Poets & Writers INC
Supports writers and poets, connects literary communities, and promotes public appreciation of literature. For fiscal year 2025 it reported $4.8M in revenue, $4.5M in expenses, and $8.4M in net assets.Pt I
- Type
- Public charity (501(c)(3)) · Arts & Culture
- Location
- New York, NY
- Website
- www.pw.org
- Filings
- 6 on file (2020–2025)
More identity details & actions ⌄
This section is blank until Poets & Writers INC claims this page.
Know this organization? Claim it to add your story
Summary of the Filing
Where the work happens
Poets & writers is a national arts service organization, providing writers of poetry and literary prose access to content, learning, and community to build and sustain the writing life, and fostering communication throughout the literary community.
The readings & workshops program makes mini-grants to writers who participate in public literary events and provides technical assistance to event organizers. We offer a series of online courses in both the business and craft of writing.
Poets & writers' website, PW.ORG, offers online-only editorial features and a suite of carefully vetted databases of writing contests, literary magazines, small presses, literary agents, mfa programs, review outlets, and more.
Run this program? Claim this org to tell your story
Identity & Classification
Governance & Policies
Officers, Directors & Key Employees
Melissa Gradel’s $221K as Executive Director is at the 89th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3916 $1–10M arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elliot Figmaned Thru 122020 | — | — | — | — | $225,641 | — |
| Elliot Figman | — | — | — | — | — | $224,522 |
| Melissa Gradel | $220,536 | $216,647 | $218,916 | — | — | — |
| Melissa Gradel | — | — | — | $197,821 | $141,159 | $134,956 |
| Kevin Larimer | $158,232 | $153,750 | $145,303 | — | — | — |
| Tia Williams | $144,382 | $135,586 | $132,446 | — | — | — |
| Kevin Larimer | — | — | — | $130,129 | $121,162 | $117,208 |
| Tim O'Sullivan | $119,001 | $115,969 | $114,777 | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
See Poets & Writers INC executive salaries →Are you one of these people? Claim this org to confirm your role
Statement of Revenue
Statement of Functional Expenses
Balance Sheet
Financial Metrics
Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.
| Metric | This org | Peer median | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program ratio | 75% | — | — |
| Overhead ratio | 17% | — | — |
| Fundraising cost ratio | 16% | — | — |
| Revenue growth | 24% | — | — |
| Investment management fee ratio | 0.6% | — | — |
| Accounting fee ratio | 0.8% | — | — |
Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.
Grants
Similar Organizations
Compare
Filings & Schedule Manifest
Want to add your own materials alongside these filings? Claim this org
Sources
Names, privacy, and removal requests More
The names, titles, and compensation shown on this page are reproduced from IRS Form 990 filings, which are public records.
Philanthropy.org does not alter the content of those filings. All information appears exactly as reported by the filing organization for the tax year shown.
We publish only information contained in the public IRS filing — and less than the filing contains. Our profile pages do not display street addresses, telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or other personal contact information, even where the filing includes them.
Many people share the same name. A name shown on this page reflects only what one organization reported in one IRS filing for one tax year. It should not be interpreted as identifying any other individual with the same or a similar name.
If you are no longer affiliated with the organization, your name will generally stop appearing in future IRS filings once the organization no longer reports you. Pages for tax years in which you were reported remain published because those filings remain part of the public record.
Philanthropy.org does not alter or remove IRS filing records. Removing a page from this website would not remove the underlying IRS filing, which remains publicly available from the IRS and other publishers of the same information.
If you believe the IRS filing itself is inaccurate, corrections must be made by the filing organization or the IRS directly.
If you ARE the filing organization, claim this org and add context
Made it to the end? Claim this organization