For more than 40 years, our organization has gathered to celebrate the power of stories. As we look toward the future, we are honored to share a significant milestone in our journey.
Starting today, the Highlights Foundation is becoming Boyds Mills.
Why Boyds Mills?
This new name embodies our legacy, our history, and the significance of this magical place we have called home for over two decades.
When this organization first started, Highlights, the company, and the Highlights Foundation were so very much entwined. Early Chautauqua workshops were led by Highlights editors, and students at those early workshops often aspired to write for the magazine.
Over the years, our impact on children’s books has grown, as has our faculty, staff, and community. Today, we are a celebrated literary arts nonprofit, specializing in serving storytellers who create the very best for children.
Although we have an enduring legacy with the Highlights company, family, and values—most importantly sharing the belief that children are the world’s most important people—our missions are uniquely positioned. At Highlights, the company delivers high-quality content directly to kids, while at Boyds Mills, our mission is in the care of creatives.
We know that this name change will help us grow into our future as a blossoming literary arts nonprofit.
Hear from George Brown, our Executive Director, about this exciting change:
What Is Changing?
Our name.
The heart of who we are and who we have been remains the same. Our mission, our Executive Director, and our Board of Trustees are the same. Our core values—Excellence, Creativity, Integrity, and Diversity—will continue to guide everything we do.
Our work will continue to flourish through:
- Craft Workshops & Retreats: In-person and online sessions designed to help you create your best work for children.
- Custom & Personal Retreats: Space and time to nurture your individual creativity and collaboration.
- Scholarships & Fellowships: Our ongoing commitment to increasing access and amplifying diverse voices in children’s literature.
As Boyds Mills, we move forward with a renewed commitment to the storytellers who shape our world. While our name has changed, our dedication to excellence and creativity remains our north star.
The best is yet to come, and we’re honored to have you on this journey with us.
About the New Name
If you’d like to learn more about our name change, see our Boyds Mills FAQs.
Why are you changing the name? Why now?
This change reflects the evolution of our organization, and offers clarity about who we are. While we share founding roots with Highlights for Children, we have always been a separate nonprofit with our own mission: to positively impact children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire kids to be their best selves.
Over the years, the “Highlights Foundation” name has both helped and limited us. Many people assume we are the “nonprofit arm” of Highlights or that we give away grants like other foundations. With Highlights for Children launching its own nonprofit in the future (focused on getting their content to more children), brand confusion would only increase.
This moment gives us the opportunity to move forward with a name that is fully our own, and clearly symbolizes who we are and what we do. Rest assured, our mission, our leadership, and our dedication to storytellers remain the same.
Why the name Boyds Mills?
We began the process by asking: What makes our organization, us?
The answer was clear: our mission, our people, and our place.
Boyds Mills is where Highlights for Children began more than 80 years ago, anchored in the belief that “children are the world’s most important people.”
It’s where generations of writers and illustrators who share that belief have brought forth stories that inspire.
It’s our retreat center, where the magic of creating for kids is felt as soon as you turn onto the gravel driveway.
When we searched for a name that captured the magic of our mission, our community, and our roots, we kept returning to Boyds Mills. Nothing else said it better. The name honors our past while embracing our future, and gives us room to grow.
What's staying the same?
Everything except the name. Our mission, our values (excellence, creativity, integrity, diversity), and our commitment to storytellers are still the heart of who we are. Our work will continue through:
- Craft workshops and retreats (online and in-person) the help writers and illustrators create stories for kids
- Custom and personal retreats that nurture creativity and collaboration
- Scholarships and fellowships that increase access to our programming
- Resources and related content, like blog posts on topics like picture book word count, podcasts, and more.
This clarity strengthens rather than shifts our focus on supporting storytellers across their creative journeys.
How are people reacting to this change?
We know that the name “Boyds Mills” holds deep meaning for many. It represents years of friendships formed, skills grown, books written, and confidence built. It’s no surprise that reactions have been mostly postitive, but vary. And that’s ok!
Some say “Terrific, we’re ready to help however we can.” Some feel nostalgic or uncertain (especially at first), but understand our reasons.
We expect slip-ups and stumbles as everyone adjusts, especially early on. But we sincerely hope that the shared love we have for Boyds Mills will transcend, and help us move forward into a new chapter with purpose and excitement.
