Poetry Foundation

What Poetry Foundation does

The Poetry Foundation is an American nonprofit literary organization founded in 1912 and headquartered at 61 West Superior Street, Chicago, Illinois. Its core mission is to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for creation, experience, and sharing of poetry. The foundation serves four primary constituencies: general poetry readers, K-12 and community college educators, poets at various career stages, and literary organizations/publishers. Its flagship asset is Poetry magazine, a monthly literary periodical (10 book-length issues per year) featuring contemporary poetry, translations, essays, and visual art, originally founded by Harriet Monroe.

The foundation operates a digital platform at PoetryFoundation.org hosting an archive of more than 58,000 poems, poet profiles, topic collections, and educational resources, supplemented by the Poetry Magazine App (iOS and Android) that provides access to current and archival digital editions, podcasts, and audio recordings. Supporting products include the Poem of the Day email service, the Poetry Magazine Archive dating to 1912, the free five-day Summer Poetry Teachers Institute (capped at 165 participants and awarding 30 hours of Illinois State Board of Education professional development credit), and the Pegasus Poetry Book Prize (a $10,000 award administered in collaboration with Graywolf Press for U.S. poets aged 40 or older). The technology stack is content-centric: a web CMS, mobile apps, email delivery infrastructure, and braille distribution via the Library of Congress — no proprietary AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or third-party integrations are disclosed.

Revenue is generated through a mix of recurring magazine subscriptions (print, digital, and combined tiers starting at $39/year, plus student/educator discounts and gift options), single-issue sales, free public events in Chicago (some with livestreaming), and grants/charitable program administration. The foundation supplements its operating model by participating in cross-foundation coalitions, notably the $50 million over five years Literary Arts Fund led by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support nonprofit literary organizations. GTM motion is community-led and event-driven, leveraging newsletters, organic social, and seasonal programming rather than paid acquisition or enterprise sales channels.

Name

Poetry Foundation

Legal name

Poetry Foundation

Website

https://poetryfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Poetry Foundation is a Chicago-based 1912 nonprofit literary organization that publishes Poetry magazine, operates a digital archive of 58,000+ poems, and runs educational programs and literary prizes serving general readers, K-12 educators, poets, and literary organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK), Spoken Word & Performance Poetry Workshops (EDAMAMAM), Spoken-Word Poetry Slams (MPAGACAF)

Keywords

• Literary magazine publishing
• Poetry education programs
• Literary arts grants
• Poetry digital archive
• Arts foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: The Poetry Foundation publishes Poetry magazine, a monthly periodical featuring contemporary poetry, translations, essays, and visual art. Subscriptions include print, digital, and combined print+digital options delivered as 10 book-length issues per year.
2. Grants and Charitable Programs: The foundation provides grants to support poets, poetry publishers, and literary organizations. Also participates in the $50 million Literary Arts Fund coalition to support nonprofit literary arts.
3. Event Programming: Free public events in Chicago, with some events featuring special offers and livestreaming capabilities. Events celebrate National Poetry Month, poet laureates, and new poetry collections.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Poetry Foundation publishes Poetry magazine, a monthly literary periodical founded in 1912 featuring contemporary poetry, translations, essays, and visual art. It operates PoetryFoundation.org, a digital platform hosting over 58,000 poems, poet profiles, and educational resources, and administers educational programs (e.g., the Summer Poetry Teachers Institute), literary prizes (e.g., the Pegasus Poetry Book Prize), and grants to support poets and literary organizations.

Product overview

The Poetry Foundation operates as a literary arts organization offering a portfolio of products and services centered on poetry promotion and education. The core offerings include Poetry magazine (a monthly publication founded in 1912 featuring contemporary poetry and essays) and the Poetry Foundation website (an online platform with over 58,000 poems and poet profiles). Supporting products include the Poetry Magazine App (mobile application for iOS and Android), the Poem of the Day subscription service, and the Poetry Magazine Archive (spanning issues from 1912 to present). The Foundation also administers educational programs like the Summer Poetry Teachers Institute and literary awards including the Pegasus Poetry Book Prize in collaboration with Graywolf Press.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Poetry Magazine: A prestigious literary magazine publishing contemporary poetry, translations, essays, and visual art. Founded in 1912, it is one of the most influential poetry publications in the world.

Products and services

• Poetry Magazine The flagship monthly literary magazine founded in 1912, featuring contemporary poetry, translations, essays, and visual art. Published 10 times per year with distinct covers from different artists, available in print and digital subscriptions.
• Poetry Foundation Website The organization's primary digital platform offering free access to over 58,000 poems, poet profiles, educational resources, topic collections, and community engagement features for general poetry readers.
• Poetry Magazine App Mobile application available for iOS and Android providing access to current and archival digital editions, podcasts, and audio recordings of poems for subscribers.
• Poem of the Day Daily poem email delivery service selecting poems from the archive and Poetry magazine to correspond with historic events and poet anniversaries for general subscribers.
• Poetry Magazine Archive Comprehensive digital archive of Poetry magazine issues dating back to 1912, with issues available for individual purchase or via subscription.
• Summer Poetry Teachers Institute Free five-day professional development program for K-12 and community college educators, providing strategies to develop classroom-ready poetry lessons. Awards 30 hours of Illinois State Board of Education professional development credit.
• Pegasus Poetry Book Prize A $10,000 literary award recognizing U.S. poets aged 40 or older for their first or second poetry collection, created in collaboration with Graywolf Press.

Quantifiable outcome

• 58,000+ poems accessible through the Poetry Foundation archive
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Illinois State Board of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026The Poetry Foundation's Summer Poetry Teachers Institute awards 30 hours of professional development credit from the Illinois State Board of Education to K-12 and community college educators who complete the five-day program.
• Graywolf PresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2025The Poetry Foundation and Graywolf Press collaboration on the Pegasus Poetry Book Prize, a $10,000 award recognizing U.S. poets aged 40 or older for their first or second poetry collection. Submissions were open until February 2, 2026. The prize aims to support poets at a late stage in their careers who have published no more than one full-length collection.
• Andrew W. Mellon FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025A coalition of seven charitable foundations led by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation launched the Literary Arts Fund, a $50 million initiative to support nonprofit literary organizations in the United States over five years. The fund addresses underfunding in the literary arts sector, which receives a small percentage of arts grants, by providing financial support to promote diverse voices, literary development, and community engagement.
• Literary Arts Fund CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025The Poetry Foundation is part of a seven-foundation coalition creating the $50 million Literary Arts Fund to support independent publishers, poetry festivals, and small publishers over five years. The initiative aims to address reduced financial support from major arts agencies.

Scale indicators7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Library of America: Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of canonical American literature, with a membership-driven model and a curated-edition catalog. Comparable in the literary-archive/publishing nonprofit category to the Poetry Foundation's archive-of-record role, but with a wider (not poetry-specific) editorial scope.

Direct peers

• Academy of American Poets: Academy of American Poets is the most direct comparable — a national nonprofit founded in 1934 dedicated to supporting American poets, operating Poets.org, administering the Poets Laureate program, running the National Poetry Month campaign, and awarding prizes. Same mission, same audience, and same funding model as the Poetry Foundation.
• Cave Canem Foundation: Cave Canem is a nonprofit literary organization dedicated to Black poets, offering residencies, prizes, and a celebrated annual retreat. Comparable as a poetry-focused nonprofit that supports poets through programming, prizes, and community-building — directly overlaps with the Poetry Foundation's grants and community mission.
• Copper Canyon Press: Copper Canyon Press is one of the largest and most prominent nonprofit poetry publishers in the U.S. Directly comparable to the Poetry Foundation's publishing activities, focused exclusively on poetry, and a likely peer in the same funding and prize ecosystems.
• National Book Foundation: The National Book Foundation administers the National Book Awards and runs literary programming in the U.S. Directly comparable as a literary-arts nonprofit that awards prizes, runs educational programs, and convenes the literary community — though with a broader (all-genre) focus than the Poetry Foundation.
• Graywolf Press: Graywolf Press is an independent nonprofit literary publisher with a significant poetry list and an active partnership with the Poetry Foundation (co-developed the Pegasus Poetry Book Prize). Directly comparable as a nonprofit poetry publisher and direct strategic partner.
• Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP): AWP is a nonprofit literary organization supporting writers and writing programs, best known for its annual conference and its advocacy for creative writing education. Comparable to the Poetry Foundation in supporting writers/poets through community, conferences, and educational programs.
• Poetry Society of America: The Poetry Society of America, founded in 1910, is a direct peer nonprofit that promotes poetry through readings, workshops, publications, and awards (including the Shelley Memorial Award). Operates in the same poetry nonprofit category as the Poetry Foundation with overlapping audiences.

Broad incumbents

• National Endowment for the Arts: The NEA is the largest U.S. federal arts funder, distributing grants that flow through to many of the same poets, publishers, and literary organizations supported by the Poetry Foundation. Comparable as a funder/convener in the same arts ecosystem, but operating at federal scale rather than the Foundation's poetry-specific focus.
• PEN America: PEN America is a larger literary-arts nonprofit focused on free expression, with extensive programming, advocacy, awards, and an events calendar. Comparable as a national literary nonprofit, but with a broader policy/advocacy mission than the Poetry Foundation's poetry-only focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/poetryfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/poetryfoundation
• Xx.com/PoetryFound
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/490026

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments55 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Poetry Foundation