Poets in Need FY2023 filing

Tax-deductible

Berkeley, CA501(c)(3)Foundations & GrantmakersEIN 94-3389583Revenue $50K in FY2023

On file with the IRSpoetsinneed.comPo Box 5411, 94705-0411 · Berkeley, CATax-exempt since Apr 2001Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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Provide emergency assistance to Poets who have an established presence in the literary community as innovators in the field and a substantive body of published work. Assistance is given only in cases of current financial Need that is in excess of the poet's normal situation.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
94¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX

Before you give

FY2023 · 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
2 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $16K a year · 34% of revenue · last 6 filings
Concern: a surplus in 2 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
94%
of spending
Looks good: 94% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Cash reserves
109 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 108.7 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $5K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
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
6
of 6 voting members
Looks good: 6 of 6 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$50K
+139% vs prior year
Spent
$69K
To programs
94%
Net assets
$633K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$50K
FY2023▲ +139%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$47K
FY2021$122K
FY2022$21K
FY2023$50K
FY2024$25K
FY2025$25K
Expenses
$69K
FY2023▲ +28%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$44K
FY2021$67K
FY2022$54K
FY2023$69K
FY2024$105K
FY2025$47K
Net assets
$633K
FY2023▼ -3%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$636K
FY2021$686K
FY2022$652K
FY2023$633K
FY2024$553K
FY2025$530K

From the FY2023 Form 990 · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2023 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

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

94 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 94% · $65K Management & general 6% · $4K

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.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A

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

NameFY2022FY2021FY2020
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

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $65K · in their own filed words · FY2023
01

In 2023 poets in need provided emergency financial aid to 17 contemporary poets. The total amount of these grants was 65,250. The size of the grants depended on the need of the applicant. Poets in need received donations from 74 individuals and organizations.

$65Kprogram 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
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$5K
Grants paid · 6 grants · $347K · 2020–2025
Unitemized GrantFY2025$42,400
Unitemized GrantFY2024$98,800
Unitemized GrantFY2023$65,250
Unitemized GrantFY2022$46,000
Unitemized GrantFY2021$58,500
Unitemized GrantFY2020$36,250

By the numbers

The FY2023 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$50K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$49K
Investment incomeLn 3$953
Money outPt IX
$69K
Ln 25
Programscol B$65K
Managementcol C$4K
Owns and owesPt X
$633K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$628K
Total assetsLn 16$633K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0
PeoplePt VI, VII
3
listed · VII A
PaidVII A0
Voting boardVI 1a6
IndependentVI 1b6
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$49K
Investment incomeLn 3$953
Total revenueLn 12$50K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$10K
SavingsLn 2$618K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$628K
Total assetsLn 16$633K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0
Net assetsLn 32$633K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 50
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aNo
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY23End FY23
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$652K$628K
Total assetsLn 16$652K$633K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0$0
Net assetsLn 32$652K$633K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$65K$65K
Accounting feesLn 11c$3K$3K
Office expensesLn 13$693$693
Total functional expensesLn 25$69K$65K$4K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $25K$47K−$23K$530K 990 PDF
FY2024 $25K$105K−$80K$553K 990 PDF
FY2023 Viewing $50K$69K−$19K$633K 990 PDF
FY2022 $21K$54K−$33K$652K 990 PDF
FY2021 $122K$67K$55K$686K 990 PDF
FY2020 $47K$44K$4K$636K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $49,921 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $20,688$48,968
I-9 Program service revenue$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $173$953
I-11 Other revenue$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $20,861$49,921
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $46,000$65,250
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $6,000$0
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $2,270$4,081
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $54,270$69,331
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$33,409−$19,410
Part VI · Governance 6 of 6 board members independent, 4 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body6
VI-1b Independent voting members6
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyNo
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $49,921 across 4 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$48,968
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$48,968
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $953$953
VIII-12 Total revenueExcluded from tax $953$49,921
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $69,331 across 3 lines filed
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $65,250$65,250
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $3,388$3,388
IX-13 Office expensesManagement $693$693
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $65,250 · Management $4,081 · Fundraising $0$69,331
Part X · Balance sheet $632,848 assets, 8 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $15,442$10,080
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $636,816$617,768
X-4 Accounts receivable$5,000
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $652,258$632,848
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $0$0
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $652,258$632,848
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $652,258$632,848
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $652,258$632,848
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $632,848 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$49,921
XI-2 Total expenses$69,331
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$19,410
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$652,258
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$632,848

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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