irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $727KLITERARY AWARDS:SINCE 1963, THE PEN AMERICA LITERARY AWARDS HAVE HONORED MANY OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING VOICES IN LITERATURE ACROSS DIVERSE GENRES, INCLUDING FICTION, POETRY, SCIENCE WRITING, ESSAYS, BIOGRAPHY, CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, TRANSLATION, AND DRAMA. WITH THE HELP OF OUR PARTNERS, PEN AMERICA CONFERS OVER 20 DISTINCT AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS, AND PRIZES EACH YEAR, AWARDING OVER $300,000 TO WRITERS AND TRANSLATORS.
- #2 $686KPEN WORLD VOICES FESTIVAL: PEN WORLD VOICES IS AMERICA'S PREMIER INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL, ATTRACTING THE BEST-KNOWN WRITERS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE. SINCE ITS FOUNDING, THE FESTIVAL HAS PRESENTED MORE THAN 1,800 WRITERS AND ARTISTS FROM 118 COUNTRIES SPEAKING 56 LANGUAGES IN VENUES ACROSS NEW YORK CITY AND LOS ANGELES IN A FOUR DAY SERIES OF LITERARY EVENTS WITH A HUMAN RIGHTS FOCUS. THE FESTIVAL WAS FOUNDED BY SALMAN RUSHDIE, ESTHER ALLEN AND MICHAEL ROBERTS IN THE AFTERMATH OF SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001, WITH THE AIM OF BROADENING CHANNELS OF DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD- A MISSION THAT, TODAY, HAS NEVER BEEN MORE RELEVANT. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES LEADING INTERNATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL WAS CANCELLED TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE FESTIVAL'S SCHEDULED START DATE. SOME FESTIVAL PROGRAMS DID OCCUR WITHOUT BEING NAMED UNDER THE FESTIVAL UMBRELLA. GIVEN THE TIMING OF THE CANCELLATION SIGNIFICANT NON-REFUNDABLE COSTS WERE INCURRED INCLUDING TRAVEL BOOKED AND VENUE RENTALS.
named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Expanding the Web of Control
Research and advocacy initiative documenting state and federal censorship in higher education, tracking educational gag orders and threats to academic freedom across the United States.
Literary Awards
Over 20 annual awards, fellowships, grants, and prizes honoring outstanding voices in literature across genres including fiction, poetry, translation, and nonfiction, awarding over $300,000 annually to writers and translators.
PEN World Voices Festival
America's premier international literary festival featuring writers and artists from around the world in events focused on literature and human rights, held in New York City and Los Angeles.
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Free Expression Defense & Advocacy 10 activities
- Advocacy for imprisoned and threatened writers globallyDefends free expression globally by advocating for writers at risk of imprisonment or persecution, particularly in countries identified through the Freedom to Write Index. Launched the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center in 2022 to expand these advocacy efforts and honors imprisoned writers such as Egypt’s Galal El-Behairy at high-profile events.
- Annual Freedom to Write Index and Writers at Risk DatabaseProduces the annual Freedom to Write Index, a global count of imprisoned writers, and maintains the Writers at Risk Database to track cases of writers, journalists, artists, academics, and public intellectuals facing threats for their expression. The index identifies countries and regimes that most frequently endanger writers and has documented at least 375 imprisoned writers across 40 countries in 2024.
- Capacity building for higher education leadersStrengthens institutional defenses of academic freedom by organizing over 200 higher education leaders through the Champions of Higher Education initiative and co-convening the Freedom to Learn Network with the American Council on Education to unite associations in resisting political interference on campuses.
- Monitoring educational gag orders and censorship in higher educationDocuments and analyzes state-level legislative efforts to censor higher education, including educational gag orders and indirect censorship provisions. Maintains and publishes the Index of Educational Gag Orders, a dataset tracking such legislation and policies since 2021, and produces guides to help campus stakeholders defend academic freedom.
- National campaign against book bans and educational censorshipLeads national advocacy efforts to combat book bans and protect the freedom to read, including participation in the Banned Books Week Coalition and filing federal lawsuits—such as one in April 2025 against the Rutherford County Board of Education—to challenge book removals as First Amendment violations. Runs an ongoing campaign since January 2021 defending students and faculty from legislative restrictions on free expression in education.
- Public statements and press advocacy for journalism and accountabilityIssues press releases and public statements in defense of journalists, government accountability, and free expression. Engages in broader advocacy to support local journalism and counter disinformation.
- Research on disinformation and online abuseConducts research on disinformation and online abuse to identify patterns threatening free expression and democracy. Includes original studies on digital safety, content moderation tools, and journalist surveys to inform best practices, as well as analysis of how online abuse impacts free expression, equity, and physical safety.
- Support and safety resources for journalistsProvides digital safety resources, online abuse defense training, and an online harassment field manual for journalists. Defends journalists targeted by online abuse and offers tools to detect, monitor, and report disinformation while strengthening community trust.
- Tracking and research on book bans in U.S. schoolsConducts ongoing research on book banning in the United States, publishing annual reports since 2022 that document and analyze the scale, scope, and impact of school book bans. This includes maintaining a formal definition of a book ban, categorizing over 2,500 cases during the 2024–2025 school year, and reporting nearly 23,000 total bans since 2021 across multiple states and school districts.
- Workshops and training on free speech and academic freedomProvides workshops and trainings for college campus communities on free speech, academic freedom, and defending expression. Organizes advocacy trainings as part of its broader public programming.
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Literary Events & Workshops 3 activities
- Authors' Evenings fundraising and public engagement eventsHosts Authors' Evenings as intimate fundraising events that connect supporters with writers, filmmakers, and creators of major television series such as Christopher Nolan, Barry Jenkins, and teams from Succession and The Queen’s Gambit. These events raise vital funds for PEN America programs.
- PEN America Literary Awards and public programsAdministers the PEN America Literary Awards, honoring outstanding voices in literature across multiple genres, and hosts signature public events such as the annual Literary Awards Ceremony. Also organizes free and low-cost public programs including authors' evenings, advocacy trainings, writers workshops, and community gatherings.
- PEN World Voices FestivalOrganizes the PEN World Voices Festival, a major international literary festival featuring over 1,800 writers and artists from 118 countries speaking 56 languages, with events held in New York City and Los Angeles. The festival includes keynotes by prominent authors and centers on literature with a human rights focus.
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Artist Support Grants 1 activity
- Funding writers and translators through awards and grantsAwards grants and fellowships to writers and translators across genres including fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and translation, conferring nearly $350,000 annually (over $300,000 per IRS-990) through more than 20 literary awards, prizes, and fellowships.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$15.93M
Contributions & grants$13.08M82%
Program service revenue$563K4%
Investment income$2.14M13%
Other revenue$152K
expenses
Total expenses$25.20M
Program expenses67%
Admin / overhead23%
Fundraising10%
Salaries & benefits$12.70M
Grants paid out$1.46M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$45.66M
Cash$1.33M
Investments$23.39M
Liabilities$9.14M
Net assets$36.52M
Liquid reserves11.8 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -26.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 10
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUZANNE NOSSEL | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | 40 | $463K |
| OLAKUNLE APAMPA | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 40 | $358K |
| CLARISSE ROSAZ SHARIYF | CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER, LIT PROG | 40 | $289K |
| SUMMER LOPEZ | CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER, FREE EXP | 40 | $284K |
| GERALDINE BAUM | CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER | 40 | $276K |
| MAAYAN DAUBER | CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER | 40 | $254K |
| ALLISON LEE | MANAGING DIRECTOR, LA | 40 | $246K |
| KIMBERLY THOMAS | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 40 | $233K |
| JONATHAN FRIEDMAN | MANAGING DIRECTOR, FREE EXP | 40 | $233K |
| SHAWNNA JANNAH | MANAGING DIRECTOR/HR | 40 | $232K |
board members · 15
- ALIX RITCHIE — TRUSTEE
- ALLISON MARKIN POWELL — TRUSTEE
- ANDREW SOLOMON — TRUSTEE
- ANYA SALAMA — TRUSTEE
- AYAD AKHTAR — TRUSTEE
- BRIDGET COLMAN — TRUSTEE
- DINAW MENGESTU — VICE PRESIDENT
- ELIZABETH HEMMERDINGER — TRUSTEE
- FRANKLIN LEONARD — TRUSTEE
- GEORGE PACKER — TRUSTEE
- JAMES HANNAHAM — TRUSTEE
- JAMIE WOLF — TRUSTEE
- JENNIFER FINNEY BOYLAN — PRESIDENT
- JODI PICOULT — TRUSTEE
- JOHN CHAO — TRUSTEE
relationships · 38
Who they work with
- Aileen Favilla Partner — Program Manager, Campus Free Speech at PEN America
- Amber Ruffin Partner — Hosted the 2025 Literary Gala for PEN America.
- American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Coalition — Collaborates on research concerning faculty concerns about online harassment.
- American Council on Education Partner — Co-convenes the Freedom to Learn Network with PEN America to defend academic freedom in higher education.
- Amy Reid Partner — Program Director, Freedom to Learn at PEN America
- Ava Duvernay Partner — Recipient of the Voice of Influence Award in 2019.
- B.J. Novak Partner — Hosted the 2026 Literary Gala for PEN America.
- Banned Books Week Coalition Coalition — PEN America collaborates with the Banned Books Week Coalition to promote the freedom to read.
- Barack Obama Partner — Recipient of the Voice of Influence Award in 2020.
- Barry Jenkins Partner — Featured filmmaker at Authors’ Evenings events.
- Christopher Nolan Partner — Featured filmmaker at Authors’ Evenings events.
- Clare Carter Partner — Program Coordinator, Freedom to Learn at PEN America
- Conecta Arizona Partner — Featured in PEN America's counter-disinformation resources for its work battling political violence and opening spaces for dialogue.
- Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Government — Monitored and reported on the removal of nearly 600 books from DoDEA schools following federal executive orders.
- Esther Allen Partner — Co-founder of the PEN World Voices Festival
- Front Line Defenders Partner — Co-leads the Free Narges Coalition Steering Committee with PEN America to advocate for the release of Narges Mohammadi.
- Independent Chinese PEN Center Partner — Partners with the Independent Chinese PEN Center on advocacy for writers at risk in China.
- Index of Educational Gag Orders Network — Hosts and maintains the Index of Educational Gag Orders as a central resource for tracking censorship legislation.
- International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) Coalition — Collaborates on research related to online abuse of journalists.
- Jon Yaged Partner — Honored at the 2025 Literary Gala as CEO of Macmillan Publishers.
- Jonathan Friedman Partner — Sy Syms Managing Director, U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America
- Kristen Shahverdian Partner — Director, Campus Free Speech at PEN America
- Michael Roberts Partner — Co-founder of the PEN World Voices Festival
- Michael Roth Partner — Honored at the 2025 Literary Gala as President of Wesleyan University.
- Narges Foundation Partner — Co-leads the Free Narges Coalition Steering Committee with PEN America to advocate for the release of Narges Mohammadi.
- Nicholas Perez Partner — Senior Manager, Campus Free Speech at PEN America
- PEN International Network — Collaborates with PEN International on global advocacy for writers.
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Partner — Co-leads the Free Narges Coalition Steering Committee with PEN America to advocate for the release of Narges Mohammadi.
- Rutherford County Board of Education Partner — Challenged in a federal lawsuit filed by PEN America in April 2025 over book removals and restrictions.
- Salman Rushdie Partner — Co-founder of the PEN World Voices Festival
+ 8 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.
- Advocacy through Visibility and Recognitionmethodology: advocacy-through-visibilityBy publicly honoring imprisoned and at-risk writers through high-profile awards and literary recognition, PEN America produces sustained advocacy pressure and global awareness, because visibility reduces the risk of persecution and amplifies individual cases into systemic critiques of repression.
- Data-Driven Systemic Advocacymethodology: data-driven advocacyBy documenting censorship, book bans, and writer imprisonment through rigorous research and typologies, PEN America frames isolated incidents as systemic threats to democracy and free expression, because data enables early warning (bellwether monitoring), exposes ideological patterns, and strengthens public and policy responses.
- Holistic Safety Model for At-Risk Writersmethodology: holistic safetyBy addressing threats to writers through a multidimensional safety approach—digital, physical, legal, and psychological—PEN America increases resilience and sustained participation in public discourse, because isolated interventions fail to counter coordinated, identity-based attacks that exploit multiple vectors of harm.
- Integrated Free Expression and Human Rights Frameworkmethodology: literature-and-human-rightsBy integrating literature with human rights principles and cultural diplomacy, PEN America advances free expression as a universal right, because anchoring speech protection in human dignity and cross-border solidarity strengthens both local and global resistance to censorship and repression.