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Donate to Split This Rock & Give Power to Poetry

Split This Rock's work is a dedication to poetry that speaks truth to power, a balm through times of threat & high stakes, affirmation & celebration of communities that are most at risk, and a call to deeper connection & community. Will you invest in Split This Rock today and give power to poetry?

After we published a statement in defense of Black lives this June, a major donor withdrew a critical $55,000 annual funding commitment. This funding made it possible to expand our staff to four full-time positions in 2019, the largest the team has ever been and still half the size of comparable peer organizations.

Help us keep Split This Rock community-funded so we can continue to center poets and poetry that speak truth to power.

Split This Rock's Board has set a bold challenge to replace this lost funding. If 1,000 people contribute $5 per month, we can replace the revoked $55k in one year. If 11,000 people contribute $5 per month, we can replace the revoked funding in one month, hire more staff, and fully fund Split This Rock to sustain the work long term. Full funding would ensure year-round stipends for Teaching Artists and Featured Poets, honorariums for the Poem of the Week Series, accessibility services for events, and increased pay to honor the tremendous work of our small staff.

If you find the poetry and resources Split This Rock shares nourishing, please consider becoming a monthly sustaining donor for as little as $5 per month, telling 5 friends about our work -- or both! A monthly donation at any level increases stability as we face an uncertain funding landscape. One-time gifts are also always welcome! If you aren't able to donate right now but this work means something to you, please help by sharing poems from The Quarry, why our work matters to you, and this call for support.

Read these special messages from Split This Rock's Board and Staff:

Sustain Split This Rock for the long haul + New Poem from Danez Smith! | A Letter from Split This Rock's Board
Give Power to Poetry | A Letter from Split This Rock's Staff

To mail your gift:
Send a check payable to "Split This Rock" to: Split This Rock, 1301 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 600, Washington DC 20036

Header Image Description:
Split This Rock Board of Directors and Staff appear in a collage in two rows. From left to right, the top row includes: Susan Scheid, Regie Cabico, Danez Smith, Charles Doolittle, and Dwayne Lawson-Brown. From left to right, the bottom row includes: Rasha Abdulhadi, Chelsea Iorlano, Camisha Jones, and Alexandria Petrassi.

Photo Credits: Rasha Abdulhadi by Dina Abdulhadi. Camisha Jones by Brandon Woods. Alexandria Petrassi by Benjamin Renne.

Read these special messages from Split This Rock’s year-end fundraising campaign in 2019:

Will you invest in the power of poetry this year? | A Letter from Executive Director Rasha Abdulhadi
We're making a place together in poetry. | A Letter from Youth Programs Fellow Alexa Patrick
There's More for Poetry to Do | A Letter from Managing Director Camisha Jones
The Sarah Browning Travel Scholarship Fund | A Letter from Founding Director Sarah Browning
Why I Teach Split This Rock's Poem of the Week | A Video Testimonial from Andrea Jenkins, Minneapolis City Council Vice President

Give Today & Honor a Poet's Legacy!

In celebration of Split This Rock’s first decade and to inspire support for the years to come, we have named Giving Circles in honor of poets who have inspired, supported, and helped to shape Split This Rock’s work. When you give, you build on their legacy. You can now give to honor following poets:

Langston Hughes Circle ($10,000): Split This Rock’s name is drawn from the Hughes’ poem “Big Buddy”: Don’t you hear this hammer ring? / I’m gonna split this rock / And split it wide! / When I split this rock, / Stand by my side. Permission granted by the Langston Hughes estate.
June Jordan Circle ($5,000+): On the 10th anniversary of Jordan's passing, Split This Rock dedicated the 2012 Festival in her memory. Her poetry, prose, and teaching continue to inspire and animate Split This Rock’s work.
Adrienne Rich Circle ($1,000+): Moved by the vision for Split This Rock, Adrienne sent Split This Rock’s founders a powerful letter of endorsement and a check for $1,000 to support the first festival.
Lucille Clifton Circle ($500+): One of the first poets to say “yes” to featuring at the 2008 festival, Ms. Lucille, as she's fondly known, sadly was unable to attend due to illness. Split This Rock paid tribute to her at the 2010 festival, a month after her death. In her memory, her family has made the inaugural gift to the Lucille Clifton Circle.
Francisco X. Alarcón Circle ($250+): A faithful attendee at Split This Rock Poetry Festivals, Francisco spearheaded Poets Responding to SB 1070, often partnering with Split This Rock, and worked tirelessly for immigration justice.
Zahara Heckscher Circle ($100+): An active member of Split This Rock’s network, Zahara invented the Poetry Game, presenting it at festivals and designating a portion of proceeds to supporting Split This Rock.
Maxwell Corydon Wheat Jr. Circle ($1-99): After being fired as Poet Laureate of Nassau County, NY for writing poems against the Iraq War, Max was declared Poet Laureate by the community’s poets. An attendee and panelist at Split This Rock’s first festival, Max mailed $5 checks to Split This Rock every month until his death in 2016.

SPLIT THIS ROCK NAMED ONE OF DC'S BEST SMALL CHARITIES

Split This Rock is featured in the 2020-2021 Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region. Visit Split This Rock's page to give today! Donations given through the Catalogue portal incur the lowest transaction fees.