American Literary Translators Assn
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To support the work of literary translators, advance the art of literary translation, serve translators, and the students, teachers, publishers,and readers of literature in translation.
- Income
- $677,645
- Spending
- $634,231
- Spent on programs
- 88%
- Reserves
- 21 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 67%
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 70
- Highest pay
- $52,500, interim executive director (8.31.24-04.28.25)
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 21.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 6% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 16% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1588% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 71 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2515 of 15 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
6 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 June 30, 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 (5)
- $143,525 spent. Conference : ALTAs annual conference is the largest gathering of literary translators in the U.S., and the only one of its kind. It brings together between 400-500 translators, writers, and editors for an intimate, intense, three-day conversation through panels, workshops, roundtables, and bilingual readings. The ALTA conference is structured around the creation of high-quality art. Panels focus on important issues and trends in the field, while roundtables are structured to provide practical information to working translators, like funding and publication advice. Workshops deal with issues of craft, with participants working through solutions on the spot. Readings are performances in their own right, and many are held in partnership with local arts organizations, thus facilitating interaction with the local community, and engagement with diverse and excellent art. The conference was held in Milwaukee, WI from October 25-28, 2024
- $91,963 spent. Mentorships : ALTAs Emerging Translator Mentorship Program is designed to establish and facilitate a close working relationship between an experienced translator and an emerging translator on a project selected by the emerging translator. Since its inception in 2015, the program has supported 90 emerging translators working from 31 languages: Arabic, Bangla, Braj Bhasha, Catalan, Chinese, Dutch, French, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Indonesian, Isan, Japanese, Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Korean, Malayalam, Nepali, Norwegian, Occitan, Panjabi, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and Uyghur. The Mentorship Program allows an emerging translator (someone who has published no more than one full-length work of translation) to begin a career as a literary translator with a more seasoned translator by their side, as they create a literary translation of high caliber. In 2024, the program supported 16 emerging translators; in 2025, it supported 19.
- $62,587 spent. Awards : ALTA awards six major prizes at the annual conference: the National Translation Award in Poetry and Prose, for an exceptional book of translated literature published within the previous year; the ALTA First Translation Prize, for an exceptional debut literary translation published within the previous calendar year; the Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize, for an exceptional work of Asian poetry or source text from Zen Buddhism in English translation published within the previous year; the Italian Prose in Translation Award (IPTA), for an exceptional work of Italian prose in English translation published within the previous year; and the Spain-USA Foundation Translation Award (SUFTA), for an exceptional work of prose written originally by an author with Spanish (Spain) nationality in English translation published within the previous year. ALTA also offers the ALTA Travel Fellowships for emerging translators (those with no full-length translations yet published or under contract) to attend the annual conference. In 2024, the Travel Fellowships program supported 4 emerging translators. -6 awards bestowed, 4 Travel Fellowships bestowed -A total of $31,000 in funds given to translators: -National Translation Award in Poetry: $4,000 -National Translation Award in Prose: $4,000 -ALTA First Translation Prize: $3,000 -Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize: $6,000 [$10,000 starting in 2025 - will be reflected in FY26] -Italian Prose in Translation Award: $5,000 -Spain-USA Foundation Translation Award: $5,000 -Travel Fellowships: 4 x $1,000
- $260,544 spent. To support the work of literary translators, advance the art of literary translation, serve translators, and the students, teachers, publishers, and readers of literature in translation.
- To support the work of literary translators, 260544. 19170. 319139.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 June 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 March 1981.
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.
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