With major funding deficits affecting nonprofits, especially Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits like Torch, we want to thank our funders for their unwavering support for our mission. While funding for Torch has been affected, we have gained new partners and sustained previous funders to help fuel our flame. We want to thank the Poetry Foundation, City of Austin, The Burdine Johnson Foundation, Art Power, Austin Community Foundation, Literary Arts Fund, and Texas Commission on the Arts for their continued support of Black women writers and a diverse and inclusive literary landscape.

These major funders have helped us prepare to open our first physical location in Austin. The Torch Center, opening this summer, will be a literary anchor in the Austin community, and a permanent resource and destination for Black women writers around the world. Unrestricted donations from these funders ensure that Torch leadership is trusted with our mission and decision-making for the long-term success of our nonprofit.  

Despite our loss of over $45,000 in funding, we are unwavering in our commitment to serving our community. We are especially grateful to our Community Impact Members (CIMs): a consistent group of recurring donors who give $100 annually or more to sustain Torch’s work and impact. 

As we enter 2026, we look forward to continued relationships with our major funding partners and individual donors, and can’t wait to celebrate the impact from that support at our 20th Anniversary Gathering of Flames Conference in September. Looking ahead, we anticipate more fruitful opportunities to continue growing and amplifying Black women storytellers around the world. 

If you are interested in becoming a CIM and learning more about the benefits, including your name at the Torch Center, visit torchliteraryarts.org/donate.  

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About Torch Literary Arts

Torch Literary Arts (Torch) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats.

Help Torch continue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today.