Poetry Foundation Announces New Strategic Plan to Serve as Roadmap

CHICAGO, IL, August 25, 2022 – The Poetry Foundation is proud to introduce its new Strategic Plan, a three-year plan designed to address the immediate needs of the Foundation and lay the groundwork for the road ahead. Since June 2020, the Foundation has been actively evolving into a more transparent and antiracist organization that better reflects, respects, and represents the poetry ecosystem; part of that process was the development of this strategic plan, the Foundation’s first since 2006. 

The Foundation partnered with Lord Cultural Resources, a global practice leader in cultural sector planning, to assist in its strategic planning process. In addition to gathering insights from Foundation staff, a key aspect of this process was the Audience Perception Survey which provided invaluable insights from the public on how people in the literary world perceive the Foundation and how they think it can grow.

Strategic Plan Highlights
One main focus of the Strategic Plan was to adopt sharing as a central value of the organization. As a result, Poetry Foundation board, president, and staff collaboratively participated in this months-long process designed to underline the principles reflecting diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and commitment to anti-racism in all forms. The process entailed revisiting the mission and vision, crafting core values, setting impactful goals and developing measurable objectives. 

Here are the new organizational statements to ensure that the values and ethos of the Poetry Foundation are in sync with its current trajectory.

• Mission
  The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. We work to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry.
   
• Vision
  The Poetry Foundation supports poetry in all its diversity. We envision a world where poetry is vital to building a better future for everyone.
   
• Values
  • Sharing + Collaboration: We build community in collaboration with poets, arts and cultural communities, and current and future audiences.
  • Equity + Access: We create inclusive spaces for poets to share their work with a growing, engaged community. We center the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in programming, publishing, grantmaking, and internal operations.
  • Innovation + Growth: We support innovation in poetry: in print, digital, and performance, to foster sustainability and enable multiple points of access.

In addition, three ambitious strategic goals and associated objectives were developed to guide the organization for the next three years. They include:

• Accountability: Improve transparency through evidence-based evaluation and open communication.
• Purpose: Establish a clear organizational purpose that supports an equitable and sustainable future for poets and poetry.
• Focus: Focus on collaborating with poets and creative communities.

The Strategic Plan is not the end of the Poetry Foundation’s work, but the beginning. The board, staff, audiences, peers, and partners have collaborated to craft a plan that allows the Foundation to embrace and celebrate its legacy while reimagining the organization’s impact and future. More can be found at PoetryFoundation.org

Changes to Poetry Foundation Structure 
The development and implementation of a strategic plan is one of many steps the Foundation is taking to better serve poets and poetry audiences more equitably. There have been several touchpoints, including analysis, research, assessments, and planning workshops.

One considerable change is the new structure of the Foundation. The Poetry Foundation has existed as a private operating foundation, furthering its mission through programs and direct charitable activities, with grantmaking not being central to its work. 

The Foundation is pivoting to a private non-operating foundation structure, meaning that it can expand its focus to include a more robust grantmaking component. With this expansion, the Foundation expects to annually spend an amount that is at least roughly 5% of its asset size on programs, direct charitable activities, and grants. 

Changes to Foundation Grantmaking
As announced in December 2021, the Poetry Foundation has committed to providing $9 million in grants over three years, beginning in 2022. Grants will support US-based nonprofit organizations through the following priorities:

• Continuing relief funding (Renewal and Recovery grants) in 2022 to literary and poetry organizations impacted by the pandemic;
• Investing in building and strengthening the capacity of BIPOC leadership (Equity in Verse) at poetry, literary arts, and publishing organizations, and programs;
• Cultivating and engaging new, diverse audiences for poetry;
• Fostering new collaborations and partnerships, as well as innovation and new technologies in the field (Poetry Programs, Partnerships, and Innovation grants.)

In July 2022, the Poetry Foundation awarded $1,000,000 in support of 79 US-based nonprofit organizations that are committed to increasing access to poetry through such activities as publications, events, and educational programs. These organizations represent a robust cross-section of the poetry field while also being geographically diverse. Renewal and Recovery Grants are unrestricted and range in size from $5,000-$20,000.

The Poetry Foundation will begin accepting applications for Equity in Verse grants and Poetry Programs, Partnerships, and Innovation grants on Tuesday, September 6 and the deadline to apply is Friday, October 14. For more information on the Foundation’s grants program, eligibility guidelines, and how to apply please visit the grants webpage and the FAQ page.

Those with questions about the current state of grantmaking at the Foundation are encouraged to visit the Grants FAQ.

Poetry Forward
These changes come in time for the 110^th anniversary of Poetry magazine, which was founded by Harriet Monroe and first published in October 1912. Starting this fall, the Poetry Foundation will celebrate the creative spirit that has run through those 110 years and how it might continue to move and evolve in the future.

This includes the announcement of 2022 Pegasus Awards winners, the first issue of Poetry from new editor Adrian Matejka, a fresh calendar of free poetry events, the first season of the VS podcast with its new cohosts, partnerships with other members of the literary world, and more that has yet to be imagined.

All of it informed by the Poetry Foundation’s new mission:

The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. We work to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry.

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Media Contacts
Liz O’Connell-Thompson, Media Manager, [email protected], 312.799.8065