Programs and results
What we aim to solve
America was founded on the written word, but no place in this country was celebrating and promoting the significance of writers and their work on our history and culture in the same way we celebrate sports figures or movie stars. Our founders saw this problem as an opportunity to create an immersive and interactive space that would celebrate great writers of the past, promote the amazing writers of today, and through those efforts, inspire the writers of tomorrow.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Write In Youth Education Program
The Write In Youth Education Program uses the museum’s fun, interactive exhibits, coupled with specially designed curriculum, to teach and inspire middle and high school students before, during and after their museum visit. Through Write In, students experience the spectrum of American writing and the enduring relevance of great writing in all genres. In the 2019-2020 school year, Write In will serve about 8,000 students.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of free participants on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Children, Preteens, Low-income people
Related Program
Write In Youth Education Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of paid participants on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Children, Preteens, Low-income people
Related Program
Write In Youth Education Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total number of fields trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Children, Preteens, Low-income people
Related Program
Write In Youth Education Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
This museum has been designed as a celebratory and interactive space, with exhibits and programs that are meant to engage and excite our visitors. Rather than focus on the artifacts of the writers, our focus is on their words and their stories, looking at writing across all mediums and genres and presenting it in exciting ways that are visual, auditory, and tactile.
The American Writers Museum is unique in its conception, design, and execution. From the beginning, there was a recognition that a writers museum could not have a singular voice, so a team of experts worked together as content leaders and subject matter experts, with over 40 scholars, writers, poets, editors and others coming together to focus on the content. Beside these people were some of the best exhibit designers in the country, focused on creating a unique interactive space that allows people to explore and engage. The museum was designed to be interactive, with beautiful videos that explore the breadth and diversity of American writers and innovative touch screen exhibits full of content to areas for people to write and create, everything in this museum from its touchscreens to its typewriters allows visitors to engage, celebrate and learn. And clearly, based on visitor reaction seen on sites like TripAdvisor, where after two years the museum sits at #2 out of 128 Museums in Chicago based on visitor reviews, the solution that has been executed here is powerful.
While building a museum that visitors love is one thing, the American Writers Museum has an even deeper long term purpose, which is inspiring the writers of our future. Since we have opened we have built a vibrant youth education program called Write In that has engaged over 10,000 students in and around Chicago, mostly from low income neighborhoods, exposing them to great writing and its power, and we have a plan to increase that impact in the years ahead.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The American Writers Museum provides visitors a first-of-its-kind opportunity to experience the works and the stories of writers, poets, songwriters, novelists, and journalists who have contributed to America's culture come to life in fully-immersive multimedia exhibits. The experience is bolstered by robust educational programming and a speaker series that brings writers from all over the country to Chicago. The American Writers Museum is neither a collection of books nor a definitive list of the greatest, most influential writers. Rather, our intent is to celebrate some of the country's prolific literary minds and invite guests to trace literature's impact on our identity, our culture, and daily lives. The fact that there was no museum focused on this in the country and none other like it to date, makes the American Writers Museum unique, and our impact in the community and the country shows that it is filled a needed space.
The AWM's strategic plan outlines goals for growth in several areas, with a particular focus on the Write In youth education program. We are in the first year of an ambitious five-year plan to expand this program with new curriculum, special events with authors just for students, and an expanded online presence that will allow students nationwide to take advantage of this program.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The AWM is located in downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue, in the heart of the city's cultural corridor, and attracts many locals, visitors and schools groups. Our visitors include people of all ages, races, backgrounds, and income levels. The museum's strengths include: outstanding exhibits, an engaged and influential Board of Trustees, staff who are experienced and passionate about the AWM's mission, a strong reputation and brand, and a stable financial position.
The AWM has received grants and corporate support from major companies like Wintrust, Allstate, and Exelon, and support from major Chicago foundations such as the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust. In 2019, the AWM received a highly competitive National Endowment for the Humanities grant to support the planning for a new exhibit on Immigrant and Refugee Writers. We have partnered and worked with institutions across the city and country, from the Library of Congress, to the Newberry Library, the Chicago Public Library, the Adler Planetarium and a host of others.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since opening to the public in 2017, the AWM has welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors from all 50 states and nearly 40 foreign countries. Online reviews are overwhelmingly positive and result in many new visitors. The founders raised $10 million in the museum's first campaign to fund the design and building of the museum. In our first three years, we have increased annual giving each year, primarily due to the support for our youth education program that has served over 10,000 students to date and brought over 150 authors to Chicago for public events from a Supreme Court Justice to literary giants. We have been ranked on TripAdvisor as the #2 Museum in Chicago out of 120+ institutions, falling just below the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2017 we were ranked the #1 Best Attraction in Illinois in a USA Today Readers Best poll, and Fodor's listed the AWM first in its listing of the World's 10 Best New Museums.
Our current work is focused on the five-year expansion plan for the Write In youth education program, adding online content, and presenting new exhibits that are innovative, timely and unique, with related author programs that bring our visitors face to face with today's award-winning and bestselling writers.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
The general public, students
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
The museum's youth education program is informed by feedback from teachers and students on our advisory councils. We have made changes to the content and delivery methods based on their feedback.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM
Board of directorsas of 11/03/2022
Ms. Jane Irwin
M. Hill Hammock
LaSalle Bank (ret)
Roberta Rubin
The Bookstall at Chestnut Court (ret)
Gail Bent
Cascade Asset Management
Jane Irwin
Potash Corp. (ret)
Werner Hein
Mayer Brown, LLP
Jay Hammer
Theralogix
Marie Arana
Simon & Schuster/Harcourt Brace (ret)
Olivia Bedi
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
Allen Bulley III
Bulley & Andrews
Marion Cameron-Gray
Sipi Metals Corporation
Ellen Clark
Wilmette Library (ret)
Joan Clifford
Clifford Law Offices
Carolyn Curiel
Purdue University (ret)
Edith Falk
Campbell & Company (ret)
Robert Franden
Attorney
Julie Justie
Allstate Insurance Company (ret)
Ivan Kane
Mayer Brown LLP (ret)
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
Author, Journalist
Catherine Mouly
University of Chicago/Columbia College (ret)
Grove Mower
Hummer Mower Associates
Richard Murphy
Wintrust
Dominique Raccah
Sourcebooks
Amanda Rutledge
Civic Leader
Michael Scodro
Mayer Brown, LLP
Larry Shulman
Arcline Investment Management
Carey Cranston
American Writers Museum
Patrick O'Hagan
Bain & Company
Romi Crawford
Ann Bradley
Civic Leader
Sally Wood
Council for Economic Education
Ivy Wilson
Northwestern University
Elissa Efroymson
Civic Leader
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data