Giving Season is here and we thank you for landing on this page today!

The Institute for Poetic Medicine is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has proudly operated year after year on an operating budget of less than $240,000! The majority of those operating funds comes from individual donors like you.

Each dollar that we receive from our donors is appreciated and valued. Your consideration of our organization means so much!

The Institute for Poetic Medicine (IPM) was founded in 2005 by poet, author, and educator John Fox, PPM.

John's goal was to bring poetry as a healing practice to a wider community. Since 2005 hundreds and hundreds of poetry circles have gathered, each with an emphasis on creating both a safe and creative circle. Participants are guided by experienced Poetic Medicine Facilitators to approach poetry for self-understanding through reading, reflecting, and writing poetry. Sharing within the poetry circle is by invitation and is not necessary or expected.

As part of the goal to bring poetry as a healing practice to a wider community, IPM also offers two options for facilitator training in addition to experiential poetry circles. Our 8-week Peer-Facilitator Training series offers guidance, practice, and feedback for those interested in using the Poetry as a Tool for Wellness series to share poetry circles in their communities. The more in-depth 3-year/3-phase Practitioner of Poetic Medicine training guides students through the process of designing and offering their own poetic medicine programs.

The IPM Poetry Partner program also offers grant opportunities each year for facilitators bringing poetry-as-healer to specific communities free of charge. This program allows in-person community collaboration, experiential opportunities for a wide variety of communities, and support for Practitioners of Poetic Medicine continuing to carry this work to a wider community.

In April 2026 we will be gathering online for the first-ever Poetic Medicine Summit! We hope that you will join us for the multi-day event.

We invite you to learn more about IPM at our website:

www.poeticmedicine.org

End of Year Fundraising Campaign 2025