Poetry Foundation Awards $1.52 Million in Grants

CHICAGO, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Poetry Foundation awards $1.52 million to 52 nonprofit poetry organizations, poetry presses and magazines, and literary arts service organizations.

"Support for the literary arts, and especially poetry, remains critical at this time of rising costs and a decrease in funding from traditional sources," said Poetry Foundation president and CEO, Michelle T. Boone. "The Poetry Foundation's funding to this collective of organizations and publishers helps make it possible for people of all ages to express themselves and engage with poetry and poets."

Spanning 23 states and United States territories, these grantee-partner organizations support poets of all ages and at every stage of their careers; publish emerging voices; create opportunities for audiences to experience poetry; provide fellowships, residencies, and professional development for poets; and expand access to poetry through translation and archival work.

Alongside the Poetry Foundation's other philanthropic efforts, these general operating grants bring the Foundation's total grantmaking funds for 2026 to more than $3.4 million.

Fall 2026 Grantee-Partners

Nonprofit Poetry Organizations

• Academy of American Poets, New York, $50,000
• Alapoesía, Puerto Rico, $10,000
• Brooklyn Poets, New York, $40,000
• Community Literature Initiative, California, $50,000
• Glassless Minds, California, $15,000
• Mass Poetry, Massachusetts, $35,000
• National Poetry Series, New Jersey, $30,000
• Nebraska Writers Collective, Nebraska, $40,000
• Nuyorican Poets Cafe, New York, $30,000
• Poetic Justice, Oklahoma, $35,000
• Puha Hubiya, New Mexico, $15,000
• Radical Reversal, New Jersey, $35,000
• Saint Louis Poetry Center, Missouri, $30,000
• Small Press Traffic, California, $25,000
• Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative, Illinois, $30,000
• Street Poets, California, $30,000
• The Clifton House, Maryland, $25,000
• The Poetry Project, New York, $50,000
• Urban Word NYC, New York, $40,000
• Woodland Pattern, Wisconsin, $60,000
• Words of the People, Oklahoma, $25,000
• Youth Speaks, California, $40,000

Nonprofit Poetry Presses and Magazines

• Alice James Books, Maine, $30,000
• American Poetry Review, Pennsylvania, $20,000
• Bamboo Ridge Press, Hawaii, $20,000
• Beloit Poetry Journal , Maine, $10,000
• Black Ocean, Illinois, $15,000
• BOA Editions , New York, $30,000
• Cardboard House Press, Rhode Island, $40,000
• Foglifter Press, California, $15,000
• Fonograf Editions, Oregon, $15,000
• Host Publications, Texas, $35,000
• Hub City Writers Project, South Carolina, $30,000
• Infrarrealista Review, Texas, $15,000
• La Impresora, Puerto Rico, $20,000
• Lugar Comun, Florida, $35,000
• Mizna, Minnesota, $35,000
• Nightboat Books, New York, $40,000
• Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, Illinois, $60,000
• Poet Lore, Maryland, $10,000
• Rhino Poetry, Illinois, $10,000
• Sinister Wisdom, Florida, $20,000
• Sundress Publications, Tennessee, $10,000
• Tupelo Press, Massachusetts, $20,000
• Ugly Duckling Presse, New York, $25,000
• Words Without Borders, New York, $25,000
• World Poetry Books, New York, $25,000

Nonprofit Literary Arts Service Organizations

• American Literary Translators Association, Arizona, $20,000,
• Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, New York, $60,000
• Kundiman, New York, $35,000
• Radius of Arab American Writers (RAWI), Texas, $15,000
• Torch Literary Arts, Texas, $40,000

These grants build on the Poetry Foundation's 2026 commitments, which include:

• Awarding $1,025,000 to the Sustainable Futures grantee-partner cohort
• Providing $400,000 in special opportunity grants, which includes:
  • Sponsoring national events such as the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference, the National Book Awards, and the PEN America World Voices Festival
  • Funding poetry programs across the Midwest, like the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards and Kalamazoo Poetry Festival
• Underwriting $250,000 in opportunities for individual poets, including fellowships at MacDowell and United States Artists and supporting the Chicago and Illinois poet laureateships
• Contributing to the Literary Arts Fund 

About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation transforms lives through the power of words. Our work aims 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 Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Poetry Foundation