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Authors Guild Foundation

New York, NY   |  www.authorsguildfoundation.org
GuideStar Charity Check

Authors Guild Foundation

EIN: 23-7248599


Mission

The Authors Guild Foundation is the charitable and educational arm of the Authors Guild. It educates, supports, and protects American writers to ensure that a rich, diverse body of literature can flourish. It does this by advocating for authors’ rights, educating authors across the country in the business of writing, and promoting an understanding of the value of writers. The Foundation believes that an abundance of free literary expression is essential to our democracy, and that can only be achieved by protecting authors’ constitutional and moral rights to benefit from their work. It is the sole group of its kind dedicated to empowering all U.S. authors.

Ruling year info

1972

Chief Executive Officer

Ms. Mary Rasenberger

Main address

31 E 32nd St, Suite 901

New York, NY 10016 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

23-7248599

Subject area info

Literature and writing

Education

Arts and culture

Population served info

Adults

NTEE code info

Single Organization Support (A11)

Professional Societies, Associations (A03)

IRS subsection

501(c)(3) Public Charity

IRS filing requirement

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

Tax forms

Communication

Affiliations

See related organizations info

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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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?

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults

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 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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

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.

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.

The Authors Guild supports professional writers in Congress, in state legislatures, with publishers and publishing platforms, in courtrooms, and on the public stage.

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.

Financials

Authors Guild Foundation
Fiscal year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
Financial documents
2022 2021 2021 Financial Report 2015
done  Yes, financials were audited by an independent accountant. info

Revenue vs. expenses:  breakdown

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info
NET GAIN/LOSS:    in 
Note: When component data are not available, the graph displays the total Revenue and/or Expense values.

Liquidity in 2023 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

6.70

Average of 16.79 over 10 years

Months of cash in 2023 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

23.3

Average of 11.9 over 10 years

Fringe rate in 2023 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

0%

Average of 2% over 10 years

Funding sources info

Source: IRS Form 990

Assets & liabilities info

Source: IRS Form 990

Financial data

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Authors Guild Foundation

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

Authors Guild Foundation

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

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 ending: cloud_download Download Data

Authors Guild Foundation

Financial trends analysis Glossary & formula definitions

Fiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

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
Form 1023/1024 is not available for this organization

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 employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
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Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of officer and director compensation data for this organization

Authors Guild Foundation

Highest paid employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
Related
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Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of highest paid employee data for this organization

Authors Guild Foundation

Board of directors
as of 01/18/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board of directors data
Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization
Board chair

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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 9/3/2022

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
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

Transgender Identity

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Contractors

Fiscal year ending

Professional fundraisers

Fiscal year ending

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G

Solicitation activities
Gross receipts from fundraising
Retained by organization
Paid to fundraiser