Skip to the page content
Your donations
Passes our checks

Community of Writers

EIN 23-7179177 · Nevada City, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceFair59 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

The Community of Writers, established in 1969, assists talented writers with diverse cultural perspectives to achieve their goals in the genres they pursue. The Community of Writers flagship summer workshops meet in Olympic Valley in the California Sierra Nevada, and are highly selective, with an average of 40-50% of applicants invited to attend. Through the interplay of talented participants, publishing professionals and established writers in a community atmosphere, fiction writers are assisted in their arduous journey from writer to author, and poets achieve a resonant framework for their collected words. In an atmosphere of camaraderie and respect, the Community of Writers seeks to create excellence and community. Participants travel from all over the country, and the world, to attend. The Community of Writers also serves the West California, Nevada, and the Tahoe-Truckee region area in particularas an active literary and media arts center, providing access to readings, talks and f

Income
$1.2 million
Spending
$1.0 million
Spent on programs
79%
Reserves
16.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 51%
Employees
12
Highest pay
$107,500, executive dir.

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 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 16.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 13% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 13% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    79% 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

Fair: 59 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    22 of 24 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

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • Independent check of accounts

    9 of 15

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

  • 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. $391,471 spent. The Writers Workshops in Fiction, Nonfiction and Memoir meet annually and offer talented writers small, manuscript-focused workshops, individual conferences, panel discussions and talks on the craft and business of writing. The program runs for 7 days and allows each participant the opportunity to have numerous readers - fellow participants, the staff writers, literary agents, as well as book and magazine editors engage with and evaluate their writing. In addition to teaching and appearing on panels, visiting staff authors give readings from their own work, and socialize with attendees during communal dinners and other extracurricular activities. We see past participants names in some of this countrys foremost journals and prizes, indeed dozens of alumni books of fiction, memoir or nonfiction are published. CW has a long tradition of inviting talented published alums to teach and/or serve on our Board of Directors or other leadership positions.
  2. $201,403 spent. The Virtual Valley, established in 2020 in response to the pandemic lockdown, continues as a place for online workshops, intensives, individual manuscript consultations and more. It has developed as a broader, community-building wing of CW, where the practices of writing and reading can be developed year-round. The Writers Annex, established in 2021, offers quarterly courses on literary masters and movements. Its goal is to offer a space where esteemed poets and writers can teach courses that would otherwise not get taught. Instructors are encouraged to find oblique avenues into common subjects, or to bring understudied forms, poets, authors or movements to a new audience.
  3. $200,539 spent. The Poetry Workshop, first established in 1983 by founder Galway Kinnell, is one of the most important workshops in the country, and one of the first to offer a generative format, as opposed to a strictly editorial one. The model is this: Each poet (participant or teaching staff) writes a new poem-draft every day for discussion in the morning workshops. The idea is that these are drafts and not completed works, and that the discussions must work to find what is working, and not dwell on what isnt. The workshop week may change poets approach to poetry, helping participants break through old habits and write something which may have previously been out of reach. Alumni names can be seen in some of this countrys foremost journals and prizes; indeed, each year brings many new alumni collections. Numerous past participants have returned to teach over the years.

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 September 1972.

    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.