Form 990 for tax year 2024

Totals

Total revenue

$1,272,341

Total expenses

$1,255,224

Contributions and grants received

$654,973

Grants paid

$0

Program service revenue

$69,420

Investment income

$8,418

Other revenue

$539,530

Total assets, end of year

$503,811

Total liabilities, end of year

$441,350

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$62,461

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$954,844

Management and general expenses

$189,290

Fundraising expenses

$111,090

Program service expenses (Part III)

$954,844

Program services were 76.1% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2024

• TThe Catalyst Program: Through the Catalyst Program, Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspirations SVP of Design/Certified Landscape Architect and Chief Executive Officer/Co-Founder provide comprehensive Inclusive Playground design and development support to communities, municipalities, and families interested in creating inclusive play environments in their communities. The team provides assistance and guidance from conception through completion, including: building a stakeholder base, choosing the appropriate site, inclusive playground design, community outreach and fundraising, project and construction management, vendor selection, fiscal oversight, and comprehensive resource development. Once the playground is open, the program development team works with the community to implement Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspiration's successful inclusive play programs at that playground, ensuring impact and full utilization by the community. In addition to this vast array of services, the playground design and development team advocate and train organizations globally to ensure the inclusion of children with disabilities in community and school environments. Key accomplishments over the past twenty-five years include*Providing fundraising guidance that assisted communities in generating over $75 million in support of the development of Inclusive Playgrounds, as well as community and educational programs nationally and internationally;*Opening 80 Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspiration Inclusive Playgrounds throughout the United States, as well as in Russia, Ecuador, Israel, Mexico and Canada *Partnering with Too Small To Fail, a Clinton Foundation literacy initiative, to integrate early childhood literacy components into each inclusive playground design that Inclusion Matters by SI develops. *Creating an online training course that supplements the Social Inclusion Education Curriculum, which is now in 67 countries;*Securing international partners that are working toward establishing the first inclusive playgrounds in South Africa, Japan, Argentina, Armenia, and more;*Olympic/Paralympic Partnership - Designing three inclusive playgrounds in conjunction with the 2010 Olympic/Paralympic Winter Games in Canada and with the Olympic/Paralympic Winter Games in 2014 to create the first inclusive playground in Sochi, Russia;*Advocating for and training partners in inclusive play/social inclusion best practices. This program, Together, We Are Able, has been in 250 schools, impacting over 55,000 students within Los Angeles County. Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspirations global advocacy impact includes countries such as Ecuador, Argentina, Russia, the Netherlands, and at the United Nations;*Transforming Los Angeles into the most playable city/county in the nation by working with city leaders to develop an inclusive playground initiative, part of which helped secure $9.5 million through Proposition 40 allocation. Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspiration has designed and developed 44 playgrounds in the Los Angeles region, serving millions of people annually.*Ecuador: Partnered with the U.S. Embassy to integrate the Together, We Are Able education program into university curriculum at universities throughout Ecuador. Partnered with MIDUVI (Ministry of Urban Development and Housing) to develop a modular design that will create over 40 inclusive playgrounds throughout the country of Ecuador.*Supporting the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks in developing and promoting new, inclusive recreation programming through their PlayLA initiative, supported by a $160M investment from LA28.*Receiving United Nations Special Consultative Status, creating a deeper opportunity for global advocacy.

  Expenses $498,783

• Education: For 23 years, Together, We Are Able, the education program provided free-of-charge by Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspiration, offers powerful, life-changing lessons for students with and without disabilities. It teaches character development skills that address the core issue of exclusion and bullying of children with disabilities in the school environment by bringing students of all abilities together through transformative, play-based social/emotional learning (SEL). The program has served more than 60,000 students in over 275 schools since its inception and reaches over 3,000 students in the Los Angeles region annually. The program includes the following steps: Step 1: A 60-minute classroom conversation explores how students define and perceive disabilities. Through a combination of activities, students gain a new awareness of the common ground they share with their peers with disabilities as well as real-world tools on how to engage with children who have cognitive/sensory/physical/communication differences.Step 2: Participating students with and without disabilities are paired at an Inclusion Matters playground in Los Angeles or on their school campus for interaction and play. This gives them the chance to learn from and with each other, overcoming misconceptions and strengthening social/emotional skills through play. Locally, in Los Angeles, the organization supports the cost of bus transportation for the field trips for public schools that serve children with complex disabilities, which can be a significant barrier to participation for them.Step 3: A wrap-up 45-minute workshop allows students to synthesize their new awareness and identify simple actions they can take each day to create inclusion in the hallways, cafeterias, and on the playgrounds.Step 4: Their team provides additional support via professional development, inclusion planning, and facilitating inclusive recess events to continue the interaction throughout the school year. Over 8,000 teachers, parents and education professionals have been trained by their team.The program has been replicated in the U.S. and as far away as Ecuador. Program milestones include:2012: A teachers guide and training video were released online, reaching 67 countries. The resources include:oStep-by-step instructions for facilitating the 3-step programoA detailed inclusive play guide for the interactive play eventsoA modular education DVD that shows a day-in-the life of 3 students with students with disabilitiesoSupplemental literacy support to continue the inclusion conversationoA 60-minute, modular video training2022/2026: A university inclusion training program was launched in partnership with the US Embassy & Consulate in Ecuador, reaching over 1,900 university students, professors, and practicing teachers and 5,000 children throughout the country. The organization developed its powerful curriculum and training tools into an online course in Spanish that teaches future and practicing teachers how to facilitate social inclusion on their campuses and continues.2023/2026: Via a partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the organization continues to co-host the largest Inclusive Schools Week celebration in LAUSD, an annual, national celebration held during the first week of December. During the past three years, over 200 Pre-K-12 schools have participated. The weeklong series of events feature inclusion celebrations on campuses that vary from adaptive sports, Paralympic athlete presentations, to the arts and beyond. The organization has directly facilitated inclusion for over 2,500 students during those events. This initiative has parlayed into partnerships that expand mission impact through increased services, community/school donations, corporate sponsors, and much more.2024-2026: The organization developed Inclusive STEPS: an early childhood inclusion training program. The self-paced, online course gives educators tools to facilitate inclusive social/emotional learning through play, serving a growing population of young students with disabilities. The course was launched in August 2024 and has had over 200 participants engaged to date. Thanks to a partnership with Lakeshore Learning, educators can access interactive social/emotional learning toys and books. In addition, via a partnership with the Dell Pro Bono Grant Program, Dell employees created an outreach strategy that will allow the initiative to scale up statewide throughout California in 2026. With the guidance of key Board Members, Inclusive STEPS will be implemented throughout school districts and local education agencies via a Google Ad grant program, featured speaking engagements at conferences, and continued outreach.

  Expenses $308,391

• Community Outreach: Each year, Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspiration hosts bi-monthly My Play Club events. My Play Club is a free, inclusive social recreation program for children of ALL abilities and their families that is held at one of their 44 Inclusive Playgrounds throughout the greater Los Angeles region. Face painting, arts & crafts, and snacks are provided, along with inclusive play on the playgrounds. Sponsors such as Crowe LLP, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Disney provide special activities or entertainment at the events. Community partners volunteer their valuable time and talents at each event, providing adaptive recreation and art-based activities, volunteers, peer buddies with typical abilities, and wellness information. This program was created in 2002 and is based on the belief that play is the common ground of childhood. Since that time, it has been replicated in communities throughout the United States and worldwide and has reached tens of thousands of children with disabilities and their caregivers.Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspiration participates in national/international speaking engagements that promote the power of social inclusion and inclusive play environments including the United Nations Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, International Disability Alliance Summit, the World Urban Parks Summit, to name a few. As a vital partner in Too Small to Fail, Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspiration has woven cutting-edge early childhood literacy programming into inclusive playground designs nationwide. The team has provided advocacy and public education seminars that teach social inclusion best practices to more than 600 educators, partner organizations, and professionals.Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspiration has received the following recognition: the first "Heroes for Health Award" by Good Housekeeping Magazine and General Electric; Council on Disability Award; Architectural Landscaping Design Award from the L.A. Business Council; and "Best Playground" from Los Angeles Magazine; Founders Catherine Curry Williams and Tiffany Harris received the Game Changer award from Los Angeles Magazine; National Eagle Award from the Disabilities Rights Advocates; the L.A. Parent Award for Outstanding Playgrounds (received multiple years in a row); and the Local Heroes Award from Bank of America. Inclusion Matters by Shanes Inspiration has been featured with Matt Lauer on "The Today Show", CNN, NPR, Los Angeles Times, Sunset Magazine, Los Angeles Family Magazine and the Jewish Journal. To support the continued growth of the organizations mission, Inclusion Matters has grown their Professional Advisory Board, which is comprised of health care professionals, child advocates, professors, and parents of children with disabilities. This prestigious group lends their expertise to ensure that the mission serves the social, physical, cognitive, and developmental needs of all children.

  Expenses $147,670

As filed on the 2024 return.

Listed in Part VII

• Tiffany Harris

  CEO/Co-founder

  Total calculated

  $176,433

  From this org

  $176,433

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $0

  Hours/week

  40

  Schedule J breakdown matched by us

  Base

  $176,433

  Bonus

  —not reported

  Other

  —not reported

  Deferred

  —not reported

  Nontaxable benefits

  —not reported

  Filer's total

  $176,433

• Diane Scanlan

  Sr VP Design

  Total calculated

  $130,526

  From this org

  $130,526

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $0

  Hours/week

  40

• Marci Moran

  OutreachEvents SVP

  Total calculated

  $108,875

  From this org

  $108,875

  From related orgs

  $0

  Other

  $0

  Hours/week

  40

• Jane Park

  Director

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

• Benjamin Valencia

  Director

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

• Jeff Apploff

  Director

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

• Kat Scudder

  Director

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

• Anita Lee Wright

  Director

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

• Vinish Vijay

  Director

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

• Tommy Hollenstein

  Director

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

• Kurt Marsden

  President

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

• Katherine Bell

  Vice President

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

• EdwardJ Czajka

  Treasurer

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

• Georgiann Junco-Kelman

  Secretary

  Total calculated

  $0

  Hours/week

  5

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2024

Filed

12 February 2026

IRS schema version

2024v5.2

Source object

202610439349300211

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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