Community Literature Initiative

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
473601335
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2020, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
3236364663
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$452,742
Expenses
$195,201
Assets
$344,636
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Hiram Sims (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Hiram Sims (Executive Director): $19,500 total reported compensation
  • Kimiko White (Executive Assistant): $15,745 total reported compensation
  • Alana Benson (Book Production and Press Manager): $14,600 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The organization exists to identify, support, and advance talented poets by providing access to peer to peer mentorship, resources, and publishing opportunities that enable the creation and dissemination of original poetry books for the public benefit. Operating the SIMS Library of Poetry allows all published authors to have their book in a public library's circulation. It is CLI's mission to promote life-long learning for all citizens.

What it reported doing in 2025

CLI's Publishing Class successfully supported poets in completing, refining, and publishing original poetry manuscripts. Through structured instruction, one-on-one mentorship, and peer workshops, participants gained practical knowledge of the literary publishing process, including manuscript development, editing, book design, and distribution. Graduates of the class produced completed or near-complete poetry books, several of which were published or prepared for submission to presses and literary platforms. The program increased participants' professional readiness, expanded access to publishing opportunities, and contributed new literary works to the public, advancing poetry as an art form and educational resource. Poets are encouraged to attend open mics and book releases, to learn marketing, performance, show production and sales, teaching them a new and independent way to generate income. These events are also open to the public, exposing access to black justice and cultural healing through spoken word.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 28
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 20.9%; rating input score 21
  • Program expense ratio: 48.5%; rating input score 48
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 56.9%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.77; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.4%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 27.8% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 34.3% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 20.9% of revenue deployed · 48.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $95K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $20K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 17 of 17 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 48/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • Review — Grant Readiness: California registration: this organization could not be resolved against the register, so the check is unfinished.