Spirit Awakening Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
954585425
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2009
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone
8664568002
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,396,608
Expenses
$1,315,387
Assets
$582,717
Liabilities
$61,084

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Akuyoe Graham (Board Member)
  • Lynn Kitchen (Board Member)
  • Bertrand Christian (Board 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. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Spirit Awakening Foundation, (SAF), is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary arts organization. Through the power of artistic expression in the literary, theater and visual arts disciplines, we support program participants in transforming their lives.We believe that art is powerful and can entertain, heal, transform and inspire; therefore, artistic expression is a powerful entryway to uncover and heal from traumatic experiences. With the use of meditation/mindfulness practices, creative writing, visual arts, music, role-play, conflict resolution and dramatic improvisation, we support abused, neglected and underserved youth and young adults in realizing their value, self-worth, and dignity.Through our arts practices, SAF addresses the internalized racism and negative beliefs that stumps creative expression and produces self-hatred, low self-esteem, and violent behavior stemming from systemic structures that oppress and harm youth and communities of color.Spirit Awakening Foundation supports it

What it reported doing in 2024

2024 AchievementsThe Spirit Awakening feature film is nearing completion, and the premiere will be held in the Fall of 2025; SAF secured a fully executed lease with the City of Los Angeles for the Historic Crenshaw Fire Station. The Fire Station has a breezeway that we will turn into an art gallery showcasing the artistic works of our program participants and members of the District 8 community as well; SAFs Mentoring Leaders programs are being successfully implemented at the historic Crenshaw Fire Station where we have established trust with the Crenshaw community and other community-based organizations to reach and serve as many youth as possible; SAF is in the process of training, cultivating and implementing policies and procedures that will support our growth and expansion as we increase our staff size and train more artists to teach our programs. SAF has secured two capacity building grants and we therefore have team building and supervisors trainings lined up for staff and teaching artists. Our goal is to make sure that our day-to-day practices are in integrity with our mission and who we believe ourselves to be; SAF led a 5-day leadership retreat to Esalen Institute, nestled in the dynamic and beautiful mountains of Big Sur, in August. Participants, mentors and staff were all able to retreat- bask in the healing energy of the natural world and center ourselves. The immeasurable joy of witnessing our young participants totally enthralled by the sheer vastness and splendor of this worldwide meeting place for the development of human potential is truly priceless. That Spirit Awakening gets to offer our embattled young ones such a safe place to heal that which torments them within; come to homeostasis and realign with their authentic selves- is at once humbling and euphoric. SAF doesnt just offer programs, we offer life expanding experiences that transform; SAF is very grateful to be able to do this. And we could not do any of this without the unconditional, generous and expansive support of our donors; SAFs annual fundraising event that acknowledges and celebrates the resiliency, talents and artistry of program participants and those that support our work. The 2024 event was magnificent as we were able to reach our fundraising goal and showcase the brilliance of program participants.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 84% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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 program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 53
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 56
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 55.6%; rating input score 56
  • Program expense ratio: 58.9%; rating input score 59
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.13 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 12th 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: 75%; rating input score 75; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 5.8%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.44; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.6% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.2% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 24.9% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 55.6% of revenue deployed · 58.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 8 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $775K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 23 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 56/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 59/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 52/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part IX FeesForServicesOther column sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.