Authors Guild Foundation
Authors Guild Foundation
EIN: 23-7248599
as of November 2024
as of November 11, 2024
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Workshops on the Writing Life
Workshops are held around the country and online on the business aspects of the writing life to help authors better profit from their work.
Advocacy for Authors
The Authors Guild Foundation advocates for the rights of authors with the public, and we provide authors with the tools to become effective advocates for their own interests. Issues addressed include free expression and copyright protection.
Legal Action
The Authors Guild Foundation files amicus briefs in cases that affect authors' rights, including fair use of copyrighted materials, censorship, and authors' rights to profit from their work.
Where we work
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of community events or trainings held and attendance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Workshops on the Writing Life
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Through educational series such as Business Bootcamps, From Manuscript to Marketplace, and Money Matters, we work to educate authors about the business of writing and being published.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn 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?
Protecting authors' intellectual property rights, and recognizing that the exclusive rights under copyright are essential to the creation of literature.
Defending free expression and acknowledging that any restrictions on authors' speech deprive readers and authors of civilization's critical exchange of knowledge and ideas.
Supporting the profession of writing as the cornerstone of the literary work that educates, entertains, and defines us as a culture.
Educating and supporting authors in the business of authorship to assist them in their professional lives.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Authors Guild supports professional writers in Congress, in state legislatures, with publishers and publishing platforms, in courtrooms, and on the public stage.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Authors Guild Foundation is uniquely qualified to provide these services. Based on the Guild's 100 years of experience, Staff and Board members are frequently called on to speak on copyright and publishing-related issues by writer and publishing industry organizations, government agencies, bar associations, and universities. Since our founding, we have provided advice and information to authors on the business of writing. We are also recognized as experts by our peers internationally on working with publishers and defending authors' rights.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2023 info
6.70
Months of cash in 2023 info
23.3
Fringe rate in 2023 info
0%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Authors Guild Foundation
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
This snapshot of Authors Guild Foundation’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
Profitability info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$304,870 | $325,073 | $566,146 | $229,217 | $865,161 |
As % of expenses | -22.9% | 32.1% | 48.8% | 19.0% | 55.8% |
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$306,467 | $323,477 | $564,900 | $228,044 | $863,430 |
As % of expenses | -23.0% | 31.9% | 48.7% | 18.9% | 55.6% |
Revenue composition info | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $965,538 | $1,264,789 | $1,633,222 | $1,610,922 | $4,430,125 |
Total revenue, % change over prior year | 5.9% | 31.0% | 29.1% | -1.4% | 175.0% |
Program services revenue | 10.2% | 0.0% | 12.2% | 11.2% | 0.6% |
Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Investment income | 4.6% | 3.6% | 2.9% | 3.5% | 1.5% |
Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
All other grants and contributions | 83.5% | 96.4% | 81.1% | 85.3% | 96.5% |
Other revenue | 1.7% | 0.0% | 3.8% | 0.0% | 1.4% |
Expense composition info | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses before depreciation | $1,328,858 | $1,012,980 | $1,159,208 | $1,207,085 | $1,550,996 |
Total expenses, % change over prior year | 14.6% | -23.8% | 14.4% | 4.1% | 28.5% |
Personnel | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Professional fees | 16.1% | 17.4% | 17.5% | 78.6% | 81.0% |
Occupancy | 5.6% | 10.7% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 1.8% |
Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
All other expenses | 78.3% | 71.9% | 80.1% | 19.1% | 17.2% |
Full cost components (estimated) info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses (after depreciation) | $1,330,455 | $1,014,576 | $1,160,454 | $1,208,258 | $1,552,727 |
One month of savings | $110,738 | $84,415 | $96,601 | $100,590 | $129,250 |
Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $2,682 | $1,672 | $0 |
Total full costs (estimated) | $1,441,193 | $1,098,991 | $1,259,737 | $1,310,520 | $1,681,977 |
Capital structure indicators
Liquidity info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Months of cash | 2.3 | 10.1 | 16.0 | 18.2 | 23.3 |
Months of cash and investments | 19.1 | 34.2 | 42.1 | 38.7 | 52.4 |
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 5.0 | 10.4 | 15.0 | 16.6 | 19.6 |
Balance sheet composition info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cash | $250,369 | $851,303 | $1,548,215 | $1,832,844 | $3,005,858 |
Investments | $1,864,963 | $2,031,838 | $2,520,220 | $2,056,964 | $3,769,122 |
Receivables | $2,122 | $1,872 | $19,776 | $64,693 | $508,287 |
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $184,071 | $184,072 | $58,439 | $60,111 | $61,793 |
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 98.7% | 99.6% | 96.2% | 95.5% | 95.7% |
Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 3.3% | 12.3% | 19.1% | 19.3% | 13.9% |
Unrestricted net assets | $558,798 | $882,275 | $1,447,175 | $1,675,219 | $2,538,649 |
Temporarily restricted net assets | $63,945 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Permanently restricted net assets | $1,534,672 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total restricted net assets | $1,598,617 | $1,650,434 | $1,869,407 | $1,523,494 | $3,741,027 |
Total net assets | $2,157,415 | $2,532,709 | $3,316,582 | $3,198,713 | $6,279,676 |
Key data checks
Key data checks info | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Mary Rasenberger
CEO Mary Rasenberger leads The Authors Guild and AG Foundation. Prior to joining the Guild in November 2014, she practiced law for over 25 years in roles that spanned private practice, government, and the corporate sector. She is a recognized expert in copyright and media law. She has also worked for the U.S. Copyright Office and Library of Congress as senior policy advisor and as program director for the National Digital Preservation Program. She is Chair of the American Bar Association's Copyright Division of the Intellectual Property Section; a Trustee and Member of the Executive Committee of the Copyright Society of the USA; a founder of Copyright Awareness Week, and an Adviser to the American Law Institute's Restatement of Law, Copyright. She is the recipient of a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.A. in Philosophy from Boston College, and a B.A. from Barnard College.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Authors Guild Foundation
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Authors Guild Foundation
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Authors Guild Foundation
Board of directorsas of 01/18/2024
Board of directors data
Marie Arana
Scott Turow
Peter Petre
Fortune
Nicholas Lemann
Columbia University
Sidney Offit
Roxana Robinson
Louise A. Rosen
Columbia University
Rachel Vail
Lee Child
Wendy Strothman
Alafair Burke
The Kavelman Group
Sylvia Day
Wendy Strothman
Sylvia Day
Roland A. DeSilva
Lynn Goldberg
Toni Goodale
Robert Pesce
Amanda Benchley
Sherri Burr
Jeffrey Mayersohn
Richard Thompson Ford
Janet Dewart Bell
Neal Cohen
Taryn Leavitt
Meredith Lesher
Douglas Preston
Laura Pedersen
Hunter K. Runnette
Karyn Schoenbart
Ben Sevier
Margot Lee Shetterly
Andre Bernard
Allison Smith
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
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Contractors
Fiscal year endingProfessional fundraisers
Fiscal year endingSOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G