Friends of the Orphan Signs
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Friends of the Orphan Signs is a collaborative public art and educational initiative that revitalizes abandoned road signs along historic Route 66. FOS facilitates collaborations with local communities with the aim of designing new imagery to install in the signs as public art pieces that explore neighborhood identity. In 2025 we developed 10 artworks with 10 artists and developed relationships with 6 unique community groups and organizations. We installed 6 unique artworks on signs throughout the city of Albuquerque and two permanent signs.
- Income
- $97,329
- Spending
- $85,035
- Reserves
- 4.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Highest pay
- $16,300, executive director
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 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 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)
- $33,945 spent. International District Park Art Project: This ongoing project brings together four artists with four distinct communities in Albuquerques International District to co-create a permanent public artwork inspired by roadside signs. Services Provided: Facilitated a structured community-engaged design process where each artist was paired with a different cultural or geographic community to develop concept proposals. Beneficiaries: Engaged over 200 residents through in-person workshops interviews and outreach activities. The final installation expected in 2025 will serve an estimated 5,000+ park users annually. Relevant Outcomes: Co-developed culturally resonant design proposals rooted in the lived experiences of the IDs diverse populations. Built a collaborative model for public art creation grounded in community participation. Advanced a long-term vision for signage as both infrastructure and cultural monument.
- $25,000 spent. Its A Sign! Mobile Application: A digital cultural preservation and public education initiative being developed by Friends of the Orphan Signs to document map interpret and promote Albuquerques historic and contemporary roadside signage. The mobile application will map signage across Albuquerque past and present highlighting historic signs surviving commercial landmarks contemporary sign-based artworks and the citys evolving visual landscape. The application will initially focus on Route 66 and 4th Street corridors with planned expansion into additional corridors including Menaul Lomas 2nd Street and Broadway. The project is intended to function as a long-term cultural asset and public archive. Services Provided: Developing a mobile application featuring cultural mapping historical interpretation and public art documentation related to Albuquerques signage history and contemporary sign culture; creating digital educational content focused on roadside infrastructure design and cultural preservation; planning for long-term app maintenance content updates and technical support; implementing public outreach and visibility strategies through social media promotion and community engagement; and expanding organizational communications capacity. Beneficiaries: Albuquerque residents; local artists and sign makers; Route 66 visitors and tourists; educators and students; small businesses connected to historic corridors; and members of the public interested in Albuquerque history architecture design and cultural preservation. Relevant Outcomes: The project will increase public access to Albuquerques signage history and cultural resources through an interactive digital platform designed for long-term public use. The application will preserve and interpret the citys evolving sign landscape support cultural tourism connected to Route 66 strengthen awareness of historic roadside infrastructure and public art initiatives and create a scalable framework for documenting additional neighborhoods and sign corridors over time. The project has and will continue to contribute to the citys tourism initiatives and expand organizational outreach capacity through coordinated digital engagement strategies supporting public participation during the Route 66 Centennial and beyond.
- $15,000 spent. Wemfer Art Fueled Road Trip Collaboration: A series of large-scale public art installations created by Nazario Sandoval as part of the Route 66 Remixed initiative in Albuquerque New Mexico. The project transformed existing roadside sign structures along historic Route 66 into permanent cultural landmarks celebrating mobility arrival local identity and the visual history of the American roadway. Installations included The Mother Road at the former Jones Surplus sign and Keep Sixty-Six Rolling at 6808 Central Ave SE incorporating salvaged New Mexico license plates hubcaps sourced in Albuquerque mural painting and fabricated steel elements to adaptively reuse commercial sign infrastructure as public art. Services Provided: Managed artist collaboration project coordination fabrication oversight installation logistics and public art stewardship through Friends of the Orphan Signs; coordinated with the City of Albuquerque Department of Arts & Culture property owners and community partners; facilitated adaptive reuse of existing roadside sign structures; sourced and incorporated reclaimed materials including hundreds of New Mexico license plates and locally collected hubcaps; supported the creation and installation of permanent public artworks as part of the Route 66 Centennial celebration. Beneficiaries: Local artists; Albuquerque residents; Route 66 visitors and tourists; nearby businesses and property owners; and the broader public engaging with public art installations along Central Avenue and the International District corridor. Relevant Outcomes: The project preserved and reactivated historic roadside sign infrastructure through highly visible public art installations that celebrate Albuquerques Route 66 identity and cultural landscape. The artworks contributed to the City of Albuquerques Art-Fueled Road Trip initiative commemorating the Route 66 Centennial increased opportunities for local artists working at a monumental scale strengthened partnerships between artists government agencies businesses and property owners and demonstrated innovative approaches to creative placemaking and infrastructure reuse. The installations transformed underutilized commercial sign structures into permanent civic landmarks experienced by thousands of residents and visitors annually.
- $9,320 spent. Symbiosis: A public art residency program in Albuquerques International District that fostered mutually beneficial relationships between artists and surrounding communities through socially engaged public art. Four artists participated in four-month residencies developing temporary artworks for installation on the sign at 6720 Central Ave. Artists collaborated directly with local organizations and community members using engagement and relationship-building to inform their creative work. One residency focused on documenting and publicly exhibiting portraits and stories of Asian American business owners in the International District highlighting the cultural and economic contributions of immigrant-owned businesses. Services Provided: Supported four artist residencies; provided stipends public art exhibition opportunities and community engagement support; facilitated collaborations with community organizations including Albuquerque Mutual Aid Art Street Off Center Arts and United Voices for Newcomers Rights; coordinated temporary public art installations; supported resource distribution and participatory art-making activities with community members; and facilitated documentary-style portrait and storytelling projects with local business owners. Beneficiaries: Participating artists; residents of Albuquerques International District; immigrant communities; Asian American business owners; unsheltered individuals; community arts participants; and the broader public encountering the installations. Approximately 900 individuals participated directly in residency activities while an estimated 100,000 individuals viewed the installations annually through site visibility and pedestrian traffic. Relevant Outcomes: Artists developed community-centered artworks shaped through direct engagement and collaboration with underserved populations and local organizations. The project elevated underrepresented voices and highlighted the experiences of immigrant and Asian American business communities through public portraiture and storytelling. The project expanded organizational relationships with communities not previously engaged through programming demonstrated the value of artist-led community process models and informed future organizational approaches to socially engaged public art. Residency activities included distribution of over 700 resource flyers food distribution efforts in partnership with mutual aid networks and the public exhibition of more than 50 community-created artworks.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 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 December 2025.
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 March 2012.
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.
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