Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Apr 2001.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
87 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
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
3 people listed on the 990; $6K paid to officers and key staff.
Michael Rothenberg’s $6K as President- D is at the 29th percentile of top reported officer pay among 133 <$100K philanthropy & grantmaking 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 · 1 named individual · Part VII
| Name | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Rothenberg | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
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.
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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 15aNo
Programs and updates
Helps established, published poets facing unexpected financial hardship.
Questions for Poets in Need
Your first name shows with your question. Poets in Need answers here, for everyone.
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In 2021 poets in need provided emergency financial aid to 17 contemporary poets. The total amount of these grants was 58,500. The size of the grants depended on the need of the applicant. Poets in need received donations from 29 individuals and organizations.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $636K | $686K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $636K | $686K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $636K | $686K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $58K | $58K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $6K | $6K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $2K | $2K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $869 | $58 | $811 | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $67K | $59K | $9K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $25K | $47K | −$23K | $530K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $25K | $105K | −$80K | $553K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $50K | $69K | −$19K | $633K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $21K | $54K | −$33K | $652K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 Viewing | $122K | $67K | $55K | $686K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $47K | $44K | $4K | $636K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $122,236 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 5 of 5 board members independent, 4 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $122,236 across 4 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $67,385 across 4 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $685,667 assets, 7 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $685,667 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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