Write Around Portland
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
WRITE AROUND PORTLAND CHANGES LIVES THROUGH THE POWER OF WRITING.
- Income
- $496,127
- Spending
- $421,037
- Spent on programs
- 60%
- Reserves
- 10.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 73%
- Employees
- 10
- Volunteers
- 133
- Highest pay
- $82,027, executive director
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: 86 out of 100. Higher than 67% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.7 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 13% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 15% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 36% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1560% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 27 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: 87 out of 100. Higher than 79% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 259 of 9 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
0 of 10Did not give 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
12 of 15Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.
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)
- $253,026 spent. WRITING WORKSHOPS: IN 2025, WRITE AROUND PORTLAND WORKED ON SUSTAINING OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES AND IN OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM. WE HELD 26 WRITING GROUPS FOR ADULTS AND YOUTH IN HOSPITALS, SCHOOLS, SHELTERS, TREATMENT CENTERS, LOW-INCOME HOUSING BUILDINGS, SENIOR CENTERS AND OTHER HEALTH CARE AND SOCIAL SERVICE SETTINGS. WRITING GROUPS MET FOR UP TO 10 WEEKS, AND WE OFFERED THESE GENERATIVE WRITING GROUPS FREE OF CHARGE TO MORE THAN 217 ADULTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING FINANCIAL INSECURITY OR ISOLATION. WE ALSO HELD 11 ONE-TIME WRITING CIRCLES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER NON-PROFITS AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO SUPPORT THEIR PROGRAMMING AND IN THOSE WORKSHOPS WROTE WITH 73 PARTICIPANTS. IN TOTAL WE HELD WORKSHOPS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 25 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS TO BRING WRITING TO PLACES WHERE PEOPLE LIVE, STUDY AND RECEIVE SERVICES. WE PROVIDED JOURNALS, PENS, SNACKS, BUS TICKETS AND ACCOMMODATIONS TO REMOVE OBSTACLES TO PARTICIPATION. 92% OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN WRITING AND LISTENING SKILLS AND 87% OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A DECREASE IN ISOLATION. WE ALSO HELD 14 SLIDING SCALE AND MARKET RATE WRITING CIRCLES OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND 16 FREE RESONATE WRITING CIRCLES THAT OFFERED A SUPPORTIVE SPACE FOR BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR TO WRITE AND SHARE, 14 OF WHICH WERE ONLINE AND 2 THAT WERE OFFERED IN-PERSON. WE HELD 2 VOLUNTEER FACILITATOR TRAININGS AND TRAINED 22 NEW FACILITATORS TO HELP LEAD THE WRITING GROUPS. WE HELD OUR ANNUAL RESONATE FACILITATOR TRAINING AND TRAINED 3 NEW FACILITATORS FOR THE RESONATE BIPOC PROGRAM. WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT MICHELE STRONG SHARED, "I WRITE BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE EXPERIENCES WE CAN SHARE WITH OTHERS. OFTEN, WE HELP OTHERS THROUGH OUR WRITING AND SHARING THINGS THAT INFLUENCE OUR LIVES." PUBLICATIONS: WE PUBLISHED TWO PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED BOOKS OF PARTICIPANTS' UNIQUE AND POWERFUL WRITING. WE PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED 700 COPIES: "HOW WE ARE TOGETHER" (SPRING) AND "I WAS ALWAYS THERE" (FALL). THESE PUBLICATIONS WERE TRULY COMMUNITY ENDEAVORS, WITH MORE THAN 40 VOLUNTEERS HELPING TO PRODUCE EACH BOOK. WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS EACH RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK IN WHICH THEIR WRITING WAS PUBLISHED. BOOKS WERE ALSO MADE AVAILABLE AT LOCAL BOOKSTORES, PUBLIC LIBRARIES, CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES AND AT SCHOOLS. WE FEATURED WRITERS AND THEIR WORK ON OUR WEBSITE AND THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, AND WE ALSO CREATED COMMUNITY CHAPBOOKS OF WRITING BY PARTICIPANTS IN OUR PROMPT WRITING GROUPS. IN HER INTRODUCTION TO OUR 63RD ANTHOLOGY, "HOW WE ARE TOGETHER", FACILITATOR JESSICA YEN WROTE, "IT'S THE MOMENT WHERE SOMEONE WORKS UP THE COURAGE TO SHARE WHAT THEY HAVE WRITTEN MAYBE THEY ARE SHARING FOR THE FIRST TIME, MAYBE IT'S THEIR FIRST TIME SHARING A PIECE THAT MOVES IN A NEW DIRECTION AND FINDS THAT THE GROUP HAS TRULY LISTENED." COMMUNITY READINGS: WE HELD 2 LARGE AND 3 SMALLER READINGS WITH MORE THAN 242 AUDIENCE MEMBERS. OUR LARGE COMMUNITY READINGS WERE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND WERE FREE OF CHARGE. THESE READINGS BROUGHT PARTICIPANTS FROM ALL OF OUR WRITING GROUPS TOGETHER AND WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO SHARE THEIR WORK. THESE EVENTS PROMOTED RESPECT FOR DIVERSE VOICES AND PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE STORIES OF INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING ISOLATION BECAUSE OF ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, PHYSICAL, SOCIAL OR OTHER BARRIERS. THE RANGE OF STORIES AT EACH READING WAS VAST. A SPIRIT OF SUPPORT, COMPASSION, RESPECT AND ENTHUSIASM FOR THE WRITERS AND THE WRITTEN WORD PERMEATED EACH READING. OUR WRITERS AND AUDIENCES ARE AMONG THE MOST DIVERSE IN PORTLAND. PAST PROJECT COORDINATOR FOR THE HOPE PARTNERSHIP AT MACLAREN YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, KATHLEEN FULLERTON WROTE THIS ABOUT THE YEARS WRITE AROUND PORTLAND HAS WRITTEN WITH THE YOUTH PARTICIPANTS AT MACLAREN: "WRITE AROUND PORTLAND HAS BEEN A STABILIZING WORKSHOP, THE HISTORY SHARED AND RENEWED. THE YOUTH POPULATION MIGHT CHANGE, YET THE STEADFAST AURA OF CREATIVITY PULSES ONWARD, MEETING THE VARIETY OF NEEDS FOR THOSE WHO TOOK THE CHANCE." ALL OF THIS WORK WAS SUPPORTED BY 133 VOLUNTEERS WHO CONTRIBUTED 3303 VOLUNTEER HOURS.
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 October 13, 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 February 1999.
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 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.