Young Writers Project Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Young Writers project (YWP) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that began in 2006 in Burlington, VT. Our mission is to inspire, mentor, publish, and promote young writers and artists. With the support of individual donors, foundations, and businesses, all programming is free of charge so that any youth, ages 13-19, can join our creative community. Most of our teen members are from Vermont and around the Northeast. Our website, youngwritersproject.org, is the heart of YWP, a community of teen writers and visual artists who post to their own blogs and connect with each other online, receive support and mentoring, and submit their work for publication. From more than 10,000 annual submissions to our website, we select the best work for publication with our Vermont media partners, and in our monthly literary magazine, The Voice, and annual anthology.
- Income
- $136,532
- Spending
- $139,827
- Reserves
- 9.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 98%
- Highest pay
- $75,000, executive director
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 80 out of 100. Higher than 64% of charities in its peer group (youth development, under $250k).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 9.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 2% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ 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)
- $28,187 spent. Publications: Since Young Writers Project started in 2006, we have published some 27,000 writers and artists in our 16 anthologies, 134 digital magazine issues, and with our Vermont media partners. In fall 2025, we published Anthology 16, our collection of writing and art from the 2024-2025 school year. In this edition, our opinion section draws from a new civic engagement initiative that we began in February 2025 called The Tomorrow Project. During the year, we also published a monthly issue of The Voice, our digital magazine of poetry, commentary, and art. Our complementary disciplines of writing and visual art continue to strengthen our website and publications. We have seen submissions of visual art double on our website since we introduced a special ArtSpace section and added a homepage art gallery and regular art contests and challenges. Throughout the year, our teen writers and artists were also featured with our Vermont media partners - VTDigger.org, Vermont Public, the Rutland Herald, the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, and Seven Days.
- $20,186 spent. Projects and Partnerships - The Tomorrow Project, our recent civic initiative, addresses issues of human rights, democracy, ethics, community, and climate through a series of writing and art challenges, awards, publication, and exhibits. We began the first phase in early winter, capped with an exhibit at Burlington City Hall in May with our partners, Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) and A Revolutionary Press, printmakers in New Haven, VT. Six young writers and artists will receive awards for their work on the Tomorrow Project in October, and we will continue with a second phase, including new challenges, exhibits, awards, and publication opportunities. During 2024-25, we also offered weekly writing and art challenges, and we sponsored three contests with prizes and publication. We partnered with Sundog Poetry for the Vermont Youth Poet Laureate program, Vermont Humanities for their Words in the Woods series, and with other nonprofit and community groups that support the arts and youth development.
- $34,887 spent. YWP Community - Our online community is thriving with 4,200 active users on our website. Our community members, mostly from Vermont and the Northeast, learn about YWP from their peers, teachers, our media partners, and internet searches. We also welcome young people from across the United States and as far away as Australia who find us on the internet. YWP is enriched each year with new members, and with our work-study interns and YWP alumni advisors who provide supportive mentoring, online workshops, and resources. Surveys of our community, including our most recent one in June 2025, continue to give YWP high marks for creativity, accessibliity, and support.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2026.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since December 2006.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 21, 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.