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Balboa Park Online Collaborative

EIN 20-2105617 · San Diego, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood82 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO FOSTER A CULTURE OF INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION AMONG NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY, WITH A FOCUS ON BALBOA PARK. BPOC'S VISION IS TO BE A TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION THAT CONNECTS AUDIENCES TO ART, CULTURE, AND SCIENCE.

Income
$1.1 million
Spending
$1.2 million
Spent on programs
76%
Reserves
7 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 93%
Employees
9
Volunteers
0
Highest pay
$223,668, ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 82 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 7.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 29% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 31% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    76% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 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 (philanthropy, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    9 of 9 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 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 (4)
  1. $466,280 spent. BPOC CORE SUPPORT PROVIDES COMPETITIVE AND AFFORDABLE IT CONTRACT SERVICES TO 27 CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS IN BALBOA PARK ALLOWING THE ORGANIZATIONS TO ACCOMPLISH HIGH LEVELS OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROFICIENCY AND COLLABORATIVE SERVICES INCLUDING THE PARK-WIDE DATA AND A SHARED PHONE SYSTEM. BPOC'S PERVASIVE WIRELESS NETWORK IS NOW PROVIDING SHARED INTERNET ACCESS TO 26 BALBOA PARK CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AS WELL AS TO THE PUBLIC VIA 200 PUBLIC WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS AND HOTSPOTS DEPLOYED BY BPOC. THIS INVESTMENT IN THE WIFI INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVES THE OVERALL VISITOR EXPERIENCE, SERVING AN AVERAGE OF 3700 CLIENTS PER DAY AND ENABLING PARK INSTITUTIONS TO UTILIZE TECHNOLOGIES THAT ENGAGE AND BROADEN THEIR AUDIENCES. BPOC ALSO PROVIDES COMPETITIVE AND AFFORDABLE IT CONTRACT SERVICES TO 4 CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS OUTSIDE BALBOA PARK.
  2. $44,849 spent. BPOC ADVANCES TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL PROGRAMMING IN THE CULTURAL SPACE BY OFFERING DIGITAL SERVICES, INCLUDING CONTENT AND VISITOR ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES, LOCATION INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, ONLINE CONTENT MARKETING, AND IN-GALLERY TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT. DELIVERED PROJECTS INCLUDE WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT, WEBSITE MIGRATION AND REDESIGN, COLLECTION AND ARCHIVES WEB PRESENTATIONS, VISITOR TICKET PURCHASING FUNNELS, CONSTITUENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, AND USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS. MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL PROJECTS INCLUDING A SHARED-SERVICE DIGITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, SHARED TICKETING AND CONSTITUTENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT CONSOLIDATION, THE BALBOA PARK MOBILE APP FOR IPHONE AND ANDROID DEVICES, WHICH PROVIDES WAYFINDING FOR ALL BALBOA PARK ACTIVITIES, AND SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT OF THE ACCOUNTS THAT REPRESENT ALL THE BALBOA PARK CULTURAL ENTITIES. DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES ARE PROVIDED AT THE BELOW-MARKET-RATE TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND USE FREE OPEN-SOURCE TOOLS WHEN POSSIBLE. CLIENTS INCLUDE THE BALBOA PARK CULTURAL PARTNERSHIP, THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART, THE MUSEUM OF US, THE MUSEUM OF US, AND SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER. IN ADDITION TO DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES, BPOC OFFERS DIGITAL STRATEGY AND MORE GENERAL BUSINESS STRATEGY CONSULTATIONS TO MUSEUM ACROSS THE CITY, STATE, COUNTRY AND WORLD HELPING MUSEUM LEADERSHIP AND STAFF UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL PROGRAMMING TO ENGAGE THEIR VISITORS IN NEW, EXCITING WAYS. PARTNERS HAVE INCLUDED CLEVELAND NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ART, SPACE CENTER HOUSTON, SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM, OREGON JEWISH MUSEUM, NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART, ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART, SCIENCE NORTH, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, AND VIZCAYA MUSEUM GARDENS. EXTERNAL REVENUE IS BROUGHT BACK INTO THE PARK TO OFFSET COSTS TO PARK PARTNERS.
  3. $366,454 spent. BPOC USES A MULTI-PLATFORM DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY, TO INFORM AND ENGAGE MORE THAN 12 MILLION PEOPLE WHO VISIT BALBOA PARK EACH YEAR, BPOC COORDINATES WITH MANY BALBOA PARK PARTNERS, INCLUDING BALBOA PARK CULTURAL PARTNERSHIP AND FOREVER BALBOA PARK, TO IMPLEMENT A MULTI-PLATFORM DIGITAL STRATEGY THAT INCLUDES BALBOAPARK.ORG, A CONTENT-RICH HUB FOR EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING FOR THE BALBOA PARK VISITOR. THE RESPONSIVE WEBSITE FEATURES A PARK-WIDE CALENDAR MODULE AND PREFERENCE-BASED, CURATED ITINERARIES THAT OFFER UNUSUAL WAYS TO EXPERIENCE BALBOA PARK. BALBOAPARK.ORG ATTRACTS APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILLION VISITORS PER YEAR AND ITS SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES ENGAGE OVER ONE MILLION FOLLOWERS.
  4. $7,569 spent. STRATEGIC CONSULTING

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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 October 13, 2026.

  2. 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 November 6, 2026.

  3. 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 October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since February 2005.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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 November 4, 2026.

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