Poetry Foundation gives $1.52 million in operating grants to 52 poetry groups, presses and magazines
The Chicago foundation named its fall 2026 grantees on Oct. 28: nonprofits in 23 states and U.S. territories, with awards from $10,000 to $60,000. With its other programs, its grantmaking for 2026 comes to more than $3.4 million.
Chicago. The Poetry Foundation of Chicago said on Oct. 28 that it has awarded $1.52 million in general operating grants to 52 nonprofit poetry organizations, poetry presses and magazines, and literary arts service organizations, the grantees of its fall 2026 cycle.
Poetry Foundation grants announced for 2026, by program
The grantees are spread across 23 states and United States territories, the foundation said. In its description, they support poets of all ages and at every stage of their careers, publish emerging voices, create chances for audiences to hear and read poetry, offer fellowships, residencies and professional development, and widen access to poetry through translation and archival work.
Who received grants
Awards on the foundation's list run from $10,000 to $60,000. Woodland Pattern in Milwaukee and the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses in New York were among the three grantees that received $60,000. The Academy of American Poets and The Poetry Project, both in New York, and the Community Literature Initiative in Los Angeles received $50,000 each.
The list is in three parts. Among the poetry organizations, Youth Speaks in San Francisco received $40,000. Among the presses and magazines, Bamboo Ridge Press in Honolulu received $20,000. Among the literary service organizations, Kundiman in New York received $35,000.
The foundation's announcement does not say how many organizations applied or when the next round opens.
The rest of the year's giving
Together with the foundation's other programs, the operating grants bring its grantmaking for 2026 to more than $3.4 million, it said. That includes $1,025,000 for a group of grantees it calls the Sustainable Futures cohort and $400,000 in special opportunity grants, which sponsor national literary events and pay for poetry programs in the Midwest.
Another $250,000 goes to opportunities for individual poets, including fellowships and support for the Chicago and Illinois poet laureateships, and the foundation also contributes to a pooled fund for the literary arts.
“Support for the literary arts, and especially poetry, remains critical at this time of rising costs and a decrease in funding from traditional sources.”
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