill.org saw a significant surge in usage with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns in the United States, with over a million signups in six weeks.[15] As of 2023, it was "one of the top four nonprofit literacy tools in the U.S", having served over 8 million students.[16] A 2025 report by Project Evident stated that Quill serves 10% of schools in the US, including around 3 million students per year, and "providing 40 million hours of free tutoring to date."[6]
Research
[edit]In 2023, a randomized controlled trial conducted by the College Board concluded that secondary students using Quill Connect had improved scores on sentence combination compared to a control group.[17] A 2025 study by Leanlab Education of more than 100,000 students found "meaningful improvements in sentence-level writing skills."[18]
Awards
[edit]- World's Most Innovative Companies, Fast Company, 2018[19]
- Project Innovation winner, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, 2019[20]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Sara Herschander (2024). "The nonprofits leading the A.I. revolution". Chronicle of Philanthropy. Vol. 36, no. 7. pp. 6–13.
- ↑ "How Quill.org is working with educators to leverage AI to improve student writing in the classroom". Siegel Family Endowment. May 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Quill raises $200K to fund web-based writing activities". EdSurge. May 16, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Empirical Resolution Inc". Nonprofit Explorer. ProPublica. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ Tim Newcomb (November 28, 2017). "Quill: How One Online Program Is Using Machine Learning to Help Students Become Better Writers — and Learn From Their Mistakes". The74.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Stephen Rockwell; Sarah Kelley; Sarah Di Troia (September 2025). "Staying ahead of the technology curve: AI technology evolution at Quill.org" (PDF). Project Evident.
- ↑ Brandon Paykamian (February 8, 2023). "Market grows for ed-tech tools that detect AI-generated text". Government Technology – via ProQuest.
- ↑ Kristal Kuykendall (January 31, 2023). "New free tool for teachers can detect ChatGPT-generated student work, nonprofit creators say". Technological Horizons in Education.
- ↑ Ben Schiller (September 7, 2017). "This machine learning-powered software teaches kids to be better writers". Fast Company.
- ↑ Luke Edwards (July 27, 2023). "What is Quill and how can it be used for teaching? Tips and tricks". Tech & Learning.
- ↑ Melody Arabo; Jonathan S. Budd; Shannon Garrison; Tabitha Pacheco (March 2017). Victoria McDougald (ed.). "The right tool for the job: improving reading and writing in the classroom" (PDF). Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
- ↑ Kelly Fitzsimmons (March 12, 2024). "Advancing equitable AI in the US social sector". Stanford Social Innovation Review.
- ↑ "How AI is helping students improve in reading and writing". Today. June 13, 2024.
- ↑ Brandi Vesco (December 6, 2024). "Nonprofit shares pointers for training AI for classroom use". Government Technology.
- ↑ Phil Wainewright (November 6, 2020). "How observability helps Quill in its mission to help kids write better". Diginomica.
- ↑ "How AI is helping students improve reading and writing". Google Public Policy. October 20, 2023.
- ↑ Briana Chang; Rory Lazowski (2023). "Effects of a Quill.org intervention on paragraph revision" (PDF). College Board.
- ↑ Rachel Phillips; Rory Lazowski; Akila Raoul (2025). "Quill.org's impact on student writing skills" (PDF). Leanlab Education.
- ↑ "The world's most innovative companies 2018 honorees by sector". Fast Company. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
- ↑ "Comcast NBCU Foundation Announces 2019 Project Innovation Winners". NBCUniversal. May 10, 2019.