Literacy for Incarcerated Teens

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
800281475
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2008
Location
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Rating
90
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Inmate Support

Reported finances

Revenue
$24,843
Expenses
$27,078
Assets
$14,011

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Karlan Sick (Chairperson President)

People named in this filing

  • Karlan Sick (Chairperson President)
  • Judith Frost (Secretary)
  • Mary Elizabeth Wendt (Treasurer)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To collaborate with teachers librarians volunteers and staff serving New Yorks and other states incarcerated and detained youth along with host agencies to enhance students reading skills and interest. Our goal is to inspire all students to embrace a literate lifestyle. We achieve this by creating outstanding school libraries delivering top-notch library programs organizing special events and providing professional development chances.

What it reported doing in 2025

Library and Literacy Program Grants were given to 5 juvenile detention centers in New York and Kentucky to provide 54 in person and zoom author visits writing poetry and performing workshops serving approximately 1438 students.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 97
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.6%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 91.3%; rating input score 91

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -9%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.52; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -7.9% per year; rating input score 0; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -21.8% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -32.5% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.6% of revenue deployed · 91.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 2 filed program accomplishments · $25K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 32/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.