THE AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM

EIN 27-1822749 · Humanities (A70)

What they do

THE MISSION of THE AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM is to ENGAGE THE PUBLIC IN CELEBRATING AMERICAN WRITERS and EXPLORING THEIR INFLUENCE ON OUR HISTORY, OUR IDENTITY, OUR CULTURE, and OUR DAILY LIVES.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $74.70 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 leaders36 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

47.30%of revenue went to mission work74.7% of expenses · Program services

5.46%of revenue went to fundraising8.6% of expenses

$63.32spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

10.56%of revenue went to management and office costs16.7% of expenses

$2.47in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

80.3%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
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 $178,567 for CAREY CRANSTON (PRESIDENT). 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.

$100revenue

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$4,742,804

Mission workProgram services$2,243,23747.30% of revenue74.7% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$500,96710.56% of revenue16.7% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$258,9845.46% of revenue8.6% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$1,739,61636.68% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$3,003,18863.32% 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: 74.7% mission · 16.7% management · 8.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 63.32% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 76.1% mission · 16.3% management · 7.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 126.25% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 78.0% mission · 13.5% management · 8.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.86% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 72.1% mission · 19.4% management · 8.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 117.52% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 74.2% mission · 14.7% management · 11.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.55% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 57.8% mission · 29.1% management · 13.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.76% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$4,742,804

Expenses$3,003,188

Annual surplus $1,739,616 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)$2,243,237 · 74.7% of expenses

Management and office costs$500,967 · 16.7% of expenses

Fundraising$258,984 · 8.6% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$4,742,804

Expenses$3,003,188

Assets$7,417,865

Income$5,252,005

Contributions$3,810,796

Mission work (program services)$2,243,237

Fundraising$258,984

Management and general$500,967

Executive compensation (total)$177,456

Stocks and bonds$1,043,072

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

CAREY CRANSTONPRESIDENT · 40 hrs/week $178,567

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 (36)

CAREY CRANSTONPRESIDENT

PATRICK OHAGANDIRECTOR

JOANNE LEEDOM-ACKERMANDIRECTOR

JOHN W ESTEYPAST CHAIR

LARRY SHULMANDIRECTOR

M HILL HAMMOCKDIRECTOR

MARIE ARANADIRECTOR

MARION CAMERON-GRAYDIRECTOR

MICHAEL HORADIRECTOR

MICHAEL SCODRODIRECTOR

OLIVIA LUK BEDIDIRECTOR

JOAN CLIFFORDVICE CHAIRMA

RICHARD MURPHYDIRECTOR

ROBERTA RUBINDIRECTOR

ROMI CRAWFORDDIRECTOR

SALLY WOODDIRECTOR

SONYA OLDS SOMDIRECTOR

SUSAN ORLEANDIRECTOR

WERNER HEINDIRECTOR

ELISSA EFROYMSONDIRECTOR

AMANDA RUTLEDGEDIRECTOR

ANN BRADLEYDIRECTOR

BRENDA GRUSECKIDIRECTOR

CAROLYN CURIELDIRECTOR

CATHERINE MOULYDIRECTOR

DOMINIQUE RACCAHDIRECTOR

DONNA VAN EEKERENDIRECTOR

EDITH FALKSECRETARY

ALLAN BULLEYDIRECTOR

ELLEN CLARKTREASURER

GROVE MOWERVICE CHAIRMA

IVAN KANEDIRECTOR

IVY WILSONDIRECTOR

JABARI ASIMDIRECTOR

JANE IRWINCHAIRMAN

JAY HAMMERVICE CHAIRMA

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2010
Location: 180 N MICHIGAN AVE SUITE 300, CHICAGO, IL 60601
County: Cook
In care of: CAREY CRANSTON
Primary officer: CAREY CRANSTON, PRESIDENT

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailadvertising@americanwritersmuseum.org Phone(312) 374-8790 Officer phone(312) 346-9018

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: RCS CPAS PLLC
NTEE classification: Humanities (A70)
IRS tax category: Humanities