Modern Language Association of America
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O.
- Income
- $16.9 million
- Spending
- $17.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 82%
- Reserves
- 13 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 86%
- Employees
- 102
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $373,758, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 83 out of 100. Higher than 59% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 13.0 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 36% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 34% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2517 of 17 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, 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 (2)
- $8.2 million spent. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND PUBLICATIONS: THE ASSOCIATION SERVES TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND RESEARCHERS THROUGH ITS PUBLICATION PROGRAM, WHICH INCLUDES PMLA, A WIDELY CITED SCHOLARLY JOURNAL, AS WELL AS REFERENCE WORKS, AFFORDABLY PRICED COURSE ADOPTION TEXTS, AND BOOKS THAT MEET THE PEDAGOGICAL AND PROFESSIONAL NEEDS OF THOSE WHO STUDY AND TEACH LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES. THE MLA INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ITS COMPANION DATABASE, THE MLA DIRECTORY OF PERIODICALS, CONSTITUTE A CORNERSTONE OF THE MLA'S RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS; THEY ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE VIA A SINGLE SUBSCRIPTION AND TOGETHER PROVIDE A UNIQUE REFERENCE TOOL FOR THOSE DOING RESEARCH IN THE MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES, LINGUISTICS, RHETORIC AND WRITING STUDIES, DRAMATIC ARTS, PEDAGOGY, AND FOLKLORE. MORE THAN 2,000 EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS WORLDWIDE SUBSCRIBE TO THE BIBLIOGRAPHY. SUBMISSION TO THE PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL PMLA, ONE OF THE OLDEST AND MOST RESPECTED JOURNALS IN THE HUMANITIES, IS OPEN TO ALL MLA MEMBERS AND IS AVAILABLE IN PRINT AND ELECTRONIC FORMATS. IN ADDITION TO SCHOLARLY ARTICLES, TRANSLATIONS, AND ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS, EACH YEAR PMLA PUBLISHES THE PROGRAM FOR THE MLA ANNUAL CONVENTION. MLA MEMBERS RECEIVE A SUBSCRIPTION TO PMLA, AND APPROXIMATELY 8,400 INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD RECEIVE THE JOURNAL THROUGH SUBSCRIPTION OR DONATION. THE MLA JOB LIST FACILITATES THE EMPLOYMENT PROCESS IN THE FIELD BY LISTING POSTSECONDARY FACULTY VACANCIES AND MAKING THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO JOB SEEKERS WHOSE GOAL IS TO TEACH ENGLISH OR FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES AT THE POSTSECONDARY LEVEL. THE JOB LIST IS PUBLISHED AS A DIGITAL DATABASE OF DEPARTMENTAL JOB NOTICES THAT JOB SEEKERS CAN SEARCH BY FIELD OR LANGUAGE, BY GEOGRAPHIC REGION, BY KEY WORDS OR PHRASES IN JOB DESCRIPTIONS, AND BY RANK. ACCESS TO THE JOB LIST DATABASE IS AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE. THE MLA COMPILES AND PUBLISHES A NUMBER OF OTHER REFERENCE WORKS FOR HUMANITIES TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND SCHOLARS, INCLUDING THE PRINT AND EBOOK RESOURCE MLA HANDBOOK, NOW IN ITS NINTH EDITION; MANUAL MLA (THE SPANISH LANGUAGE VERSION OF THE HANDBOOK), THE ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION RESOURCE MLA HANDBOOK PLUS; AND THE FREE WEBSITE THE MLA STYLE CENTERALL OF WHICH ARE WIDELY USED BY UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES; MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS; AND PROFESSIONAL WRITERS AND JOURNAL EDITORS. THE MLA PUBLISHED 15 NEW TITLES IN FY 24-25 AND MAINTAINS A BACKLIST OF OVER 300 TITLES, MANY IN LONG-RUNNING SERIES.
- $6.0 million spent. CONVENTION, MEMBERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES THE PRINCIPAL MEETING ORGANIZED BY THE ASSOCIATION IS THE MLA ANNUAL CONVENTION. LONG A FORUM FOR INTELLECTUAL EXCHANGE, THIS ANNUAL GATHERING BRINGS MEMBERS TOGETHER TO REPORT ON THEIR SCHOLARSHIP, TO DISCUSS NEW INFORMATION ABOUT TEACHING AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ISSUES, AND TO INTERVIEW CANDIDATES FOR POSITIONS. BY PROVIDING A FORUM FOR SCHOLARLY EXCHANGE, THE CONVENTION STRENGTHENS WORK IN THE FIELD. THE 2025 CONVENTION ATTRACTED 4,093 REGISTRANTS. IN 1997, THE MLA ESTABLISHED THE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ASSISTANCE FUND TO PROMOTE THE STUDY OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES BY PROVIDING AID TO GRADUATE STUDENTS TO ATTEND THE CONVENTION; IN 2006, IT WAS EXPANDED TO PROVIDE AID TO NON-TENURE-TRACK FACULTY MEMBERS AND UNEMPLOYED MEMBERS. THE 2025 CONVENTION PROVIDED TRAVEL GRANTS TO 187 GRADUATE STUDENTS, 16 NON-TENURE-TRACK FACULTY MEMBERS AND UNEMPLOYED MEMBERS, AND 7 MEMBERS RESIDING OUTSIDE THE U.S. OR CANADA. MLA ACADEMIC PROGRAM SERVICES (MAPS) INCLUDES THE ASSOCIATION OF DEPARTMENTS OF ENGLISH (ADE) AND THE ASSOCIATION OF LANGUAGE DEPARTMENTS (ALD). MAPS SEMINARS AND INSTITUTES BRING TOGETHER ADMINISTRATORS OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS OF ENGLISH AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES TO DISCUSS COMMON CONCERNS AND TO DEVELOP CONSENSUS ABOUT GOOD PRACTICE IN WRITING, LITERATURE, AND LANGUAGE TEACHING. ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES ARE DESIGNED TO SERVE THE PROFESSIONAL AND SCHOLARLY NEEDS AND INTERESTS OF MEMBERS AND TO PROVIDE MEMBERS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE THE FIELD. IN THE 2025 MEMBERSHIP YEAR, THE MLA HAD A TOTAL OF 19,080 MEMBERS. OF THIS NUMBER 3,183 WERE STUDENT MEMBERS, 11,780 WERE REGULAR MEMBERS, AND 4,117 WERE HONORARY OR LIFE MEMBERS. MLA MEMBERS ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE MLA PUBLICATIONS AND TO SUBMIT ESSAYS FOR POSSIBLE PUBLICATION IN PMLA. THESE ESSAYS ARE REVIEWED BY SPECIALISTS IN THE FIELD WHO OFFER HELPFUL CRITICISM FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE ESSAYS. MLA MEMBERS ARE ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT ESSAYS FOR POSSIBLE PUBLICATION IN PROFESSION. MLA MEMBERS ARE ALSO ELIGIBLE TO PROPOSE CONVENTION SESSIONS AND TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONVENTION PROGRAM AS SPEAKERS; THEY ARE ELIGIBLE TO RUN FOR OFFICE, PARTICIPATE IN THE ASSOCIATION'S VARIOUS GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES, AND SERVE ON ASSOCIATION COMMITTEES THAT OVERSEE PUBLICATIONS, THE CONVENTION, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES. IN ADDITION, MEMBERS MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASSOCIATION POLICIES AND INFLUENCE PRACTICE IN THE FIELD CONCERNING, FOR EXAMPLE, INTERVIEWING AND HIRING, INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AFFECTING CLASS SIZE AND WORKLOAD, AND THE EVALUATION OF SCHOLARSHIP. THE MLA WEBSITE PROVIDES INFORMATION ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION AND ITS PROGRAMS. VISITORS CAN JOIN THE ASSOCIATION OR RENEW THEIR MEMBERSHIP, CHANGE ADDRESS AND DIRECTORY INFORMATION, LEARN ABOUT THE UPCOMING ANNUAL CONVENTION, SUBMIT PROPOSALS FOR CONVENTION SESSIONS, REGISTER FOR THE CONVENTION AND MAKE HOTEL RESERVATIONS, AND REVIEW AND ORDER MLA PUBLICATIONS. THE SITE INCLUDES THE MLA NEWSLETTER IN PDF, LISTS OF FORTHCOMING MEETINGS, PROFESSIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND A SEARCHABLE PROGRAM FOR THE MLA ANNUAL CONVENTION, AS WELL AS A LINK TO MLA COMMONS, A NETWORK THAT CONNECTS MLA MEMBERS AND PROVIDES NEW AVENUES FOR SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION. ASSOCIATION REPORTS, PROFESSIONAL GUIDELINES, AND MLA POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO POSTED ON THE SITE. THE HENRY LUCE FOUNDATION AWARDED THE MLA A GRANT OF $100,000 TO SUPPORT PARTICIPATION OF LEADERS FROM OTHER DISCIPLINES (ART HISTORY, ASIAN STUDIES, COMPARATIVE LITERATURE, FOLKLORE, AND RELIGION) AT THE MLA SUMMER LEADERSHIP TRAINING EVENTS. THE MELLON FOUNDATION AWARDED THE MLA A GRANT OF $1,500,000 TO SUPPORT PROGRAMMING TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN UNDERSERVED STUDENTS WITHIN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE PROGRAMS. THIS PROJECT BEGAN APRIL 1, 2023 AND WILL CONCLUDE JUNE 30, 2026. RESEARCH AND PROGRAMS: THE MLA WORKS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, THROUGH MLA ACADEMIC PROGRAM SERVICES (MAPS), WHICH INCLUDES THE ASSOCIATION OF DEPARTMENTS OF ENGLISH (ADE) AND THE ASSOCIATION OF LANGUAGE DEPARTMENTS (ALD). MEMBERSHIP IN THESE ORGANIZATIONS IS INSTITUTIONAL. THE TOTAL MAPS MEMBERSHIP FOR 2024 WAS 771 DEPARTMENTS. THE PURPOSE OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS IS TO STRENGTHEN THE ADMINISTRATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ENGLISH AND WORLD LANGUAGE DEPARTMENTS. TOWARD THIS PURPOSE, THE ADE AND ALD PUBLISH TWO PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS FOR ITS MEMBER DEPARTMENTS, THE ADE BULLETIN AND THE ALD BULLETIN (FORMERLY THE ADFL BULLETIN), WHICH CARRY ARTICLES ON STANDARDS IN THE FIELD; GUIDELINES FOR DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS; AND STATISTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT ENROLLMENTS, CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENTS, ONGOING AND NEW ACADEMIC PROGRAMS, AND THE STATUS OF FACULTY MEMBERS. THE ADE AND ALD WEBSITES MAKE AVAILABLE POLICY STATEMENTS, GUIDELINES, REPORTS ON DATA COLLECTED IN SURVEYS, SUMMER SEMINAR INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION, AND MODERATED DISCUSSION LISTS. SOME FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE ONLY TO MEMBERS: THE COMPLETE ARCHIVE OF THE ADE BULLETIN AND THE ALD BULLETIN; THE ADE AND ALD DIRECTORIES; A LIST OF DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN ENGLISH AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE, AMERICAN STUDIES, AND WOMEN'S STUDIES; AND MODERATED DISCUSSION LISTS FOR ADE- AND ALD-MEMBER DEPARTMENT CHAIRS. RESTRICTED FUNDS AWARDS: SCHOLARLY ACHIEVEMENT IS RECOGNIZED THROUGH THE PRIZES THE MLA AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL CONVENTION. OF THE TWENTY-THREE PUBLICATION PRIZES AWARDED IN 2024-25, FOURTEEN WERE SUPPORTED BY RESTRICTED FUNDS, THE OTHERS BY GENERAL FUNDS. THE FIFTEEN FUNDED PRIZES WERE THE KATHERINE SINGER KOVACS PRIZE FOR AN OUTSTANDING BOOK IN ENGLISH OR SPANISH IN THE FIELD OF LATIN AMERICAN OR SPANISH LITERATURES AND CULTURES; THE LOIS ROTH AWARD FOR A TRANSLATION OF A LITERARY WORK; THE MATEI CALINESCU PRIZE FOR TWENTIETH- AND TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY THOUGHT; THE ALDO AND JEANNE SCAGLIONE PRIZE FOR COMPARATIVE LITERARY STUDIES, FOR AN OUTSTANDING SCHOLARLY WORK IN THE FIELD INVOLVING AT LEAST TWO LITERATURES;
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
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.
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.
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.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending August 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 1942.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
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.
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