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LITERARY AGENTS OF CHANGE
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 852419344 · Form 990EZ · FY2025 · Micro (<$100K) · literaryagentsofchange.org
revenue
$60K
expenses
$81K
net assets
$73K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

LITERARY AGENTS OF CHANGE, THE NONPROFIT BORN OUT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN LITERARY AGENTS' (AALA) DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE, WAS FORMED TO HELP DISMANTLE THE BARRIERS TO ENTRY INTO A CAREER AS A LITERARY AGENT FOR MEMBERS OF HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, PARTICULARLY PEOPLE OF COLOR, WHILE RECOGNIZING THE SYSTEMS OF OVERLAPPING OPPRESSIONS IN REGARD TO RACE, ETHNICITY, SEXUALITY, GENDER EXPRESSION, CLASS, AND ABILITY.

profile · synthesized from sources

Literary Agents of Change is a nonprofit organization formed from the Association of American Literary Agents' Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to increase representation in the literary agent profession. It supports individuals from historically underrepresented groups through a Fellowship Program for students and a Mentorship Program for early-career agents. The organization also offers educational initiatives and maintains a public Equity Directory of BIPOC literary agents.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Equity Directory
Publicly accessible online directory of literary agents who self-identify as BIPOC to increase visibility and connection opportunities
Fellowship Program
Ten-week summer program matching undergraduate and graduate students from historically underrepresented groups with literary agencies; includes a $6,000 grant to each fellow and remote programming on publishing industry skills
Literary Auction for Change
Annual fundraising event featuring donated literary items and experiences to support organizational programs
Mentorship Program
Year-long program pairing early-career literary agents from underrepresented communities with two experienced mentor-agents for monthly guidance, professional development, and networking
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Arts Professional Advocacy & Equity Initiatives 2 activities
    • Educational programming for AALA members
      Facilitates workshops and educational programming for members of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA), including training on antiracism and overcoming bias in the publishing industry.
    • Equity Directory of BIPOC Literary Agents
      Launched and maintains an online directory of literary agents who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to increase visibility and access within the publishing industry.
  • Literary Events & Workshops 1 activity
    • Annual Literary Auction for Change
      Organizes the annual Literary Auction for Change event to raise funds and awareness for diversity and inclusion initiatives in the literary and publishing industries.
  • Emerging Filmmaker Support Programs 1 activity
    • Free AALA membership for mentorship participants
      Provides one-year free membership to the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) for each participant in the mentorship program to support professional integration and development.
  • Women Entrepreneurs Grant Programs 1 activity
    • Funding mentorship program participants
      Provides a $500 Business Development Grant to each participant in the year-long mentorship program to support professional growth.
  • Local High School Scholarship Programs 1 activity
    • Funding summer fellowship participants
      Provides a $6,000 or $6,400 grant to each student participating in the summer fellowship program to support their participation, with funding sourced from donations.
  • Paid Internships in Media & Publishing 1 activity
    • Summer Fellowship Program for Underrepresented Students
      Operates a ten-week summer fellowship program that places college students from historically underrepresented groups, recruited from minority serving institutions, with literary agencies. The program includes remote programming such as panels, mentorship, and educational sessions, and requires a minimum commitment of 16 hours per week to develop skills in manuscript evaluation, contract fundamentals, and pitching.
  • Mentorship and Professional Development Programs 1 activity
    • Year-long Mentorship Program for Marginalized Literary Agents
      Runs a fully remote, one-year mentorship program that pairs emerging literary agents from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups with two established mentor-agents for monthly career guidance. The program includes monthly panels on business development, education, and networking, and is designed to support retention and promotion within the profession.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$60K
Contributions & grants$60K100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$81K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$73K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$73K
4 years on record · 2021–2025 · YoY revenue -20.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

board members · 5
  • DANIELLE HUNTER — TRUSTEE
  • KERRY D'AGOSTINO — TRUSTEE
  • LAUREN MACLEOD — TRUSTEE
  • STEFANIE MOLINA-SANTOS — TRUSTEE
  • TAMARA KAWAR — TRUSTEE
relationships · 36

Who they work with

  • ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN LITERARY AGENTS Partner — Founded as an outgrowth of the Association of American Literary Agents's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
  • Aevitas Creative Management Partner — Employer of board member Lauren MacLeod, contributing leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • American Association of Literary Agents Network — Parent organization whose Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee gave rise to Literary Agents of Change.
  • American Association of Literary Agents Partner — Founded Literary Agents of Change through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and hosts educational programming for its members.
  • American Association of Literary Agents Partner — Literary Agents of Change was formed out of AALA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and facilitates educational programming for AALA members.
  • Andrea Brown Literary Agency Partner — Employer of mentorship co-director Jemiscoe Chambers-Black and changemaker Kelly Sonnack, contributing leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Association of American Literary Agents Partner — Co-administers the mentorship program with LAOC.
  • Association of American Literary Agents Partner — Collaborates with AALA to place fellows in member agencies and ensure alignment with professional standards.
  • Association of American Literary Agents Partner — Collaborates with AALA-member agencies in the Fellowship Program.
  • Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) Partner — Co-hosts "In Conversation" events and collaborates on diversity initiatives.
  • Calligraph LLC Partner — Employer of mentorship co-director Sarah Khalil, contributing program leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Chase Literary Partner — Employer of changemaker Farley Chase, contributing to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Curtis Brown Ltd Partner — Employer of board member Kerry D'Agostino, contributing leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • DeFiore & Company Partner — Employer of board member Tamara Kawar, contributing leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Don Congdon Associates Partner — Employer of fellowship co-director Katie Kotchman, contributing program leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Folio Literary Management Partner — Employer of board member Sonali Chanchani, contributing leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Google Partner — Fellowship sponsor supporting efforts to diversify the publishing industry
  • Headwater Literary Management Partner — Employer of board member Laura Zats, contributing leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Host Agencies Partner — Established agencies that partner with Literary Agents of Change to support mentorship initiatives.
  • Ladderbird Literary Agency Partner — Employer of board member Stefanie Molina and communications co-director Leah Pierre, contributing leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Liza Dawson Associates Partner — Employer of fellowship co-director Lauren Bajek, contributing program leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Mailchimp Network — Uses Mailchimp for newsletter distribution.
  • Mailchimp Partner — Used for newsletter distribution via Mailchimp platform.
  • McIntosh & Otis Partner — Employer of board member Daniele Hunter, contributing leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Neighborhood Literary Partner — Employer of communications co-director Rebecca Podos, contributing program leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Park & Fine Literary and Media Partner — Employer of fellowship co-director Jaidree Braddix, contributing program leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Penguin Random House Partner — Fellowship sponsor supporting efforts to diversify the publishing industry
  • Root Literary Partner — Employer of board member Kurestin Armada and mentorship co-director Samantha Fabien, contributing leadership to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Serendipity Literary Agency Partner — Employer of changemaker Regina Brooks, contributing to Literary Agents of Change.
  • Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Partner — Co-hosts "Meet the Agents" panel events for the LAOC Mentorship Program.
+ 6 more
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Intersectional Equity Framework
    methodology: intersectional_equity
    By applying an intersectional equity framework that addresses overlapping systems of oppression related to race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender expression, class, and ability, the organization advances diversity and inclusion in the literary agent profession because it targets systemic barriers at their root rather than treating identity categories in isolation.
  • Mentorship Model for Retention and Career Advancement
    methodology: mentorship_for_retention
    By providing long-term, structured, and mentee-driven mentorship to emerging agents from marginalized groups, the organization improves retention and advancement in the publishing industry because it supports professional growth in ways that are responsive to individual needs and systemic inequities.
  • Pipeline Development Through Structured Placements and Grants
    methodology: pipeline_development
    By creating structured pathways—such as grants and agency placements—for students from underrepresented groups, the organization increases access to careers in literary representation because these interventions directly address systemic barriers to entry, particularly for those from minority-serving institutions.
  • Two-Pronged Recruitment and Retention Strategy
    methodology: recruitment_and_retention
    By combining targeted recruitment through fellowships with sustained mentorship for retention, the organization increases representation of underrepresented groups in literary agencies because it addresses both entry and persistence challenges in the profession.