Seen and Heard
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 821734928
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Phone
- 3236097791
- Rating
- 73
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Alliance/Advocacy
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $502,236
- Expenses
- $481,169
- Assets
- $477,320
- Liabilities
- $27,620
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- REGAN WILLIAMS (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- REGAN WILLIAMS (CEO): $90,000 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Seen & Heard seeks to develop the professional character of system-impacted youth through performing arts training.
What it reported doing in 2025
Students cultivate professional interpersonal skills though trauma informed, evidence-based programming. Open to system-impacted youth ages 16-23.Phase One is ten weeks. During this phase, cohorts meet weekly to work, practice and create together. Everyone is needed and everyone is valued. Two trauma informed teachers guide youth through concepts like mindfulness, emotional control, effective communication, and self-confidence with drama at the center of every lesson. At the end of Phase One, students present scenes theyve been working on in a low-key open house with supporters they invite. Then, they journey on together towards Phase Two.Phase Two is eight weeks. Students remain in the same cohort to deepen relationships and build upon concepts from Phase One, while also adding more advanced skills. Phase Two focuses on active listening, achievement motivation, coping ahead, and stress management. These skills are developed though acting exercises and personal creations, with group de-briefs throughout. At the end of Phase Two, youth have the opportunity to participate in a graduation reception where student projects are shared and accomplishments recognized publicly.Seen & Heard Graduates have unique opportunities to explore connections through vetted professionals and partner organizations. They may choose to opt-in for one-on-one coaching, or train to be an Alumni Leader in order to give back to their community. Eligible graduates may also participate in our free summer program which includes drivers education, behind the wheel instruction, and a personal DMV navigator for youth without adult support.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 97% 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 and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 61
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 80
- Sustainability: 39
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.8%; rating input score 65
- Program expense ratio: 67.4%; rating input score 67
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 4.2%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.99; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 18.7%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 0.1% per year; rating input score 100; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 64.8% of revenue deployed · 67.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $325K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $90K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 25 of 26 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 42/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 41/100.