Poetry Foundation Launches a Bridge Fund for Small Presses

Chicago, IL, April 25, 2024 – To assist publishers impacted by the abrupt closure of Small Press Distribution (SPD), the Poetry Foundation has established a bridge fund for small presses to help cover unanticipated costs. 

Effective immediately, nonprofit presses that publish poetry and have been impacted by the SPD closure, including those that are fiscally sponsored, can request a bridge grant from the Poetry Foundation. 

The Fund
The Poetry Foundation’s Board of Trustees committed an additional $150,000 to its grantmaking budget to establish the bridge fund. The fund will operate through an open request process, providing grants that range up to $7,500 per press to cover unanticipated expenses, such as inventory relocation and new distributor setup costs.

The Poetry Foundation is accepting requests on a rolling basis until September 1, 2024, or until the fund has been exhausted, whichever occurs first.

Nonprofit presses that publish poetry and have been impacted by SPD’s closure can request funds directly via the Foundation's application portal. For more information, the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) will be holding a free information session on the fund with Poetry Foundation staff on Tuesday, April 30, at 3:00 PM (CT). The session will be recorded for those who are unable to attend. Register here. 

Further Supports
All nonprofit presses are also eligible to apply to the Poetry Foundation’s upcoming regular fall grant cycle, which will open applications on June 1. The Poetry Foundation has expedited $245,000 in grants to nonprofit small presses impacted by the SPD closure that had applied as part of its spring grants cycle. 

In addition, the Foundation’s library staff is working to acquire titles at risk of becoming out-of-print as a result of the SPD dissolution.

Other funders interested in providing small presses with funding are encouraged to contribute directly to impacted publishers.

Grantmaking at the Poetry Foundation
Established in 2022 when the Poetry Foundation changed from an operating to a non-operating foundation, grantmaking supports nonprofit organizations with a core commitment to poetry and the literary arts. Since 2022, the Foundation has awarded more than $6.3 million in grants to US-based nonprofit organizations, which includes presses and publications. The grants program operates on the principles of trust-based philanthropy: open and accessible, transparent, accountable, and relationship-based. For more information about the grants program, including eligibility, please review the FAQ.

About the Poetry Foundation
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. Follow the Poetry Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and Poetry at @PoetryMagazine.

Media Contacts
Liz O’Connell-Thompson, Media Manager, eoconnellthompson@poetryfoundation.org
Moyo Abiona, Media Associate, mabiona@poetryfoundation.org