The Literary Arts Emergency Fund (LAEF) is a historic collaboration between the Academy of American Poets, Community of Literary Magazine and Presses (CLMP), and the National Book Foundation established in 2020 to support and advocate for the nonprofit literary arts field.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation, over two cycles, the fund distributed an unprecedented $7,830,000 to 376 nonprofit literary arts organizations and publishers in 43 states across the U.S., as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, which were disastrously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September 2020, regrants were made to 282 nonprofit literary arts organizations and publishers. In April 2022, regrants were made to 313 nonprofit literary arts organizations and publishers.

Across both funding cycles, data was collected from applicants, which included information about finances, programs and publications, and reach. In preparation for the second funding cycle, LAEF worked with WolfBrown, a consulting firm that assists cultural organizations with expertise in market research, program design, and evaluation, to strengthen and expand its data collection effort. WolfBrown then analyzed the data collected and produced, in partnership with LAEF, a first-of-its-kind report on the nonprofit literary arts field.

Download the 2022 Literary Arts Emergency Fund Impact Report
Credit: 2022 Literary Arts Emergency Fund Impact Report, Literary Arts Emergency Fund, established and administered by Academy of American Poets, Community of Literary Magazine & Presses, and National Book Foundation.