The Poetry Foundation
Historical FunderChicago, Illinois · EIN 36-2490808 · Private foundation · Website
Grants paid (2024)$4.2M
Organizations funded162
Typical grant$20,000
Total assets$313.2M
Half of its grants to organizations were between $6,000 and $30,000.
From the return
How to apply
The foundation filed the following application information (Form 990-PF Part XV, tax year 2024):
| Contact | MICHELLE T BOONE PRESIDENT |
|---|---|
| Address | 61 W SUPERIOR STREET, CHICAGO IL 60654 |
| Phone | 3127998072 |
| GRANTS@POETRYFOUNDATION.ORG | |
| Form and materials | THE FOUNDATION AWARDS GRANTS TO US-BASED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH MULTIPLE INITIATIVES INCLUDING EQUITY IN VERSE AND POETRY PROGRAMS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND INNOVATION. USING A COMPETITIVE APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS, GRANTS ARE AWARDED IN THE FORM OF GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT FOR POETRY-BASED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND IN THE FORM OF PROGRAM SUPPORT FOR POETRY PROGRAMS AT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. |
| Deadlines | GUIDELINES AND DEADLINES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE FND'S WEBSITE AT WWW.POETRYFOUNDATION.ORG/GRANTS |
| Restrictions | CONTACT THE ORGANIZATION |
Copied as filed. Deadlines on a tax return describe the foundation's usual process; they are not confirmation of a current open cycle.
What it funds
Share of grant lines on the latest return, classified from the purpose each grant states.
Where it gives
76% of grants went outside Illinois.
Grants paid in tax year 2024
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid Atlantic Arts | Baltimore, MD | Grant for poetry out loud | $500,000 |
| University of Nebraska Foundation | Lincoln, NE | Special projects and opportunities grant for african poetry book fund at the university of nebraska | $106,122 |
| Community of Literary Magazines and Presses | New York, NY | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $60,000 |
| Cave Canem | Brooklyn, NY | Equity in verse grant | $55,000 |
| Board of Trustees at Illinois State University | Normal, IL | Equity in verse grant for obsidian: literature & arts in the african diaspora | $50,000 |
| Community Literature Initiative | Los Angeles, CA | Equity in verse grant | $50,000 |
| Ideas Xlab | Louisville, KY | Special opportunities grant | $50,000 |
| Poetry Center of Chicago | Chicago, IL | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $50,000 |
| Poets House Inc | New York, NY | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $50,000 |
| Third World Press Foundation Inc | Chicago, IL | Equity in verse grant | $50,000 |
| Woodland Pattern Inc | Milwaukee, WI | Equity in verse grant for in-na-po, indigenous nations poets | $50,000 |
| Taller Comunidad LA Goyco Inc | San Juan, PR | Equity in verse grant | $45,000 |
| Woodland Pattern Inc | Milwaukee, WI | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $45,000 |
| Young Chicago Authors | Chicago, IL | Equity in verse grant | $45,000 |
| Academy of American Poets Inc | New York, NY | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $40,000 |
| Cardboard House Press | Providence, RI | Equity in verse grant | $40,000 |
| Citylit Project Inc | Baltimore, MD | Equity in verse grant | $40,000 |
| Guild Complex | Chicago, IL | Equity in verse grant | $40,000 |
| James Madison University Foundation | Harrisonburg, VA | Equity in verse grant for furious flower poetry center | $40,000 |
| Kuumba Lynx | Chicago, IL | Equity in verse grant | $40,000 |
| Mass Poetry | Boston, MA | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $40,000 |
| Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop | Minneapolis, MN | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $40,000 |
| Noemi Press | Tucson, AZ | Equity in verse grant | $40,000 |
| O Miami Inc | Miami, FL | Equity in verse grant | $40,000 |
| Poetic Justice Incorporated | Tulsa, OK | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $40,000 |
| Radical Reversal | Bloomfield, NJ | Equity in verse grant | $40,000 |
| Split This Rock | Washington, DC | Equity in verse grant | $40,000 |
| Torch Literary Arts | Austin, TX | Equity in verse grant | $40,000 |
| Youth Speaks Inc | San Francisco, CA | Equity in verse grant | $40,000 |
| Bamboo Ridge Press | Honolulu, HI | Equity in verse grant | $35,000 |
| Letras Latinas at University of Notre Dames Institute for Latino Studies | Notre Dame, IN | Equity in verse grant | $35,000 |
| O Miami Inc | Miami, FL | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $35,000 |
| Reading Between the Lines | Chicago, IL | Equity in verse grant | $35,000 |
| The Care Center | Holyoke, MA | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $35,000 |
| Words of the People | Tulsa, OK | Equity in verse grant | $35,000 |
| World Poetry Books | New York, NY | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $35,000 |
| Alice James Poetry Cooperative Inc | New Gloucester, ME | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $30,000 |
| American Poetry Museum | Washington, DC | Equity in verse grant | $30,000 |
| Contextos NFP | Chicago, IL | Equity in verse grant | $30,000 |
| Hub City Writers Project | Spartanburg, SC | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $30,000 |
| Insideout Literary Arts | Detroit, MI | Equity in verse grant | $30,000 |
| Nightboat Books Inc | Brooklyn, NY | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $30,000 |
| Street Poets Inc | Los Angeles, CA | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $30,000 |
| Teachers and Writers Collaborative | New York, NY | Equity in verse grant | $30,000 |
| The Beautiful Project | Durham, NC | Equity in verse grant | $30,000 |
| Words Beats and Life Inc | Washington, DC | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $30,000 |
| Bronzeville Black Chicagoan Historical Society | Chicago, IL | Special projects and opportunities grant | $26,000 |
| Alegria Bilingual Bookstores & Arts Collective Corp | Pacific Palisades, CA | Equity in verse grant | $25,000 |
| American Writers Museum | Chicago, IL | Special projects and opportunities grant | $25,000 |
| Burst Into Books | Chicago, IL | Equity in verse grant | $25,000 |
| Chicago Theatre Group | Chicago, IL | Special projects and opportunities grant | $25,000 |
| Community Partners | Los Angeles, CA | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant for writegirl | $25,000 |
| Grantmakers in the Arts | Bronx, NY | Special projects and opportunities grant | $25,000 |
| Lugar Comun Inc | Miami Beach, FL | Equity in verse grant | $25,000 |
| Macdowell | Peterborough, NH | Special opportunities grant | $25,000 |
| Make Literary Productions NFP | Chicago, IL | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $25,000 |
| National Book Foundation Inc | New York, NY | Special opportunities grant | $25,000 |
| National Poetry Series Inc | Princeton, NJ | Poetry programs, partnerships and innovation grant | $25,000 |
| Pen America | New York, NY | Special opportunities grant | $25,000 |
| Resilience Partners NFP | Chicago, IL | Equity in verse grant for stomping grounds literary arts initiative | $25,000 |
Showing the 60 largest of 162 grants to organizations.
The return also lists 17 grants to individuals ($423,204). We do not publish the names of individual recipients.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants paid | Grant lines |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,207,326 | 179 |
| 2023 | $3,524,622 | 163 |
Sources
- IRS Form 990-PF, tax year 2024, filed Nov 10, 2025 - IRS e-file batch, object ID 202543149349102334
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 36-2490808
- Profile updated Nov 5, 2026
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.