The Bolo Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
852606915
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Seal Beach, CA, USA
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$69,116
Expenses
$47,992
Assets
$78,170

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Gila Kurtz (President)

People named in this filing

  • Gila Kurtz (President)
  • Joon Han (Treasurer)
  • Phil Black (Secretary)

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

Serving the Southern California area, The BOLO Project is a nonprofit dedicated to harnessing the power of the dog-human bond to empower teens. Through our programs, we create opportunities for personal growth while fostering emotional and psychological resilience, empathy, leadership, and a spirit of giving back.? Our flagship location in Los Alamitos, California, serves as the heart of our community-focused programs. We partner with local schools, organizations, and families to build an environment where young people can thrive, forge meaningful connections, and develop lifelong skills. As we continue to grow, we are proud to contribute to the vibrant Southern California area by supporting teensand their families.

What it reported doing in 2025

The Bolo Project ignites a generation of confident, resilient, and purpose-driven leaders. We equip teens with mindset mastery, financial literacy, leadership skills, and the courage to live on purpose- all while harnessing the unconditional love of dogs to inspire connection, reduce anxiety and awaken joy.In 2025, 48 students were served and 99% of parents said the child was eager to attend. 100% of participants reported increased confidence and 3 alumni students returned as volunteers. Significant funds were raised for other animal nonprofits and 75% of participants achieved SMART goals.Three weekend retreats were hosted centering around the athlete's mindset, teen entrepreneur money mastery and teen leadership. At a time where teen anxiety is up 76% from 2009 and youth suicide is up 60% since 2007 as well as 73% of teens reporting feeling overwhelmed by the demands of life, The BOLO Project serves as an antidote- helping teens lead themselves well, build resilience, and step into a future filled with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

Operating model

Revenue model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
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

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 62
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.6%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 97.4%; rating input score 97

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: 30.6%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.63; rating input score 60; 60th 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: 89.8% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 31.2% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67.6% of revenue deployed · 97.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $47K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 6 of 6 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 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.

  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.