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PRESS ROOM: Poetry Foundation Announces New Strategic Plan to Serve as Roadmap

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The Poetry Foundation partnered with Lord Cultural Resources, a global practice leader in cultural sector planning, to assist in its strategic planning process. In addition to gathering insights from Foundation staff, a key aspect of this process was the Audience Perception Survey which provided invaluable insights from the public on how people in the literary world perceive the Foundation and how they think it can grow.
The post PRESS ROOM: Poetry Foundation Announces New Strategic Plan to Serve as Roadmap first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

September 1, 2022

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CHICAGO, IL – The Poetry Foundation is proud to introduce its new Strategic Plan, a three-year plan designed to address the immediate needs of the Foundation and lay the groundwork for the road ahead. Since June 2020, the Foundation has been actively evolving into a more transparent and anti-racist organization that better reflects, respects, and represents the poetry ecosystem; part of that process was the development of this strategic plan, the Foundation’s first since 2006.

The Foundation partnered with Lord Cultural Resources, a global practice leader in cultural sector planning, to assist in its strategic planning process. In addition to gathering insights from Foundation staff, a key aspect of this process was the Audience Perception Survey which provided invaluable insights from the public on how people in the literary world perceive the Foundation and how they think it can grow.

Strategic Plan Highlights
One main focus of the Strategic Plan was to adopt sharing as a central value of the organization. As a result, Poetry Foundation board, president, and staff collaboratively participated in this months-long process designed to underline the principles reflecting diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and commitment to anti-racism in all forms. The process entailed revisiting the mission and vision, crafting core values, setting impactful goals and developing measurable objectives.

Here are the new organizational statements to ensure that the values and ethos of the Poetry Foundation are in sync with its current trajectory.

Mission
The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. We work to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry.
Vision
The Poetry Foundation supports poetry in all its diversity. We envision a world where poetry is vital to building a better future for everyone.
Values
- Sharing + Collaboration: We build community in collaboration with poets, arts and cultural communities, and current and future audiences.
- Equity + Access: We create inclusive spaces for poets to share their work with a growing, engaged community. We center the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in programming, publishing, grantmaking, and internal operations.
- Innovation + Growth: We support innovation in poetry: in print, digital, and performance, to foster sustainability and enable multiple points of access.

In addition, three ambitious strategic goals and associated objectives were developed to guide the organization for the next three years. They include:

Accountability: Improve transparency through evidence-based evaluation and open communication.
Purpose: Establish a clear organizational purpose that supports an equitable and sustainable future for poets and poetry.
Focus: Focus on collaborating with poets and creative communities.

The Strategic Plan is not the end of the Poetry Foundation’s work, but the beginning. The board, staff, audiences, peers, and partners have collaborated to craft a plan that allows the Foundation to embrace and celebrate its legacy while reimagining the organization’s impact and future. More can be found at PoetryFoundation.org

Changes to Poetry Foundation Structure
The development and implementation of a strategic plan is one of many steps the Foundation is taking to better serve poets and poetry audiences more equitably. There have been several touchpoints, including analysis, research, assessments, and planning workshops.

One considerable change is the new structure of the Foundation. The Poetry Foundation has existed as a private operating foundation, furthering its mission through programs and direct charitable activities, with grantmaking not being central to its work.

The Foundation is pivoting to a private non-operating foundation structure, meaning that it can expand its focus to include a more robust grantmaking component. With this expansion, the Foundation expects to annually spend an amount that is at least roughly 5% of its asset size on programs, direct charitable activities, and grants.

Changes to Foundation Grantmaking
The Renewal and Recovery grants program launched in April 2022, continuing the Poetry Foundation’s commitment to and support of poetry and affiliated arts organizations struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was open to those who received Emergency Grants from the Poetry Foundation in 2020–2021, through which more than $2 million were dispersed.

There is a final round of relief funding in 2022 totaling $1 million. A list of 2022 Renewal and Recovery grant recipients can be found here. The Renewal and Recovery grants are unrestricted and can be used for general operating support. Grants range in size from $5,000–$20,000 based on the size of organizational budgets and other considerations.

As announced in December 2021, the Poetry Foundation has committed $9 million over three years, beginning in 2022. Grants will support US-based nonprofit organizations through the following priorities:

Continuing relief funding (Renewal and Recovery) in 2022 to literary and poetry organizations impacted by the pandemic;
Investing in building and strengthening the capacity of BIPOC leadership (Equity in Verse) at poetry, literary arts, and publishing organizations, and programs;
Cultivating and engaging new, diverse audiences for poetry;
Fostering new collaborations and partnerships, as well as innovation and new technologies in the field.

Those with questions about the current state of grantmaking at the Foundation are encouraged to visit the Grants FAQ.

Poetry Forward
These changes come in time for the 110^th anniversary of Poetry magazine, which was founded by Harriet Monroe and first published in October 1912. Starting this fall, the Poetry Foundation will celebrate the creative spirit that has run through those 110 years and how it might continue to move and evolve in the future.

This includes the announcement of 2022 Pegasus Awards winners, the first issue of Poetry from new editor Adrian Matejka, a fresh calendar of free poetry events, the first season of the VS podcast with its new cohosts, partnerships with other members of the literary world, and more that has yet to be imagined.

All of it informed by the Poetry Foundation’s new mission:

The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. We work to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry.

The post PRESS ROOM: Poetry Foundation Announces New Strategic Plan to Serve as Roadmap first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Remembering George Floyd

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May 25, 2025

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OP-ED: Oregon Bill Threatens the Future of Black Owned Newspapers and Community Journalism

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

Published

5 days ago

May 23, 2025

Oakland Post

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
President and CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

For decades, The Skanner newspaper in Portland, the Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium have served Portland, Oregon’s Black community and others with a vital purpose: to inform, uplift and empower. But legislation now moving through the Oregon Legislature threatens these community news institutions—and others like them.

As President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents more than 255 Black-owned media outlets across the United States—including historic publications like The Skanner, Portland Observer, and the Portland Medium—l believe that some Oregon lawmakers would do more harm than good for local journalism and community-owned publications they are hoping to protect.

Oregon Senate Bill 686 would require large digital platforms such as Google and Meta to pay for linking to news content. The goal is to bring desperately needed support to local newsrooms. However, the approach, while well-intentioned, puts smaller, community-based publications at a future severe financial risk.

We need to ask – will these payments paid by tech companies benefit the journalists and outlets that need them most? Nearly half of Oregon’s media outlets are now owned by national conglomerates with no lasting investment in local communities. According to an OPB analysis, Oregon has lost more than 90 news jobs (and counting) in the past five years. These were reporters, editors, and photographers covering school boards, investigating corruption, and telling community stories, until their jobs were cut by out-of-state corporations.

Legislation that sends money to these national conglomerate owners—without the right safeguards to protect independent and community-based outlets—rewards the forces that caused this inequitable crisis in the first place. A just and inclusive policy must guarantee that support flows to the front lines of local journalism and not to the boardrooms of large national media corporations.

The Black Press exists to fill in the gaps left by larger newsrooms. Our reporters are trusted messengers. Our outlets serve as forums for civic engagement, accountability and cultural pride. We also increasingly rely on our digital platforms to reach our audiences, especially younger generations—where they are.

We are fervently asking Oregon lawmakers to take a step back and engage in meaningful dialogue with those most affected: community publishers, small and independent outlets and the readers we serve. The Skanner, The Portland Observer, and The Portland Medium do not have national corporate parents or large investors. And they, like many smaller, community-trusted outlets, rely on traffic from search engines and social media to boost advertising revenue, drive subscriptions, and raise awareness.

Let’s work together to build a better future for Black-owned newspapers and community journalism that is fair, local,l and representative of all Oregonians.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President & CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

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Hate and Chaos Rise in Trump’s America

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Tactics ranged from local policy manipulation to threats of violence. The SPLC documented bomb threats at 60 polling places in Georgia, traced to Russian email domains.

Published

5 days ago

May 23, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified 1,371 hate and antigovernment extremist groups operating across the United States in 2024. In its latest Year in Hate & Extremism report, the SPLC reveals how these groups are embedding themselves in politics and policymaking while targeting marginalized communities through intimidation, disinformation, and violence. “Extremists at all levels of government are using cruelty, chaos, and constant attacks on communities and our democracy to make us feel powerless,” said SPLC President Margaret Huang. The report outlines how hard-right groups aggressively targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives throughout 2024. Figures on the far right falsely framed DEI as a threat to white Americans, with some branding it a form of “white genocide.” After the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, a former Utah legislator blamed the incident on DEI, posting “DEI = DIE.”

Tactics ranged from local policy manipulation to threats of violence. The SPLC documented bomb threats at 60 polling places in Georgia, traced to Russian email domains. Similar threats hit Jewish institutions and Planet Fitness locations after far-right social media accounts attacked them for trans-inclusive policies. Telegram, which SPLC describes as a hub for hate groups, helped extremists cross-recruit between neo-Nazi, QAnon, and white nationalist spaces. The platform’s lax moderation allowed groups like the Terrorgram Collective—designated terrorists by the U.S. State Department—to thrive. Militia movements were also reorganized, with 50 groups documented in 2024. Many, calling themselves “minutemen,” trained in paramilitary tactics while lobbying local governments for official recognition. These groups shared personnel and ideology with white nationalist organizations.

The manosphere continued to radicalize boys and young men. The Fresh & Fit podcast, now listed as a hate group, promoted misogyny while mocking and attacking Black women. Manosphere influencers used social media algorithms to drive youth toward male-supremacy content. Turning Point USA played a key role in pushing white nationalist rhetoric into mainstream politics. Its leader Charlie Kirk claimed native-born Americans are being replaced by immigrants, while the group advised on Project 2025 and organized Trump campaign events. “We know that these groups build their power by threatening violence, capturing political parties and government, and infesting the mainstream discourse with conspiracy theories,” said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project. “By exposing the players, tactics, and code words of the hard right, we hope to dismantle their mythology and inspire people to fight back.”

Click here for the full report or visit http://www.splcenter.org/resources/guides/year-hate-extremism-2024.