The Poetry Center

What it reported doing in 2024

Poetry Residencies - A creative literacy residency program in Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Metro Area. The Organization hires Chicago poet/teaching artists (Poets In Residence) to teach multi-week residencies. The poets meet with their classrooms weekly, and publish student work after each session on the Organizations school publishing platform online. Each week poets and students read, write, discuss, and perform poetry. The program improves reading and writing skills, builds confidence, and affirms the voices of young Chicagoans.Pop Up Poetry - A touring, after school, and custom built performance poetry program. Hosting assemblies and one-time workshops in schools and organizations, Pop Ups typically feature three performance poets in an engaging round-robin style poetry slam, with an educational component and interactive poetry games are played with the audience.Queen Zees Poetry Adventures - A free, streaming series of poetry lessons for students in grades 2-5. Videos come with student workbooks and teacher lesson plans with optional extension materials.Blue Hour Reading & Workshop Series - A monthly, free and public reading series, and accompanying generative writing workshop hosted at Haymarket House. The series features emerging and established as well as local, national, and international writers.Literary Life Programs - In addition to Blue Hour, the Organization partners with organizations across Chicago to provide both one-time and recurring public poetry events in and around Chicago and online.Online Archive + Education Resource - A free online poetry resource and archive features a page for every poet who has read for the Poetry Center reading series since the Centers founding in 1974. Pages feature streaming audio, reading information, and offer additional resources and information on each writer.Critical Conversations @ Work - An inclusion-centered anti-racism program targeted to workplaces and organizations for employees, volunteers, and board member training. Utilizing contemporary poetry to facilitate important and challenging conversations in workplaces.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 44.9%; rating input score 45
• Program expense ratio: 64.9%; rating input score 65
• Fundraising efficiency: $5.5 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 86.4%; rating input score 86; 21st 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: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 30.8%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.63; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 20.8%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 19.2% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 26% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 35.2% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings