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Narrative Magazine Inc

EIN 03-0542711 · San Francisco, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceFair61 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

NARRATIVE IS A READER SUPPORTED NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO ADVANCING THE LITERARY ARTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE AND TO CREATING AN INCLUSIVE, GLOBAL LITERARY COMMUNITY. WE PUBLISH WORK OF THE HIGHEST LITERARY CALIBER, OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING WRITERS, HOST CONTESTS IN SEARCH OF A NEW GENERATION OF TALENT, PROVIDE READING AND WRITING RESOURCES AND MENTORSHIP TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN UNDERSERVED SCHOOLS AROUND THE GLOBE, AND EVERY DAY, ALL YEAR WE OFFER OUR EXPANSIVE LIBRARY OF THOUSANDS OF STORIES, POEMS, ESSAYS, CARTOONS, AND MORE TO READERS EVERYWHERE FOR FREE.

Income
$885,753
Spending
$820,684
Spent on programs
80%
Reserves
14.6 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 68%
Employees
3
Volunteers
0
Highest pay
$151,953, co-founder and editor

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 87% of charities in its peer group (religion, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 14.6 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 7% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 29% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    80% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Fair: 61 out of 100. Higher than 52% of charities in its peer group (religion, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    9 of 11 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    0 of 15

    Reports no written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (3)
  1. $658,906 spent. IN FY2024, NARRATIVE MAGAZINE HAD 350,000 DEDICATED SUBSCRIBERS WITH SPECIAL AND WEEKLY PUBLICATION OF BOTH WELL-KNOWN AND EMERGING WRITERS. OUR COMPLETE LIBRARY OF WORKS BY MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND WRITERS AND ARTISTS IS FREE OF CHARGE AND ACCESSIBLE TO READERS AROUND THE WORLD. NARRATIVE PUBLISHED WEEKLY STORY AND POEM OF THE WEEK, HELD FIVE CONTESTS (WINTER, SPRING, AND FALL FICTION CONTESTS, THE SIXTEENTH ANNUAL POETRY CONTEST, AND THE NINTH ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL CONTEST), AND PUBLISHED HUNDREDS OF WELL-KNOWN AND EMERGING ARTISTS IN 2024.NOTABLY, THE NARRATIVE PRIZE, AWARDED ANNUALLY FOR EXCELLENT WORK PUBLISHED BY A NEW OR EMERGING WRITER IN NARRATIVE, WAS PRESENTED TO POET MADELEINE CRAVENS, WHO RECEIVED THE $5,000 PRIZE. OUR FREE NARRATIVE FOR SCHOOLS RESOURCES AND LIBRARY WERE USED IN CLASSROOMS IN
  2. CONTINUED FROM PART III, 4AMORE THAN FORTY-ONE COUNTRIES AND THROUGHOUT THE US. OUR FREE ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL WRITING CONTEST REACHED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS AND THEIR TEACHERS ACROSS THE GLOBE. ENTRIES IN 2024 CAME FROM SEOUL TO KRAKOW TO CHICAGO TO PERU, FROM CHARTER, PUBLIC AND INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS ACROSS THE GLOBE. THE 2024 YEAR'S PROMPT, "MY NOTE TO THE WORLD," ELICITED CREATIVE OFTEN VULNERABLE LETTERS AND POEMS FROM STUDENTS DESCRIBING WHAT THEIR WORLD IS LIKEAND, MORE IMPORTANT, HOW TO CHANGE IT. WINNERS AND FINALISTS CAME FROM THE UNITED STATES; TAIPEI, TAIWAN; LAHORE, PAKISTAN; BRITISH COLOMBIA; AND LONDON.
  3. CONTINUED FROM PART III, 4BIN 2024 WE PUBLISHED ISSUES AVAILABLE ON ALL DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND ON KINDLE. AUTHORS AND POETS WE PUBLISHED INCLUDE JILL MCCORKLE, SUSAN MINOT, HAL CROWTHER, KIM ADDONIZIO, ELLEN BASS, MORGAN TALTY, J. P. GRASSER, SUPRITHA RAJAN, BRIAN GYAMFI, T. C. BOYLE, TED KOOSER, NAOMI SHIHAB NYE, SHARON OLDS, GRACE H. ZHOU, SARAH BALAKRISHNAN, RICHARD BAUSCH, AND OLUFUNKE OGUNDIMU. FICTION CONTEST WINNERS INCLUDED KARTIKEYA SHEKHAR, DOUG RAMSPECK, PETER BRADBURY, AND MADELENA GROSSMAN; OUR SIXTEENTH ANNUAL POETRY CONTEST WINNERS WERE SADDIQ DZUKOGI, JULIA KOLCHINSKY, AND BRIAN TIERNEY. SOME OF THE MANY AUTHORS AND POETS PUBLISHED IN THE STORY OF THE WEEK AND POEM OF THE WEEK FEATURES WERE BILL BARICH, WILLA CATHER, DAVID GAVIN, MOLLY GILES, SOO J. HONG, RONAN RYAN, JANE SMILEY, PASCHA SOTOLONGO, VIRGINIA WOOLF, BRUCE BOND, ROSALIE MOFFETT, EDWARD SALEM. MAI DER VANG, DANUSHA LAMERIS, AMY MILLER, JON LEE, AND JAVIER SANDOVAL. FOR MORE INFO WWW.NARRATIVEMAGAZINE.COM.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since March 2005.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.