Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Oct 1997.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
52 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
13 people listed on the 990; $260K paid to officers and key staff.
Elisha Willis’s $148K as Executive Director is at the 63rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 3394 $1–10M education 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 · 5 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elisha Willis | $148,479 | $159,934 | $121,617 | $82,287 | $24,473 |
| Dante Micheaux | $106,412 | $100,338 | — | — | — |
| Ann Marie Lonsdale | — | — | — | — | $58,273 |
| Sandra Bowie | — | — | — | — | $29,100 |
| Toi Derricotte | — | — | $1,000 | — | — |
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 Cave Canem Foundation INC executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Nurtures Black poets' growth and promotes appreciation for their voices.
Questions for Cave Canem Foundation INC
Your first name shows with your question. Cave Canem Foundation INC answers here, for everyone.
All other accomplishments annual retreat consists of a week-long flagship writing retreat providing black poets the opportunity to learn and write alongside peers and world-class faculty at the university of pittsburgh at greenburg, pa. Prizes extend an avenue to the publishing sector for black poets.
Readings are hosted virtually and in venues across new york city. Four reading series feature recent publications (new works), debut collections (first books), talks with preeminent poets (in conversation), an annual symposium (legacy series), and more.
Regional workshops across the U.S. Provide emerging adult poets a rare opportunity to receive rigorous instruction with accomplished poets.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2023 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY23 | End FY23 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $824K | $198K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $7K | $333K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $20K | $62K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $1.3M | $1.2M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $112K | $107K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $1.2M | $1.1M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $76K | $76K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $260K | $122K | $90K | $48K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $360K | $203K | $105K | $51K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $101K | $42K | $23K | $36K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $45K | $24K | $14K | $7K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $90K | $0 | $90K | $0 |
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $578 | $0 | $578 | $0 |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $572K | $306K | $150K | $116K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $22K | $2K | $17K | $3K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $49K | $26K | $11K | $12K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $32K | $14K | $10K | $8K |
| TravelLn 17 | $39K | $32K | $8K | $0 |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $15K | $7K | $3K | $5K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $9K | $5K | $2K | $3K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $156K | $105K | $27K | $25K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $23K | $7K | $10K | $5K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.9M | $970K | $561K | $319K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 LatestFiled with the IRS Nov 13, 2025 | $5.1M | $2.2M | $2.9M | $4.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 13, 2024 | $1.7M | $1.9M | −$106K | $1.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Oct 3, 2023 | $1.8M | $1.2M | $608K | $1.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Nov 3, 2022 | $722K | $779K | −$57K | $615K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Oct 5, 2021 | $764K | $580K | $184K | $672K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,744,839 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 11 of 11 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,744,839 across 7 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,850,542 across 16 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $1,236,470 assets, 16 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,129,420 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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