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← WORDS ALIVE

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by WORDS ALIVE.

Totals

Total revenue
$1,164,791
Total expenses
$1,137,715
Contributions and grants received
$1,037,465
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$108,040
Investment income
$23,000
Other revenue
-$3,714
Total assets, end of year
$3,017,556
Total liabilities, end of year
$81,233
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$2,936,323
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$698,944
Management and general expenses
$261,325
Fundraising expenses
$177,446
Program service expenses (Part III)
$698,944

Program services were 61.4% 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.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1c · Fundraising events

    $40,340

  • 1e · Government grants (contributions)

    $75,390

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $921,735

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $21,740

  • 2a · Program service revenue: Educational support

    total $108,040 · related or exempt $108,040

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $23,000 · excluded $23,000

  • 8a · Fundraising events: gross income

    $23,930

  • 8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

    $40,340

  • 8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

    $27,644

  • 8c · Net income from fundraising events

    total -$3,714 · excluded -$3,714

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $0

  • 2 · Grants to domestic individuals

    total $0

  • 3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

    total $0

  • 4 · Benefits paid to or for members

    total $0

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $180,491 · program services $73,517 · management and general $82,468 · fundraising $24,506

  • 6 · Compensation of disqualified persons

    total $0

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $522,014 · program services $383,519 · management and general $37,868 · fundraising $100,627

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $10,633 · program services $7,414 · management and general $1,351 · fundraising $1,868

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $38,548 · program services $26,212 · management and general $5,397 · fundraising $6,939

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $50,297 · program services $34,202 · management and general $7,042 · fundraising $9,053

  • 11a · Fees: management

    total $0

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $886 · management and general $886

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $15,335 · program services $1,660 · management and general $13,236 · fundraising $439

  • 11d · Fees: lobbying

    total $0

  • 11f · Fees: investment management

    total $0

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $32,781 · program services $500 · management and general $32,031 · fundraising $250

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $0

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $30,187 · program services $7,402 · management and general $15,483 · fundraising $7,302

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $38,306 · program services $9,305 · management and general $25,795 · fundraising $3,206

  • 15 · Royalties

    total $0

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $17,027 · program services $6,478 · management and general $8,834 · fundraising $1,715

  • 17 · Travel

    total $4,916 · program services $2,973 · management and general $833 · fundraising $1,110

  • 18 · Travel or entertainment for public officials

    total $0

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $0

  • 20 · Interest

    total $0

  • 21 · Payments to affiliates

    total $0

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $63,707 · program services $43,321 · management and general $8,919 · fundraising $11,467

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $9,556 · management and general $9,556

  • 24a · Other expenses: Employees and volunteers

    total $5,104 · program services $2,482 · management and general $2,362 · fundraising $260

  • 24b · Other expenses: Books

    total $75,758 · program services $75,758

  • 24c · Other expenses: Repairs and maintenance

    total $10,697 · management and general $9,202 · fundraising $1,495

  • 24d · Other expenses: Program expenses

    total $24,263 · program services $24,201 · management and general $62

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $7,209 · fundraising $7,209

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $204,272 · end of year $204,268

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $632,595 · end of year $658,398

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $66,175 · end of year $38,000

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $95,126 · end of year $83,889

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $5,534 · end of year $15,539

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $1,101,824

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $123,934

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $1,952,667 · end of year $1,977,890

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $15,078 · end of year $16,511

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $3,728 · end of year $23,061

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $79,208 · end of year $58,046

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $3,728 · end of year $23,187

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $2,648,077 · end of year $2,598,749

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $244,162 · end of year $337,574

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

At Words Alive, we know that whole communities thrive when everyone reads. Our programs empower learners facing extraordinary life circumstances such as unstable housing, poverty, foster care, and impact by the justice system. Words Alive prioritizes the populations disproportionately impacted by the literacy crisis.

Activities or mission (Part I)

At Words Alive, we envision a world where everyone is connected to the power of reading and the innumerable ways it enriches our lives.

  • Read Aloud Program volunteers share the joy of a good story while helping children develop the cognitive, language, and social-emotional skills needed to be capable readers. Our program inspires students to be curious, courageous, and compassionate by exploring engaging and relevant books together with caring adults. In 2024-2025 program year, we provided weekly read aloud experiences and new books to 3,431 students across 23 Title I elementary schools, 78 out-of-school time providers, and dozens of community-based organizations.Students took home over 14,000 books paired with custom bilingual learning kits to deepen connection to the text.

    Expenses $392,055 · Revenue $17,706

  • Family Literacy Program inspires parents and family caregivers to make exploring books a robust family habit by connecting reading and play.Parents and caregivers receive new childrens books to grow their personal libraries and learn engagement strategies and exploratory activities to use reading as a family at home. Families report reading more often together, for longer periods of time, and practicing positive reading behaviors with their children. Offered in English and Spanish, this six-week workshop series reached 1,358 families and 1,508 family caregivers in the 2024-25 program year and distributed 8,148 books, each paired with a custom bilingual learning kit designed to bring the book alive. An additional 2,000 books were distributed through outreach events to help drive program registration and awareness at partner sites in communities most impacted by the literacy crisis.

    Expenses $207,455 · Revenue $90,334

  • Adolescent Book Group ignites a love of reading by connecting teenagers with volunteer facilitators to discuss, write, and create projects that bring books alive. As students share perspectives in this safe space, they improve communication skills, gain confidence, and enhance their ability to express themselves authentically. Diverse and contemporary texts are explored through discussion groups, text analysis, writing workshops, and author/illustrator visits. During the 2024-25 program year, we brought reading alive for 95 teens and young adolescents. We distributed 400 engaging books to young readers in the program, resulting in an average increase of nearly 60 percent in the size of participants personal libraries.

    Expenses $99,434

As filed on the 2024 return.

Listed in Part VII

  • Hampton Nonprofit Mgt Jan -Dec 2024

    Executive Director

    Total calculated
    $79,388
    From this org
    $79,388
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Rachael Orose

    Executive Director

    Total calculated
    $54,187
    From this org
    $53,125
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $1,062
    Hours/week
    40
  • Anastasia Rollins Optima started Dec 2024

    Director of Finance

    Total calculated
    $1,108
    From this org
    $1,108
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    6
  • Meredith Baratz

    Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Julie Dubick

    Vice Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Karen Silberman term ended January

    Immediate Past Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Karen Malin

    Secretary

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Nick Giordano

    Treasurer

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Jon Yonemitsu July 2024-November 20

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Laura Galinson resigned May 2025

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Collen Smiley

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Bijan Nowroozian

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Tammy Carpowich

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Brian Fidler

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Tami Daiber-Hirst

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Julia Loman

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Rick Seidenwurm elected January 202

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Jeffra Becknell elected January 202

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2
  • Kelsey Vasko elected January 2025

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

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.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
9 December 2025
IRS schema version
2024v5.2
Source object
202523449349300847

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