Lake Erie Ink

“Prior to filing, the form 990 is presented to the executive director and finance staff for review and approval. The form 990 is then electronically distributed to the board of directors in advance of filing. A board officer signs the 990 (or 8879-eo) and the 990 is electronically filed.”

“Conflict of interest statements are signed annually by the board of directors.”

“The executive committee annually evaluates the performance of the executive director. Compensation is based on performance and compared to other area mission-comparable organizations of similar size. Compensation for staff within the organization is determined by the executive director. The level of compensation is set based on performance and in relation to other area mission-comparable organizations of similar size. This compensation is a component of the budget, which is reviewed and approved by the finance committee and also by the board as a whole.”

“The organization's governing documents, form 1023 and form 990 are made available to the public upon request. The form 990, without schedule b) can also be found on several publicly-accessible websites.”

“In 2025, lake erie ink was able to provide creative expression opportunities to 3,876 youth in grades 1-12 across the greater cleveland community. We worked with 44 program partners at 57 sites, including 47 schools. Our teachers led workshops in schools and community locations, as well as providing core programming at lei's main site (moved from coventry neighborhood to south taylor road in december), including summer camps, evening programs, and weekend workshops. 60 volunteers and interns supported our programming this year. Lei staff and teachers facilitated workshops on everything from basic literacy skills and personal narrative to playwriting, poetry and comics. We have continued to expand our programs involving narrative tabletop role-playing games. Lake erie ink hosted two virtual programs this year, writers' club and teen editors and published our 9th anthology of teen writing. We hosted kids' comic con events at the pivot center and moca, serving 147 youth in grades 2-12 in these events. Lake erie ink brought creative writing and art activities to a variety of community events, including cleveland heights' juneteenth and lgbtq+ pride month celebrations, as well as cleveland city's pride. We partnered with community organizations such as the cleveland museum of natural history, shaker historical society, cain park arts festival, and the cleveland international film fest. We published a third creative community cookbook. This year, we participated in 24 community and outreach events. The biggest challenge this year was our move from the coventry neighborhood, which had been lei's home since its inception, to our new location on south taylor road. The move necessitated a lot of adjustment in the second half of the fiscal year, as our new storefront space has less room than our previous location, and is configured differently, so we have to think differently about how to use the space with our participants and staff. One student from cleveland heights high school said that lei programs gave them "immense creative freedom," while another appreciated being "in control of my work." lei also has an impact on the classroom teachers we work with. Partnerships with teachers, schools, and other community organizations have a wider impact as well. A teacher at mary bethune noted that, "several students became engaged with programs and activities outside of school through lake erie ink...it is very rewarding to see students branch out and become connected with a wider writing community."”

“Professional fees 33,683 8,821 11,460 donated website services 4,750 0 250 total 38,433 8,821 11,710”