The Muse Writers Center fosters and celebrates the literary arts throughout the community through high-quality education, networking, and support for aspiring and experienced Writers of all ages, backgrounds, and means; engaging and creative outreach; and diverse and culturally relevant literary events.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
91¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 111 volunteers and 11 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $34K a year · 6% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
91%
of spending
Looks good: 91% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$75K
to officers and key staff · 13% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 13% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
2 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $262K in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Fine: 2.1 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
5
named funders · $394K
Looks good: 5 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$0
0% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 0% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
16
of 16 voting members
Looks good: 16 of 16 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$608K
-0.05% vs prior year
Spent
$600K
To programs
91%
Net assets
$369K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$608K
FY2025-0.05%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$352K
FY2021$595K
FY2022$474K
FY2023$505K
FY2024$608K
FY2025$608K
Expenses
$600K
FY2025▲ +10%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$366K
FY2021$433K
FY2022$478K
FY2023$517K
FY2024$544K
FY2025$600K
Net assets
$369K
FY2025▲ +4%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$115K
FY2021$297K
FY2022$278K
FY2023$276K
FY2024$354K
FY2025$369K

From the FY2025 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Nov 2006.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

91 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 91% · $548K Management & general 9% · $52K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

16 people listed on the 990; $75K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Di
$67,534Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$6,150Pt VII · Sec A
Boardmember
$1,800Pt VII · Sec A
Immediate PA
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Chairperson
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Boardmember
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Michael Khandelwal’s $68K as Executive Di is at the 59th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1613 $100K–1M 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 · 6 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Michael Khandelwal$67,534$55,750$53,290$54,290$56,991$49,273
Diane Fine$6,150$4,135$5,180$2,450$3,770$4,041
Lydia Netzer—————$3,500
Michael Kretz—$3,100————
Luisa Igloria$1,800$1,800$2,010$2,200$2,635$2,550
Kelly Sokol————$2,600$2,280

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 The Muse Writers Center executive salaries →

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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

Promotes literary arts through events, workshops, and outreach to build community awareness and support.

Questions for The Muse Writers Center

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $548K · in their own filed words · FY2025
01

The muse writers center accomplished much in 2025,. We maintained our resource center for local writers, providing space for writers to write and network. We continued to catalog our literary library of more than 4,000 volumes, including a large international poetry collection.

$548Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2024
See all 5 funders →
Grants paid · 4 grants · $16K · 2023–2024
Unitemized GrantFY2024$4,200
Unitemized GrantFY2024$4,000
Unitemized GrantFY2023$5,250
Unitemized GrantFY2023$3,000

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$608K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$482K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$118K
Investment incomeLn 3$7K
Money outPt IX
$600K
Ln 25
Programscol B$548K
Managementcol C$52K
Owns and owesPt X
$369K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$103K
Total assetsLn 16$369K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0
PeoplePt VI, VII
16
listed · VII A
PaidVII A3
Voting boardVI 1a16
IndependentVI 1b16
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$482K
Government grantsLn 1e$105K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$24K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$118K
Investment incomeLn 3$7K
Total revenueLn 12$608K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$103K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$103K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$262K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$1K
Other assetsLn 15$4K
Total assetsLn 16$369K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0
Net assetsLn 32$369K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 511
VolunteersI 6111
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$230K$103K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$117K$262K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$4K$1K
Total assetsLn 16$354K$369K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0$0
Net assetsLn 32$354K$369K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$2K$2K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$75K$50K$25K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$371K$347K$24K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$976$976
Payroll taxesLn 10$25K$25K
Accounting feesLn 11c$1K$1K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$100$100
Advertising and promotionLn 12$626$626
Office expensesLn 13$36K$36K
OccupancyLn 16$54K$52K$2K
TravelLn 17$105$105
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$3K$3K
InsuranceLn 23$3K$3K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$27K$27K
Total functional expensesLn 25$600K$548K$52K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $608K$600K$8K$369K 990 PDF
FY2024 $608K$544K$63K$354K 990 PDF
FY2023 $505K$517K−$12K$276K 990 PDF
FY2022 $474K$478K−$4K$278K 990 PDF
FY2021 $595K$433K$162K$297K 990 PDF
FY2020 $352K$366K−$14K$115K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $607,506 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $494,109$482,082
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $113,648$117,998
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $80$7,426
I-11 Other revenue$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $607,837$607,506
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $8,200$2,450
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $401,190$472,773
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $135,091$124,402
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $544,481$599,625
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $63,356$7,881
Part VI · Governance 16 of 16 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body16
VI-1b Independent voting members16
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $607,506 across 8 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $679 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1b Membership dues$36,403
VIII-1e Government grants$105,025
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$340,654
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$24,390
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$482,082
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $117,319$117,319
VIII-3 Investment incomeRelated to mission $7,426$7,426
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $125,424$607,506
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $599,625 across 14 lines filed
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $2,450$2,450
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $50,484 · Management $25,000$75,484
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $347,403 · Management $23,950$371,353
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $976$976
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $24,960$24,960
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $1,025$1,025
IX-11g Other fees for servicesManagement $100$100
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $626$626
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $35,991$35,991
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $51,752 · Management $1,800$53,552
IX-17 TravelPrograms $105$105
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $2,586$2,586
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $3,172$3,172
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $27,245$27,245
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $547,750 · Management $51,875 · Fundraising $0$599,625
Part X · Balance sheet $369,012 assets, 8 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $229,741$102,795
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $3,652$1,065
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $117,294$261,512
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $3,640$3,640
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $354,327$369,012
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $0$0
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $354,327$369,012
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $354,327$369,012
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $369,012 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$607,506
XI-2 Total expenses$599,625
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$7,881
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$354,327
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$6,805
XI-9 Other changes in net assets−$1
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$369,012

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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