Project Purpose

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
881629251
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Crime Prevention

Reported finances

Revenue
$124,300
Expenses
$124,300
Assets
$6,145

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

Leadership & pay

2 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Preston Grays (Executive Director)

People named in this filing

  • Preston Grays (Executive Director)
  • William Harrison (Chief Operating Officer)

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

Through the power of multimedia storytelling including podcasting music production and poetry we amplify the voices and experiences of DC residents east of the river. Our mission is to uncover the root causes of community challenges address trauma and celebrate resilience. By sharing these stories we strive to foster healing connection and empowerment within our community. We provide free programming to all residents especially those who live in underserved communities and for families who are close to or below the poverty line.

What it reported doing in 2025

Continued excellence and expansion within ONSE Pathways program allowed Project Purpose to now serve families who have experienced trauma. Through art and healing groups we can now reach more people that attend sessions. Our multimedia program has successfully transitioned into a summer arts program at Sousa Middle School called "healing heART" a partnership initiated by the principal after witnessing the programs impact during our first year in the building. Additionally this program has expanded to multiple other locations across Washington DC. Our Trauma Response Program has added a licensed therapy component that allows residents without easy healthcare access. Additionally weve signed 3 new partnerships that allow us to enter schools hospitals and area recreation centers to offer free programming to DC residents.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 45
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 17
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 44.6%; rating input score 45
  • Program expense ratio: 44.6%; rating input score 45

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.05; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 52.4%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -40.5% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -10% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 150% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 44.6% of revenue deployed · 44.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $55K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 2 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 45/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 45/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.