Archipelago Books Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
ARCHIPELAGO BOOKS IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT PRESS DEVOTED TO PUBLISHING OUTSTANDING TRANSLATIONS OF VITAL WORKS OF CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY WORLD LITERATURE. IN OUR TWENTY-ONE YEARS, WE HAVE BROUGHT OUT MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE BOOKS FROM MORE THAN FORTY LANGUAGES.ARTISTIC EXCHANGE BETWEEN CULTURES IS A CRUCIAL ASPECT OF GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING. IT HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR VOICES FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO BE HEARD IN THIS COUNTRY-OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD DEPENDS UPON IT. SADLY, LESS THAN THREE PERCENT OF NEW LITERATURE PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES ORIGINATES OUTSIDE THE ANGLOSPHERE. BY PUBLISHING DIVERSE AND INNOVATIVE LITERARY TRANSLATIONS, WE ARE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO CHANGE THIS LAMENTABLE CIRCUMSTANCE AND TO BROADEN THE AMERICAN LITERARY LANDSCAPE.
- Income
- $1.1 million
- Spending
- $878,228
- Spent on programs
- 67%
- Reserves
- 11.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 79%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 20
- Highest pay
- $77,000, publisher/executive direct
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 89 out of 100. Higher than 76% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 11.7 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 18% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 17% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 7% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1567% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 70 out of 100. Higher than 19% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
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
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.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 December 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 (1)
- $590,810 spent. ARCHIPELAGO BOOKS PUBLISHED FIFTEEN TITLES OVER THE COURSE OF 2025. IN FEBRUARY, WE BROUGHT OUT FELIX NESI'S DEBUT NOVEL, PEOPLE FROM OETIMU, TRANSLATED FROM INDONESIAN BY LARA NORGAARD, FOLLOWED BY THE HARMATTAN WINDS BY SYLVAIN TRUDEL, TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH BY DONALD WINKLER IN MARCH, AND STAY WITH ME, OUR FIFTH TITLE BY HANNE ORSTAVIK, TRANSLATED FROM NORWEGIAN BY MARTIN AITKEN. IN APRIL WE PUBLISHED WICKERWORK, A COLLECTION OF POETRY BY CHRISTIAN LEHNERT, TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN BY RICHARD SIEBURTH, AND IN MAY WE PUBLISHED THE LIVING AND THE REST BY JOSE EDUARDO AGUALUSA, TRANSLATED FROM PORTUGUESE BY DANIEL HAHN, FOLLOWED BY GERBRAND BAKKER'S THE HAIRDRESSER'S SON, TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH BY DAVID COLMER IN AUGUST. IN THE FALL, WE BROUGHT OUT EMMELIE PROPHETE'S NOVEL CECE, TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH BY AIDAN ROONEY, A POETRY COLLECTION TITLED SAY FIRE BY SELMA ASOTIC (BOSNIA), AND TWO CLASSIC ITALIAN WORKS-CESARE PAVESE'S THE LEUCOTHEA DIALOGUES, TRANSLATED BY MINNA ZALLMAN PROCTOR AND LUIGI PIRANDELLO'S ONE, NONE, AND A HUNDRED GRAND, TRANSLATED BY SEAN WILSEY, FOLLOWED BY WIESLAW MYSLIWSKI'S NEEDLE'S EYE, TRANSLATED FROM POLISH BY BILL JOHNSTON. WITH ELSEWHERE EDITIONS, OUR CHILDREN'S IMPRINT, WE PUBLISHED MY BROTHER BY LAURA DJUPVIK AND ILLUSTRATED BY OYVIND TORSETER, TRANSLATED FROM NORWEGIAN BY MARTIN AITKEN, AND LAUNCHED THE FIRST OF OUR FIVE-BOOK SERIES OF QUINO'S COMIC STRIP MAFALDA, TRANSLATED BY FRANK WYNNE. IN THE FALL, WE PUBLISHED MARIKA MAIJALA'S A MAGICIAN'S FLOWER TRANSLATED FROM FINNISH BY MIA SPANGENBERG, AND XIONG LIANG'S TAKE A WALK WITH THE WIND, TRANSLATED FROM CHINESE BY CHLOE GARCIA ROBERTS. WE REPRINTED NINE TITLES FROM OUR BACKLIST, INCLUDING WORKS BY ELIAS KHOURY, MAHMOUD DARWISH, MILJENKO JERGOVIC, KARL OVE KNAUSGAARD, JEAN GIONO, AND JULIO CORTAZAR. WE CONTINUE TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO KEEP ALL OF OUR BOOKS IN PRINT, CONSIDERING EACH ONE A CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC. FOR EACH TITLE ARCHIPELAGO PUBLISHED LAST YEAR, WE PRINTED 200-350 ADVANCE REVIEW COPIES TO SEND TO REVIEWERS, EDITORS, BOOKSELLERS, WRITERS, PROFESSORS, BLOGGERS, READING GROUPS, AND LIBRARIANS. WE TAILOR THESE LISTS TO EACH BOOK TO ENSURE THAT EVERY PUBLICATION HAS A CHANCE TO REACH READERS WHO ARE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND TO, DISCUSS, AND APPRECIATE IT. WE ALSO SOLICIT ENDORSEMENTS FOR EVERY BOOK, HANDPICKING AUTHORS AND BOOKSELLERS WHO WE FEEL MIGHT RESPOND TO A PARTICULAR VOICE OR SUBJECT. OUR MARKETING BUDGET INCLUDES THE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF 6000 PRINT CATALOGS. WE HELD OVER 35 EVENTS IN 2025. WE HOSTED A BEAUTIFUL JAZZ POETRY READING AT A JAZZ CLUB IN QUEENS WITH BOSNIAN POET SELMA ASOTIC, WHO READ FROM HER WORK, SAY FIRE, AS A JAZZ PIANIST AND BASS PLAYER PERFORMED THEIR INTERPRETATIONS IN RESPONSE. WE ALSO PARTNERED WITH A FILM PROGRAMMING COLLECTIVE, THEATER OF THE MATTERS, TO PRESENT A SCREENING OF A FILM CALLED THESE ENCOUNTERS OF THEIRS, WHICH STAGES DIALOGUES THAT FIRST APPEARED IN THE LEUCOTHEA DIALOGUES BY CESARE PAVESE. OUR TRANSLATOR MINNA SPOKE BEFORE AN AUDIENCE OF 250 THEATER-GOERS ABOUT THE TRANSFORMATIVE ART OF TRANSLATION. THROUGH EVENTS THAT STAGE DYNAMIC READINGS, MUSICAL PERFORMANCES, AND FILM EXPERIENCES, WE ARE REACHING COMMUNITIES OF READERS AND ARTISTS BEYOND OUR IMMEDIATE CIRCLE. WE ALSO WELCOMED TWO AUTHORS FROM ABROAD FOR EVENTS HERE IN NEW YORK CITY. XIONG LIANG TRAVELLED FROM CHINA TO PRESENT TAKE A WALK WITH THE WIND IN BILINGUAL PRESENTATION WITH THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY IN MANHATTAN AND IN THE BRONX, AS WELL AS AT BOOKSTORES IN MANHATTAN AND SCHOOLS IN BROOKLYN AND MANHATTAN. EMMELIE PROPHETE, AUTHOR OF CECE, VISITED FROM HAITI TO PRESENT HER WORK TO READERS AT THE BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL AND FOR AN EVENT AT THE FLATBUSH BRANCH OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. SHE AND TRANSLATOR AIDAN ROONEY ALSO PRESENTED THE BOOK AT THE BROOKLINE BOOKSMITH IN BOSTON. OUR DEDICATION TO COMMUNITY AND ACCESS EXTENDS TO OUR DONATION EFFORTS. THIS YEAR, WE DONATED TO THE POULIN PROJECT, THE BROOKLYN BOOK BODEGA, LISA LIBRARIES, NYPL JAIL & PRISON SERVICES, NYC BOOKS THROUGH BARS, AND THE PRISON BOOK PROGRAM. WE INTEND TO EXPAND THESE EFFORTS IN THE YEARS AHEAD, WITH A FOCUS ON INCARCERATED YOUTH AND ADULTS AND UNDER-RESOURCED RURAL LIBRARIES.THE CRITICAL RECEPTION AND READER RESPONSE TO ARCHIPELAGO'S 2025 BOOKS WAS POSITIVE, WITH REVIEWS IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, HARPER'S MAGAZINE, THE ATLANTIC, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, WORLD LITERATURE TODAY, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, AMONG OTHER PROMINENT PUBLICATIONS. JUST TO SHARE A FEW RESPONSES TO THE BOOKS:"THE CITE OF DIVINE POWER IS BROUGHT TO LIFE WITH SKILL. ITS STREETS BLAZE AND VIBRATE, ITS MAKESHIFT HOMES ARE SHADOWY WITH DISMAY . . . CECE IS A COOL, CLEAREYED NARRATOR, WHO TAKES PAINS NOT TO SENSATIONALIZE. SOMETIMES HER RESTRAINT MAKES THE READER FEEL IMPERTINENT FOR DRAWING CONCLUSIONS AT ALL. THERE IS ALWAYS THE SENSE THAT CECE COULD PUT IT BETTER HERSELF . . . UNSPARING OBSERVATION IS CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS BRAVE NOVEL-A BOOK THAT MARVELS AT PEOPLE WHO FEEL ENTITLED TO THEIR TEARS." -SUSIE BOYT, THE NEW YORK TIMES"PROPHETE'S ACHIEVEMENT IS TO MAKE THE REAL AND THE VIRTUAL SIDES OF CELIA'S LIFE EQUALLY VIVID. THIS IS A VOICE-DRIVEN NOVEL, AND AIDAN ROONEY'S TERRIFIC TRANSLATION FROM THE FRENCH CONVEYS THE HEROINE'S PROFOUND DESPAIR AND SNARKY RESILIENCE. CELIA IS OPINIONATED, VULNERABLE, MORDANTLY FUNNY AND OFTEN OVERWHELMED . . . STATUS UPDATES ARE HER EXPRESSIONS OF DEFIANCE AND DETERMINATION. FOR CELIA, TO POST IS TO BE."-SAM SACKS, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL"THOUGH HER FAMILY WAS SOLIDLY MIDDLE CLASS, MAFALDA DIDN'T LET THAT FOOL HER INTO THINKING THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE IN HER UNEQUAL SOCIETY. SHE WAS TOO SHARP FOR THAT, TOO OBSERVANT . . . SHE WORRIES ABOUT THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT MANY PARENTS WANT TO PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN FROM EVEN NOTICING-POVERTY AND WAR AND REPRESSION . . . THE EXPANSIVE, BIGHEARTED POLITICS OF QUINO'S STRIP FEEL OUT OF STEP WITH THIS TERRIFYING MOMENT, BUT, THEN AGAIN, THAT MAY BE PRECISELY
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 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 October 13, 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 November 6, 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 October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since January 2003.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 November 4, 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.