Milkweed Editions Inc

What it reported doing in 2025

Outreach: - general -milkweed is motivated by the fact that literature is fundamentally transformative. Every year we sell hundreds of thousands of books, many of our authors and titles receive awards, and most titles receive glowing reviews and recommendations in a wide range of media. These are some of the ways we measure success, but in addition to our publishing program, we actively seek to build community around literature and to serve an expanding, increasingly diverse constituency of writers and readers. We serve writers by providing financial and editorial support and by building a broad audience for their work. We serve readers by connecting them to the authors and books we publish. - reaching readers -our goal to build community is ultimately achieved by sharing our work with the widest range of participants and communicating why it is relevant and how it can be transformative in their lives. We work to make our books available in a variety of formats print, ebook, and increasingly audiobook; we have a variety of distribution partners to help books reach as many markets as possible; we also cultivate strong relationships with librarians, ensuring that many readers borrow our books; and each year we donate several thousand books. - open book - as one of three founding tenants of open book, the nation's largest literary center located in downtown minneapolis, we actively seek to build community around literature. In the years since its founding in 2000, open book is now a national success story. The center attracts more than 175,000 visitors annually, and we strengthened our commitment to this remarkable institution by opening a street-level bookstore in the building in late 2016. Milkweed books serves as a vibrant community space, a site where readers discover and interact with writers, many of whom are published by other organizations in our field. - fellowship program -the milkweed fellowship program, launched in 2019, is grounded in the belief that books have the potential to change the way we see the world, and that equity is essential to a vibrant, diverse, and empowered literary ecosystem. This paid, one- to two-year immersion program is designed to offer the tools, experience, and exposure necessary to pursue a career in book publishing. Intended to provide an alternative route to success in an industry where the prerequisite to an entry level position is typically an unpaid internship, this learning-oriented position seeks to provide entry to those historically underrepresented among workers in book publishing - indigenous, people of color, lgbtqia+, and those with disabilities so they may advance, discover, and champion transformative literature for years to come.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 80.1%; rating input score 80
• Fundraising efficiency: $3.04 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 95.8%; rating input score 96; 26th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 4.1%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 12.8%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 11.6% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 10.6% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings