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Nonprofiteer
← YOUNG PEOPLES PROJECT INC

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by YOUNG PEOPLES PROJECT INC.

Totals

Total revenue
$2,599,382
Total expenses
$3,027,307
Contributions and grants received
$2,430,637
Grants paid
$535,416
Program service revenue
$167,157
Investment income
$1,588
Other revenue
$0
Total assets, end of year
$2,004,735
Total liabilities, end of year
$469,079
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$1,535,656
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$2,353,790
Management and general expenses
$511,537
Fundraising expenses
$161,980
Program service expenses (Part III)
$2,353,790

Program services were 77.8% 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.

  • 1e · Government grants (contributions)

    $743,415

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $1,687,222

  • 2a · Program service revenue: CONTRACT REVENUE

    total $167,157 · related or exempt $167,157

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $1,588 · excluded $1,588

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $535,416 · program services $535,416

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $195,147 · program services $131,685 · management and general $48,142 · fundraising $15,320

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $990,172 · program services $788,302 · management and general $161,914 · fundraising $39,956

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $132,890 · program services $89,750 · management and general $33,666 · fundraising $9,474

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $108,780 · program services $81,170 · management and general $19,064 · fundraising $8,546

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $83,804 · program services $11,358 · management and general $71,212 · fundraising $1,234

  • 11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

    total $86,150 · fundraising $86,150

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $419,266 · program services $353,203 · management and general $64,763 · fundraising $1,300

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $198 · program services $198

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $54,033 · program services $42,039 · management and general $11,994

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $10,156 · program services $2,216 · management and general $7,940

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $96,111 · program services $50,334 · management and general $45,777

  • 17 · Travel

    total $235,026 · program services $228,951 · management and general $6,075

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $40,134 · program services $39,168 · management and general $966

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $4,256 · management and general $4,256

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $19,473 · management and general $19,473

  • 24a · Other expenses: DONATIONS

    total $15,000 · management and general $15,000

  • 24b · Other expenses: BANK FEES

    total $1,295 · management and general $1,295

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $1,621,201 · end of year $1,207,078

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $319,507 · end of year $321,094

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $1,154,098 · end of year $172,156

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $83,257 · end of year $149,102

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $6,000

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

    $21,919

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

    $8,951

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $14,642 · end of year $12,968

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $251,899 · end of year $142,337

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $683,067 · end of year $130,927

  • 19 · Deferred revenue

    beginning of year $605,020 · end of year $192,520

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $255,237 · end of year $145,632

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $1,907,280 · end of year $1,535,656

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S PROJECT USES MATH LITERACY WORK TO DEVELOP THE ABILITIES OF ELEMENTARY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL AND IN LIFE.

Activities or mission (Part I)

THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S PROJECT (YPP) WAS FOUNDED IN 1996 AS AN OUTGROWTH OF THE ALGEBRA PROJECT, WHICH WAS LED BY CIVIL RIGHTS ICON BOB MOSES. ROOTED IN THE LEGACY OF THE SOUTHERN FREEDOM MOVEMENT, YPP WAS ESTABLISHED BY BLACK MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS AND YOUNG MEN WHO BELIEVED THAT YOUNG PEOPLE LEAST SERVED BY THE SYSTEM MUST BE THE ONES TO LEAD ITS TRANSFORMATION. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, YPP HAS WORKED WITH MORE THAN 12,000 STUDENTS NATIONALLY ACROSS 10 STATES TO ENSURE MATH LITERACY-A 21ST-CENTURY CIVIL RIGHT-IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL. THE ORGANIZATION ADDRESSES A CRITICAL "MATH CRISIS" IN THE UNITED STATES, WHERE MATH PROFICIENCY ACTS AS A GATEKEEPER TO THE 21ST-CENTURY TECHNOLOGY-BASED ECONOMY. NATIONALLY, ONLY 13% OF BLACK 8TH GRADERS, 15% OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED 8TH GRADERS, AND 28% OF ALL 8TH GRADERS SCORE AT OR ABOVE THE NAEP PROFICIENT LEVEL. IN THE GREATER BOSTON AREA, THIS GAP IS STARK; IN CAMBRIDGE, BLACK 8TH GRADERS ARE 49 PERCENTAGE POINTS LESS LIKELY THAN THEIR WHITE PEERS TO T

  • THE MATH LITERACY WORKER (MLW) DEVELOPMENT MODEL THE HEART OF YPP IS ITS CASCADING NEAR-PEER INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL, WHICH RECRUITS AND TRAINS HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS FROM UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES TO SERVE AS MATH LITERACY WORKERS (MLWS). THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE NOT JUST TUTORS; THEY BECOME "AGENTS OF EMPOWERMENT" WHO PROVIDE MATH DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP FOR THEIR YOUNGER PEERS IN GRADES 3-8. THE DEVELOPMENTAL PIPELINE INCLUDES: INTENSIVE TRAINING: ALL MLW'S RECEIVE A MINIMUM OF 20 HOURS IN THEIR INITIAL TRAINING. LEAD MLWS RECEIVE 60 TO 120 HOURS OF HANDS-ON LEARNING WITHIN THE MATH AND COMPUTATIONAL THINKING LAB (MCTL) IN CAMBRIDGE, OR IN YPP TRAINING CENTERS NATIONALLY, FOCUSING ON PEDAGOGY, COMPUTATIONAL THINKING, AND WORKSHOP FACILITATION. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: MLWS EARN DIGITAL BADGES FOR COMPETENCIES LIKE CONCEPTUAL FLEXIBILITY, LEADERSHIP, AND EMPATHY, EXPLICITLY LINKING THEIR WORK TO HIGH-DEMAND STEM CAREER PATHWAYS. PAID EMPLOYMENT: RECOGNIZING THAT FINANCIAL SECURITY IS A BARRIER, YPP PROVIDES PAID STIPENDS OR HOURLY WAGES, WHICH HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BENEFIT "AT-RISK" YOUTH EVEN A DECADE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. MEASURABLE OUTCOMES AND IMPACT METRICS YPP UTILIZES A COMBINATION OF SATELLITE, MAP, AND STREET DATA TO PROVE THE EFFICACY OF ITS MODEL. RECENT OUTCOMES INCLUDE: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: 100% OF HIGH SCHOOL MLWS GRADUATE ON TIME AND 85% ENROLL IN COLLEGE. MATH MASTERY: 90% OF MLWS IMPROVE THEIR OWN MATH CONTENT SCORES AFTER PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM. STUDENT GROWTH PERCENTILE (SGP): IN 2025, YPP 8TH GRADERS ACHIEVED AN MCAS GROWTH PERCENTILE OF 83.1, VASTLY OUTPERFORMING NON-YPP PEERS WHO AVERAGED 68.1. MCAS GAINS: LOW-INCOME YPP 7TH GRADERS OUTPERFORMED THEIR DISTRICT PEERS ACROSS ALL FIVE MCAS MATH DOMAINS, WITH DIFFERENCES RANGING FROM 6 TO 21 PERCENTAGE POINTS. MINDSET SHIFTS: OVER 70% OF MLWS REPORT A POSITIVE AFFECT FOR MATH, REPORTING REDUCED MATH ANXIETY AND INCREASED SELF-CONFIDENCE. STREET DATA: HIGHLIGHTS AND NARRATIVES THE "STREET DATA" FRAMEWORK CAPTURES THE QUALITATIVE SHIFT IN IDENTITY THAT OCCURS THROUGH THE PROGRAM. AN MLW, HIGHLIGHTED THIS TRANSFORMATION: "YPP HAS TAUGHT ME THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING-NOT JUST HEARING, BUT TRULY UNDERSTANDING... BEING A LEADER HERE MEANS MORE THAN MAKING DECISIONS; IT'S ABOUT STEPPING BACK, LETTING OTHERS SHARE IDEAS, AND DOING WHAT'S BEST FOR THE GROUP". OTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: TEACHER OBSERVATIONS: EDUCATORS NOTE THAT MATHEMATICAL PRACTICES, SUCH AS "CRITIQUING THE REASONING OF OTHERS," OCCUR NATURALLY IN YPP'S PEER-TO-PEER SETTINGS WHERE MLWS FRAME QUESTIONS RATHER THAN JUST PROVIDING ANSWERS. ?PARENTAL FEEDBACK: ONE PARENT OBSERVED THAT HER DAUGHTER, WHO PREVIOUSLY VIEWED MATH AS A "NIGHTMARE," BEGAN "THINKING LIKE A MATHEMATICIAN- AND REGAINED HER CONFIDENCE AFTER JOINING YPP. ?LEADERSHIP LEGACY: THE ORGANIZATION'S SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM IS COMPOSED OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH YPP FOR 10 TO 26 YEARS, MANY STARTING AS MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THEMSELVES, ILLUSTRATING THE LONG-TERM STABILITY AND DEEP COMMUNITY ROOTS OF THE MODEL. CORE PROGRAMS 1. FLAGWAY FOCUS: AN EMBODIED MATH "SPORT" PLAYED ON A GIANT FLOOR STRUCTURE WHERE STUDENTS MASTER NUMBER SENSE, PRIME FACTORIZATION, AND ALGEBRAIC SUBSTITUTION THROUGH MOVEMENT AND TEAMWORK. MISSION ALIGNMENT: DEMOCRATIZES HIGH-QUALITY MATH LEARNING BY TRANSFORMING "GATEKEEPER" CONTENT INTO A JOYFUL, COMMUNITY-CELEBRATED SPORT. OUTCOMES: AIM FOR 95% OF PARTICIPANTS TO DEMONSTRATE INCREASED MATH PROFICIENCY; ENSURE 83% HIGH ATTENDANCE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS RECEIVING 29 HOURS OF ENRICHMENT. ?TANGIBLE IMPACT METRICS: PARTICIPANTS AVERAGE A 21% GAIN IN PRE/POST CONTENT TEST SCORES; PAUS PARTICIPANTS ACHIEVED AN MCAS GROWTH PERCENTILE OF 70.8, 14.3% HIGHER THAN PEERS. QUOTE/NARRATIVE: AN MLW SHARED: "MATH WASN'T ALWAYS MY FAVORITE SUBJECT BUT LEARNING FLAGWAY MADE IT MORE FUN... LEARNING FLAGWAY GAVE ME CONFIDENCE- NOT JUST IN MATH BUT IN OTHER SUBJECTS TOO". ?HIGHLIGHT: A CAMBRIDGE PRINCIPAL STATED: "YPP MAY NOT BE THE ANSWER FOR EVERY CHILD, BUT IT IS THE ANSWER FOR THE COMMUNITY, THAT WE BEGIN TO SEE OUR CHILDREN DIFFERENTLY, THAT WE BEGIN TO BELIEVE IN THEM". 2. MATH PLAYGROUND FOCUS: A FLEXIBLE SERIES OF INTERACTIVE MATH "LANDS" (NUMBER DISCOVERY, FLAGWAY, ALGEBRA, FRACTIONS) WHERE STUDENTS ACT AS BOTH LEARNERS AND DESIGNERS OF MATH GAMES. MISSION ALIGNMENT: CULTIVATES YOUTH AGENCY AND PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP BY ALLOWING STUDENTS TO DECIDE HOW THEY LEARN AND TEACH OTHERS. ?OUTCOMES: EXPAND REACH TO 2-6 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ANNUALLY; ACHIEVE PARTICIPATION FROM 300+ STUDENTS AND FAMILIES IN MONTHLY COMMUNITY EVENTS. TANGIBLE IMPACT METRICS: SUCCESSFULLY PILOTED AT THE 8TH ANNUAL NATIONAL FLAGWAY TOURNAMENT WITH 25+ ORIGINAL GAMES; REACHED ROUGHLY 250 EVENT PARTICIPANTS. HIGHLIGHT: AFTER A MATH PLAYGROUND EVENT, ONE PARENT REPORTED THAT THE NEXT MORNING HER SON WAS "FACTORING HIS NUMBERS INSTEAD OF PLAYING ON HIS IPAD". 3. ALGEBRA 1 LABS FOCUS: A PLAYFUL NEAR-PEER SUMMER AND SCHOOL-YEAR SPACE FOCUSING ON "THRESHOLD CONCEPTS" SUCH AS RATIO, PROPORTION, AND THE CONCEPT OF FUNCTION USING ILLUSTRATIVE MATHEMATICS CONTENT. MISSION ALIGNMENT: REMOVES INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO ADVANCED MATHEMATICS FOR STUDENTS PERFORMING IN THE BOTTOM 40% ON STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES. OUTCOMES: SUPPORT 25 STUDENTS PER COHORT FOR 18 WEEKS (90 MIN/WEEK) TO SUCCEED IN 9TH-GRADE ALGEBRA 1. TANGIBLE IMPACT METRICS: 52 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS HELPED CO-DESIGN THE PROGRAM. 200+ HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS PILOT TESTED THE PROGRAM. AT ONE TESTING SITE STUDENTS RATED THE MATH EXPERIENCE OVER 4.1 STARS (OUT OF 5) OVERALL. COMPARED TO THE PRE-SURVEY, WHERE MOST STUDENTS WERE ONLY "SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT" IN MATH, POST-SURVEY RESPONSES SHOW A NOTICEABLE BOOST IN CONFIDENCE. NARRATIVE: ONE PROGRAM COORDINATOR SAID, "I WANT TO EXTEND A HEARTFELT THANK YOU FOR CREATING SUCH AN IMPACTFUL MATH CURRICULUM FOR OUR STUDENTS THIS SUMMER. YOUR THOUGHTFUL APPROACH HELPED THEM NOT ONLY STRENGTHEN THEIR ALGEBRAIC FLUENCY BUT ALSO BUILD GENUINE CONFIDENCE IN THEIR MATH ABILITIES. IT WAS ESPECIALLY POWERFUL TO SEE HOW THE CURRICULUM CONNECTED MATH TO THE REAL WORLD."

    Expenses $2,353,790 · Grants $535,416 · Revenue $167,157

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • Maisha Moses

    EXECUTIVE DI

    Total calculated
    $100,000
    From this org
    $100,000
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40
  • Charlenne Deleon-Cuevas

    EXEC OPERATI

    Total calculated
    $95,000
    From this org
    $95,000
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40
  • Colin Carew

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • David Dennis

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Junot Diaz

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Bennett J Johnson III

    TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Julia Turner Lowe

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Kim Ransom

    BOARD CHAIR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Steve Rasmussen

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Kamali Willett

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

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

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
17 August 2026
IRS schema version
2024v5.0
Source object
202602299349302720

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