NaNoWriMo, a 25-year-old online writing community turned nonprofit, has announced that it will be shutting down. The organization, short for National Novel Writing Month, is known for its annual challenge where writers aim to complete a rough draft of a novel during November. What started as a Yahoo! mailing list in 1999 grew into a popular writing challenge with hundreds of thousands of participants over the years.

The decision to close comes after ongoing financial struggles that have made it tough for NaNoWriMo to continue operating. Last year, the organization faced public scrutiny when it expressed support for the use of artificial intelligence in creative writing. This stance led to notable authors Maureen Johnson and Daniel José Older resigning from the board, raising concerns about AI models potentially using writers’ work without permission.

In addition to the AI controversy, NaNoWriMo faced criticism for inconsistent moderation on its forums, creating an unsafe space for teenage writers within the community. These issues, although not directly causing NaNoWriMo’s closure, certainly contributed to its challenges.

“To attribute NaNoWriMo’s closure solely to the events of the past year overlooks the broader struggles faced by many nonprofits,” said a spokesperson named Kilby in a YouTube video. “Many members of our large community came to expect our services to be free, which made sustainability difficult.”