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THE POETRY CENTER

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Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE POETRY CENTER

EIN 23-7400515 · Humanities (A70)

What they do

to Connect People and Poetry, Equitably Engage Poets With Communities, and Foster Creative Literacy In Our City and Beyond.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check
Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $64.90 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders22 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

44.88%of revenue went to mission work64.9% of expenses · Program services
14.91%of revenue went to fundraising21.5% of expenses
$69.19spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.
9.39%of revenue went to management and office costs13.6% of expenses
$1.63in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.
82.0%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

  1. Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
  2. What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
  3. Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $89,408 for ELIZABETH SAMPSON (EXECUTIVE DIR.). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$840,980
Mission workProgram services$377,45744.88% of revenue64.9% of expenses
ManagementOffice and general costs$79,0109.39% of revenue13.6% of expenses
FundraisingAsking for donations$125,37614.91% of revenue21.5% of expenses
Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$259,13730.81% of revenueShown in gray on the chart
Total expenses$581,84369.19% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails
2024CurrentExpense mix: 64.9% mission · 13.6% management · 21.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 69.19% of revenue
2023Expense mix: 61.9% mission · 20.6% management · 17.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 74.67% of revenue
2022Expense mix: 62.4% mission · 18.4% management · 19.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 77.72% of revenue
2021Expense mix: 76.8% mission · 11.7% management · 11.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 87.70% of revenue
2020Expense mix: 78.0% mission · 12.6% management · 9.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 51.67% of revenue
2019Expense mix: 81.5% mission · 0.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 70.52% of revenue
2018Expense mix: 64.1% mission · 0.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 74.24% of revenue
2017Expense mix: 78.5% mission · 0.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 105.36% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$840,980
Expenses$581,843
Annual surplus $259,137 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$377,457 · 64.9% of expenses
Management and office costs$79,010 · 13.6% of expenses
Fundraising$125,376 · 21.5% of expenses
See all reported dollar amounts
Revenue$840,980
Expenses$581,843
Assets$950,750
Income$840,980
Contributions$689,910
Mission work (program services)$377,457
Fundraising$125,376
Management and general$79,010
People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation
ELIZABETH SAMPSONEXECUTIVE DIR. · 40 hrs/week $89,408
JOY YOUNGDIRECTOR · 1 hrs/week $22,248
OLA FALETIDIRECTOR · 1 hrs/week $9,168

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (22)

ELIZABETH SAMPSONEXECUTIVE DIR.

JOY YOUNGDIRECTOR

OLA FALETIDIRECTOR

KAY WHITCHURCHDIRECTOR

ZESHAWN QADIRDIRECTOR

WHITNEY CAPPSDIRECTOR

TOBY ALTMANDIRECTOR

TANNER PRUITTDIRECTOR

STEPHANIE SCHULTZDIRECTOR

SHIVANI GUPTADIRECTOR

SARAH FREEDIRECTOR

NOEL PEREX-WHITEDIRECTOR

NINA SUDHAKARVICE PRESIDENT

KEVIN ROONEYPRESIDENT

KANDICE HEADDIRECTOR

JOHN MOHRTREASURER

DARSHITA JAINDIRECTOR

CLAYTON NEIGHBORSSECRETARY

CHRIS TOFTDIRECTOR

CANDACE D GREENDIRECTOR

ASHLEY TRANDIRECTOR

ANA ESPINOZADIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since
January 1975
Location
1448 E 52nd Street 256, Chicago, IL 60615
County
Cook
In care of
John Mohr
Primary officer
John Mohr, Treasurer

How to reach them

Filing and classification

Latest tax year
2024
Tax period began
July 1, 2024
Return type
990
Tax preparer
IL NFP AUDIT AND TAX LLP
NTEE classification
Humanities (A70)
IRS tax category
Humanities

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About this report: Information comes from public nonprofit records and may show the latest filing available.

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