Ernest Hemingway Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE ERNEST HEMINGWAY FOUNDATION WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1965 "FOR THE PURPOSES OF AWAKENING, SUSTAINING AN INTEREST IN, PROMOTING, FOSTERING, STIMULATING, SUPPORTING, IMPROVING AND DEVELOPING LITERATURE AND ALL FORMS OF LITERARY COMPOSITION AND EXPRESSION." WITHIN THAT CONTEXT, THE FOUNDATION'S ACTIVITIES HAVE EMPHASIZED "THE PROMOTION, ASSISTANCE AND COORDINATION OF SCHOLARSHIP AND STUDIES RELATING TO THE WORKS AND LIFE OF THE LATE ERNEST HEMINGWAY."
- Income
- $223,632
- Spending
- $213,664
- Spent on programs
- 97%
- Reserves
- 39.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 46%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 7
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.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 39.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 4% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 148% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1597% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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
Good: 81 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 257 of 7 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports 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 (1)
- $206,578 spent. THE FOUNDATION HAS TAKEN THE LEAD IN ADVANCING HEMINGWAY STUDIES THROUGH THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM ACTIVITIES:EDITING AND PUBLISHING THE HEMINGWAY REVIEW, WHICH APPEARS SEMI-ANNUALLY IN THE SPRING AND FALL, AND THE HEMINGWAY NEWSLETTER, WHICH COMES OUT EACH YEAR IN WINTER AND SUMMER. THESE OUTSTANDING PUBLICATIONS, NOW EDITED BY SUZANNE DEL GIZZO AND KIRK CURNUTT, ARE MAILED FREE TO MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY.HOLDING BIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES IN EVEN-NUMBERED YEARS, GENERALLY ALTERNATING OVERSEAS SITES WITH THOSE IN THE UNITED STATES. AWARDING ANNUALLY THE LEWIS-REYNOLDS-SMITH FOUNDERS FELLOWSHIP TO SUPPORT RESEARCH AND WRITING ON THE WORK AND LIFE OF ERNEST HEMINGWAY. THESE COMPETITIVE AWARDS ARE MADE TO SOCIETY MEMBERS WITH WORTHY PROJECTS, AND ARE FUNDED IN HONOR OF THE MEMORY OF THREE OUTSTANDING LEADERS IN THE SOCIETY: PAUL SMITH, OUR FOUNDING PRESIDENT, ROBERT W. LEWIS, A FOUNDING MEMBER AND PAST PRESIDENT, AND MICHAEL S. REYNOLDS, HEMINGWAY BIOGRAPHER WHO WAS PRESIDENT UNTIL SHORTLY BEFORE HIS DEATH IN AUGUST 2000.SPONSORING AND FUNDING THE ANNUAL PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD FOR THE BEST FIRST BOOK OF FICTION. THIS $10,000 AWARD IS PRESENTED AT THE KENNEDY LIBRARY IN BOSTON EACH SPRING. THE SOCIETY WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE HEMINGWAY COLLECTION AT THE KENNEDY LIBRARY IN OTHER WAYS AS WELL, FOR EXAMPLE BY EVALUATING APPLICATIONS FROM SCHOLARS SEEKING TO DO RESEARCH AMONG THE TREASURE TROVE OF MANUSCRIPTS ASSEMBLED THERE.ORGANIZING AND CHAIRING ONE OR TWO SESSIONS ON HEMINGWAY AT BOTH THE MLA (MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION) AND ALA (AMERICAN LITERATURE ASSOCIATION) ANNUAL MEETINGS, WHERE MEMBERS OF THE HEMINGWAY SOCIETY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT PAPERS AND PARTICIPATE IN PANELS.SUPERVISING ONGOING MAJOR BOOK PROJECTS, INCLUDING AN EDITION OF HEMINGWAY'S COMPLETE (OR NEARLY SO) LETTERS.ABOVE ALL, ENCOURAGING THE READING AND APPRECIATION OF THE WRITING OF ERNEST HEMINGWAY, AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS ADMIRERS. IN SHORT, THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR HEMINGWAY SCHOLARS AND ENTHUSIASTS TO JOIN THE SOCIETY.
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
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 December 2024.
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 January 1966.
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.
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.