With little hope that the leadership of Small Press Distribution will emerge to help sort through the chaos caused by their abrupt closing at the end of March, other organizations have begun stepping in to try and mitigate the damage. One potential lifeline came through last week, when the Poetry Foundation announced the establishment of a new $150,000 bridge fund to help nonprofit poetry presses affected by SPD’s collapse.
According to an April 25 announcement, the fund will operate through an “open request” process, providing grants that range up to $7,500 per press, with the foundation accepting requests on a rolling basis until September 1, or until the fund has been exhausted. To answer questions about the new fund, the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) will hold an information session with Poetry Foundation staff on Tuesday, April 30, at 3 pm CT.