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Pen American Center Inc

EIN 13-3447888 · New York, NY

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair59 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

PEN AMERICAN CENTER, INC. IS AN ASSOCIATION OF WRITERS AND OTHERS IN THE LITERARY COMMUNITY WORKING TO DEFEND FREE EXPRESSION, ADVANCE LITERATURE, AND FOSTER INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FELLOWSHIP.

Income
$15.9 million
Spending
$25.2 million
Spent on programs
68%
Reserves
8.1 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 79%
Employees
84
Volunteers
44
Highest pay
$462,917, chief executive officer

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

Fair: 59 out of 100. Higher than 26% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 8.1 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 20% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 58% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 27% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    67% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 19 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

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 13% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    41 of 41 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give 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

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited 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 (4)
  1. $10.1 million spent. FREE EXPRESSION PROGRAMS: PEN AMERICA'S FREE EXPRESSION PROGRAMS DEFEND WRITERS AND JOURNALISTS AND PROTECT FREE EXPRESSION RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD. THIS WORK INCLUDES ADVOCACY IN THE UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONALLY IN DEFENSE OF FREE EXPRESSION; RESEARCH AND REPORTS ON TOPICAL ISSUES RANGING FROM BOOK BANS TO ONLINE ABUSE TO WRITERS IMPRISONED AROUND THE WORLD; DIRECT SUPPORT TO AND CAMPAIGNS ON BEHALF OF WRITERS AND JOURNALISTS FACING THREATS TO THEIR FREE EXPRESSION.
  2. $726,945 spent. LITERARY AWARDS:SINCE 1963, THE PEN AMERICA LITERARY AWARDS HAVE HONORED MANY OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING VOICES IN LITERATURE ACROSS DIVERSE GENRES, INCLUDING FICTION, POETRY, SCIENCE WRITING, ESSAYS, BIOGRAPHY, CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, TRANSLATION, AND DRAMA. WITH THE HELP OF OUR PARTNERS, PEN AMERICA CONFERS OVER 20 DISTINCT AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS, AND PRIZES EACH YEAR, AWARDING OVER $300,000 TO WRITERS AND TRANSLATORS.
  3. $685,789 spent. PEN WORLD VOICES FESTIVAL: PEN WORLD VOICES IS AMERICA'S PREMIER INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL, ATTRACTING THE BEST-KNOWN WRITERS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE. SINCE ITS FOUNDING, THE FESTIVAL HAS PRESENTED MORE THAN 1,800 WRITERS AND ARTISTS FROM 118 COUNTRIES SPEAKING 56 LANGUAGES IN VENUES ACROSS NEW YORK CITY AND LOS ANGELES IN A FOUR DAY SERIES OF LITERARY EVENTS WITH A HUMAN RIGHTS FOCUS. THE FESTIVAL WAS FOUNDED BY SALMAN RUSHDIE, ESTHER ALLEN AND MICHAEL ROBERTS IN THE AFTERMATH OF SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001, WITH THE AIM OF BROADENING CHANNELS OF DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD- A MISSION THAT, TODAY, HAS NEVER BEEN MORE RELEVANT. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES LEADING INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL WAS CANCELLED TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE FESTIVAL'S SCHEDULED START DATE. SOME FESTIVAL PROGRAMS DID OCCUR WITHOUT BEING NAMED UNDER THE FESTIVAL UMBRELLA. GIVEN THE TIMING OF THE CANCELLATION SIGNIFICANT NON-REFUNDABLE COSTS WERE INCURRED INCLUDING TRAVEL BOOKED AND VENUE RENTALS.
  4. $5.5 million spent. PUBLIC PROGRAMS; CONTENT AND OUTREACH; MEMBERSHIP; BRANCHES; PRISON WRITING; PEN AMERICA JOURNAL; WRITERS FUND.

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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since November 1992.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.