PLATINUM2022

AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM

Find Your Words

aka The American Writers Museum   |   Chicago, IL   |  www.americanwritersmuseum.org

Mission

The mission of the American Writers Museum is to engage the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on our history, our identity, our culture, and our daily lives.

The American Writers Museum strives to:

Educate the public about American writers – past and present;
Engage visitors in exploring the many exciting worlds created by the spoken and written word;
Enrich and deepen appreciation for good writing in all its forms;
Motivate visitors to discover, or rediscover, a love of reading and writing; and
Inspire the young writers of tomorrow

Through innovative and dynamic state-of-the-art exhibitions, as well as compelling programming, the American Writers Museum educates, enriches, provokes, and inspires the public.

Ruling year info

2010

President

Mr. Carey Cranston

Main address

180 North Michigan Avenue Suite 300

Chicago, IL 60601 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

27-1822749

NTEE code info

Museum & Museum Activities (A50)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number 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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

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.

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.

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.

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    The general public, students

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build 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 directors
as of 11/03/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 11/3/2022

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Decline to state
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability