The Womens Project & Productions
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
WP THEATER IS THE NATION'S OLDEST AND LARGEST THEATER COMPANY DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING, PRODUCING, AND PROMOTING THE WORK OF WOMEN+ AT EVERY STAGE OF THEIR CAREERS. FOR OVER FOUR DECADES WE HAVE SERVED AS LEADERS OF A GLOBAL MOVEMENT TOWARDS GENDER PARITY, AND THE EXAMPLE WE SET AND THE ARTISTS WE HAVE FOSTERED HAVE GROWN INTO A ROBUST, THRIVING COMMUNITY IN THEATER AND BEYOND. WP EMPOWERS WOMEN+ ARTISTS OF ALL KINDS TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL, CHALLENGING PRECONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE KINDS OF PLAYS THEY WRITE AND THE STORIES THEY TELL.
- Income
- $2.0 million
- Spending
- $2.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 86%
- Reserves
- 2.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 73%
- Employees
- 236
- Volunteers
- 19
- Highest pay
- $144,909, producing artistic directo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 45 out of 100. Higher than 15% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.2 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 57% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 17% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 15% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1586% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 17 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2516 of 18 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $1.8 million spent. MAINSTAGE SERIESEACH YEAR, WP OFFERS OUR MAINSTAGE SERIES, WHICH FEATURES A FULL SEASON OF OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN+ THEATER ARTISTS, REACHING OVER 15,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS ANNUALLY.MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS ARE A MIX OF NEW PLAYS AND MUSICALS BY GAME-CHANGING EARLY CAREER ARTISTS SUCH AS RACHEL BONDS/THE BENGSONS, REHANA LEW MIRZA, ALEXIS SCHEER, DONNETTA LAVINIA GRAYS, AND KATE BENSON, AS WELL AS PRODUCTIONS OF NEW WORK BY SOME OF TODAY'S MOST RENOWNED LIVING WOMEN+ PLAYWRIGHTS, INCLUDING MARTYNA MAJOK, SARAH RUHL, TANYA BARFIELD, AND THERESA REBECK. WP STRIVES TO PROGRAM WORK THAT SHOWS THE BREADTH OF THE STORIES WOMEN+ TELL, AS WELL AS REFLECTING THE RACIAL, SOCIOECONOMIC AND GENDER DIVERSITY OF WP'S ARTISTIC COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.CO-PRODUCTIONS WITH LIKE-MINDED COMPANIES SUCH AS SECOND STAGE AND BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE, AS WELL AS OUR PAST COLLABORATIONS WITH RATTLESTICK PLAYWRIGHTS THEATER, ARS NOVA, THE BUSHWICK STARR, AND OTHERS HAVE ALLOWED US TO GROW OUR AUDIENCE BASE, BRING WP ARTISTS EVEN MORE FULLY TO THE FIELD AT LARGE, AND EXPAND OUR PRODUCTION CAPACITY.THESE PARTNERSHIPS HAVE ALLOWED WP ACCESS TO OTHER THEATERS' AUDIENCES, EXPOSED US TO ALTERNATE PRODUCING MODELS, AND ALLOWED US TO GROW OUR SEASON WITHOUT STRAINING OUR OPERATING BUDGET.
- $257,971 spent. WP LABFOUNDED IN 1983, THE WP LAB IS A UNIQUE, CAREER-LAUNCHING TWO-YEAR MENTORSHIP AND NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR 15 EARLY-CAREER WOMEN+ PLAYWRIGHTS, DIRECTORS, AND PRODUCERS (FIVE IN EACH CONCENTRATION). THE LAB DISTINGUISHES ITSELF AS THE ONLY PROGRAM IN AMERICA THAT PUTS PLAYWRIGHTS, DIRECTORS, AND PRODUCERS TOGETHER IN THE SAME ROOM. SELECTED THROUGH A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PROCESS, LAB MEMBERS ALL RECEIVE A VITAL PROFESSIONAL NETWORK, ENTREPRENEURIAL AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING,FREE REHEARSAL SPACE, AND MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION OF BOLD NEW WORK FOR THE STAGE. LAB HAS THREE MAIN GOALS: TO CULTIVATE THE WORK OF WOMEN+ ARTISTS OF ALL KINDS, TO GIVE THEM THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO SUCCEED IN THE BUSINESS, AND TO PRESENT THEIR WORK TO THE WORLD AND THEATER INDUSTRY THROUGH THE BIENNIAL PIPELINE FESTIVAL. THE LAB IS RECOGNIZEDFIELD-WIDE AS THE PLACE TO FIND THE NEXT GENERATION OF THEATER TALENT. IN EVALUATING THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM WE LOOK AT:1). CAREER TRAJECTORY: ARE LAB ARTISTS RECEIVING AWARDS/OTHER RECOGNITION, JOBS AT OTHER THEATERS, COMMISSIONS, ETC. (EX: 2016 ALUM TAMILLA WOODARD WAS HIRED AS WP'S NEW ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR IN 2018, THEN NAMED CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF WORKING THEATER IN 2020 ANDNOW IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE ACTING DEPARTMENT AT THE YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA; 2016 ALUM RACHEL KARPF WAS HIRED AS WP'S NEW ARTISTIC PRODUCER IN 2018, AND SUBSEQUENTLY IN 2020 WAS NAMED DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES AND THEN NAMED VP OF EXPERIENCE AND LIVE STAGE AT PARAMOUNT; 2012 ALUM STEPHANIE YBARRA WAS APPOINTED ARTISTIC DIRECTOROF BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE AND IS NOW A PROGRAM OFFICER AT THE MELLON FOUNDATION; 2008 ALUM KATORI HALL WAS NOMINATED FOR A 2020 TONY AWARD FOR BEST BOOK - MUSICAL FOR TINA - THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL; 2012 ALUM SARAH RASMUSSEN WAS RECENTLY APPOINTED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE MCCARTER THEATRE; 2010 ALUM RACHEL CHAVKIN WON THE 2019 TONY FOR BEST DIRECTION - MUSICAL FOR HADESTOWN; 2008 ALUM MARIA GOYANES WAS APPOINTED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATER);2). PROJECT TRAJECTORY: ARE PIPELINE PLAYS BEING PRODUCED, RECEIVING AWARDS, ETC. (EX. 2018 ALUM SYLVIA KHOURY'S PLAY POWER STRIP PREMIERED AT LCT3 IN 2019; 2016 ALUM SARAH BURGESS' PLAY KINGS PREMIERED AT THE PUBLIC THEATER IN 2018; 2018 ALUM LEAH NANAKO WINKLER'S PLAY TWO MILE HOLLOW HAD ITS SIMULTANEOUS WORLD PREMIERE AT FIRST FLOOR THEATER(CHICAGO), MIXED BLOOD THEATRE/THEATER MU (MINNEAPOLIS), FEROCIOUS LOTUS (SAN FRANCISCO), AND ARTISTS AT PLAY (LOS ANGELES);3). CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION AMONG LAB MEMBERS (EX. AFTER MEETING IN THE LAB, 2016 ALUM DANYA TAYMOR DIRECTED MARTYNA MAJOK'S 2016 WP PIPELINE FESTIVAL PLAY QUEENS AT LCT3; 2016-2018 LAB COLLABORATORS SYLVIA KHOURY AND TYNE RAFAELI WENT ON TO COLLABORATE ONSYLVIA'S PLAY POWER STRIP AT LCT3 AND SELLING KABUL AT PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS AFTER WORKING TOGETHER IN THE 2018 FESTIVAL). IN RECENT YEARS, LAB MEMBERS HAVE BEGUN TO RECEIVE MAJOR CAREER OPPORTUNITIES EVEN BEFORE THE PROGRAM ENDS: IN OUR 2018-2020 COHORT, REBECCA MARTNEZ SIGNED WITH HER FIRST AGENT, RECEIVED THREE MAJOR REGIONAL PREMIERES, AND WAS HIRED AS WP'S ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR BEFORE BECOMING THE COHORT COLLABORATIONS DIRECTOR AT ONE NATION / ONEPROJECT; CANDIS C. JONES WAS TAPPED TO DIRECT A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION AT THE PUBLIC THEATER (CULLUD WATTAH BY ERIKA DICKERSON-DESPENZA); CHRISTINA (CQ) QUINTANA AND CHARLY EVON SIMPSON WERE EACH HIRED TO WRITE ON NETWORK TELEVISION PROGRAMS; MARIE CISCO WAS HIRED AS APRODUCER FOR LEE DANIELS ENTERTAINMENT; AND CHARLY EVON SIMPSON RECEIVED AN OVERALL DEAL AT HBO, MULTIPLE REGIONAL PREMIERES AS WELL AS HER OFF-BROADWAY DEBUT, AND WON THE 2019 LANFORD WILSON AWARD.
- $25,014 spent. NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENTSEASON ALSO INCLUDES WP'S PLAY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS COMMISSIONING NEW WORK, OFFERING DEVELOPMENTAL READINGS AND WORKSHOPS, AND PARTNERING WITH LIKE-MINDED ORGANIZATIONS TO OFFER PUBLIC READING SERIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THESE ACTIVITIES HELP SUPPORT OUR ARTISTS'CREATIVE PROCESSES, WHILE FOSTERING THE CREATION OF IN-PROGRESS WORKS FOR THE STAGE BY BOTH EMERGING AND SEASONED PLAYWRIGHTS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 1986.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.