Poetry Foundation Announces the First Sustainable Futures Grants Cohort

Commits more than $3 million in grants to 12 organizations across the United States

CHICAGO, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Poetry Foundation is proud to announce the launch of the Sustainable Futures Grants program, its new national philanthropic initiative providing $3 million in multi-year general operating support grants to 12 poetry organizations.

The Sustainable Futures Grants are a key part of the Poetry Foundation’s renewed grantmaking strategy to strengthen the poetry ecosystem in the United States. Each of the 12 organizations in the first Sustainable Futures Grants cohort will receive a three-year general operating support grant, providing them with flexibility and stability to advance their missions and expand their impact. In addition to funding, cohort members will be invited to participate in a series of convenings and professional development opportunities designed to foster connection, share knowledge, and bolster the collective field.

“At a time when access to arts funding is diminishing, the Poetry Foundation had the opportunity to provide poetry organizations with sustained, unrestricted support,” said Poetry Foundation president and CEO, Michelle T. Boone. “The new multi-year funding model allows these grantee-partners the freedom to plan for the future as they fill gaps in the communities they serve, creating more stability in the literary arts.”

The Inaugural Sustainable Futures Grants Cohort
The organizations in the cohort, all past Poetry Foundation grantee-partners, are dedicated to supporting and amplifying underrepresented voices in poetry through fellowships and residencies, publishing, community-centered workshops, youth education programs, and the presentation of poetry events across the United States.

The inaugural members of the Sustainable Futures Grants cohort are (grant amounts are evenly distributed over a three-year grant period):

• American Poetry Museum, Washington, D.C. – $150,000
• Cave Canem, New York – $450,000
• Chicago Poetry Center, Illinois – $300,000
• Guild Literary Complex, Illinois – $225,000
• Indigenous Nations Poets, Wisconsin – $225,000
• InsideOut Literary Arts, Michigan – $300,000
• Noemi Press, Arizona – $150,000
• O, Miami, Florida – $300,000
• Poets House, New York – $300,000
• Split This Rock, Washington, D.C. – $225,000
• The Watering Hole, South Carolina – $150,000
• Young Chicago Authors, Illinois – $300,000

Grants Strategy and Selection Process
The Sustainable Futures grantmaking strategy was developed based on research into innovations in philanthropy and feedback from the Poetry Foundation’s Grantee-Partner Perception Survey, in which respondents requested multi-year funding, capacity-building support, and opportunities to convene with peer organizations. The Poetry Foundation board then approved the funding strategy to support the inaugural cohort.

“Now more than ever, it’s critical to invest in poetry organizations that are nurturing diverse voices, building community, and expanding access to the literary arts,” said Chris Guzaitis, director of grants and awards. “The members of this cohort are leaders who are shaping the future of poetry with creativity, care, and resilience—it is an honor to support the work they do.”

Through the Sustainable Futures Grants program, the Poetry Foundation reaffirms its commitment to amplifying diverse poetic voices and building a more equitable and sustainable future for poetry. Past grantee-partners were invited to apply to the program and then were selected by an internal committee of Poetry Foundation staff. All cohort members are poetry-centered organizations representing several regions in the United States, including several organizations in Chicago, the Poetry Foundation’s hometown.

The Poetry Foundation is accepting applications for general operating support grants from nonprofit poetry-based organizations, presses, publications, and literary arts service and membership organizations. The deadline to apply is July 15, 2025. Learn more about applying.

About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. The Foundation works to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry. Follow the Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Poetry Foundation