05/20/2026
Dear community and supporters,
We write to you with abundant gratitude and to update you on our progress. In August, we came to you with a rallying call to ask what support you could offer as we aimed to bridge a $68,750 funding gap.
We are elated to share that we are still here thanks to every donation of funds, time, and talent that you contributed to allow Split This Rock to keep doing our necessary work. The outpouring of support we have received from you all has buoyed us and expanded our imagination of what’s possible at Split This Rock.
We are now 85% of the way to our fundraising goal! We will continue our fundraising efforts with the hopes of raising the remaining 15% of our goal—that’s just over $10,000—by the end of the summer. Can we count on you to help us meet our goal?
Thanks to you, we were able to raise $20,478 from donations, merchandise sales, and ticket sales. This was only possible because:
–Almost 500 of you answered our call with a monetary donation ranging from $5 to $1,000, or became a monthly donor;
–Over 40 of you filled out our Community Outreach Form with offers of support;
–27 generous poets volunteered their time and talents to participate in readings, facilitate workshops, and feature at our DC fundraising party; and
–Over 300 community members attended workshops, readings, and our DC fundraising party.
We offer a special shout out to poets who have generously brainstormed with us or donated their time and labor towards our virtual and in-person fundraising events so far: Kay Ulanday Barrett, Hanif Abdurraqib, Clint Smith, Ra Avis, Khadijah Queen, Kyla-Yến Huỳnh Giffin, Jorrell Watkins, Ana Portnoy Brimmer, Gabriel Ramirez, Arianna Monet, Ina Cariño, MT Vallarta, Amir McClam, Tala Khanmalek, Joselia Hughes, Ezra Fox, Jimena Lucero, Zuggie Tate, Cai Sherley, Golden, Chrysanthemum, Sami Miranda, John Chambers, Sagirah Shahid, Aliah Lavonne Jahan-Tigh, Isa Borgeson, Lehua M. Taitano, Noah Arhm Choi, Noʻu Revilla, and S. J. Ghaus.
In addition to all of our individual donors and supporters, we are immensely grateful to our funders. In response to our call, we received:
–a $25,000 matching grant from Poetry Foundation;
–a $3,000 matching grant from The Cynipid Fund;
–and a $10,000 Disability Futures Fund award, after being nominated by a gracious anonymous supporter.
Finally, we’re grateful to share that the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, our long-time funder, has supported us with a renewal grant for general operating support.
Split This Rock’s staff and board cannot overstate our gratitude for the myriad ways this community has gathered with, encouraged, and fueled us as we’ve mapped our path of survival during a time of such profound violence and volatility the world over.
While we are thrilled to remain open and continue providing offerings, the staff at Split This Rock remain at part-time capacity and ongoing programs like Poem of the Week and Youth Writing Workshops remain paused.
This means our process of defining Split This Rock’s future is ongoing as we continue to work at a pace aligned with our commitments to disability and labor justice. We plan to share updates as Split This Rock's work continues to evolve and adapt.
Thank you, again, community—for showing up, sharing resources, and continuing to affirm the need for Split This Rock, the only national organization with a mission to integrate poetry and social justice.
Yours in poetry and resistance,
Split This Rock Staff & Board of Directors
Image Description: A series of 7 graphics with Split This Rock’s red logo and text that reads “FUNDRAISING UPDATE” at the top. Each graphic has text from a letter to the community with expressions of gratitude and updates on Split This Rock’s fundraising progress since August 2025. The letter text is included in the caption and comments. The last graphic includes collaged images of Split This Rock’s Staff and Board members.
