Bonding Against Adversity Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Helping Others Help Themselves by providing the following either at no cost or low cost consistent with being a Recognized Organization in the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Assistance Programs: citizenship preparation classes citizenship application assistance and representation adjustment of status application and representation and voting no campaigning or candidate advocacy and other civic awareness education.
- Income
- $956,054
- Spending
- $878,502
- Spent on programs
- 94%
- Reserves
- 11 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 80%
- Employees
- 8
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $108,000, vice president chief operating officer
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 78% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 11.0 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 8% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 59% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1594% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 51 out of 100. Higher than 16% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 257 of 9 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give 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
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 December 31, 2024, 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)
- $118,602 spent. Citizenship Preparation Classes are offered free of cost to Lawful Permanent Residents to assist in their preparation for the U.S. Citizenship Test and Interview. We offer 2 class cycles of 3-hour classes one day per week for 12 weeks for a duration of 36 classroom hours with instruction provided by experience trained U.S. citizens some of whom are naturalized U.S. citizens. We offer classes 7 days per week at 12 locations. Multiple classes are offered at 9 locations for students to study in English Spanish and English Spanish Bilingual. Based on the multiple offerings students have up to 54 choices to select a class that fits their schedule language and skill level each year. Each of our classes has an average of 25 in attendance for an exposure of classes to 1350 lawful permanent residents per year. Historically a commercially available U.S. citizenship preparation class cost $250 per class cycle; therefore the value of our class offerings is $337,500 per year.
- $548,829 spent. Citizenship Application Assistance and Representation. We offer at least 24 Citizenship Application Workshops per year at which Lawful Permanent Residents are guided one on one through the preparation of their Application for Naturalization which is then reviewed by either a licensed attorney or an Accredited Representatives Authorized by U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Access Programs instructed on next steps and packaged for the applicants mailing or use to complete online on the USCIS website. Most of these Citizenship Application Assistance Workshops are offered at either safe locations - churches schools or colleges. For applicants who are unable to attend or who have legal issues that may not be handled in a workshop environment we offer direct personal private assistance in our office under the direction of Accredited Representatives Authorized by U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Access Programs. For these applicants we offer representation before the USCIS. Those who participate in Citizenship Application Assistance Workshops there is no fee. Generally immigration attorneys charge between $1,000 to $3,000 for citizenship application assistance. Some lawyers offer flat fees which can range from $900 to $2,000 while others charge hourly rates between $200 to $450 per hour. For those who receive our assistance at our office the fee is between $150 to $300 depending on the complexity of the case. We do not charge hourly fees. Considering that we offer services at a combination of the free workshops and in-office assistance to an average of 2000 citizenship applicants per year the annual savings to those we serve exceeds $2,500,000 per year.
- $158,155 spent. Civic Engagement and Education. We provide free of charge to the communities we serve Lawful Permanent Residents others in the migrant community that arrived in the U.S. with permission inspected and admitted and others seeking education about immigration and other civic issues. Our programs are mostly served under the umbrella of our Multi-Generational Pathway to Citizenship. Our programs include information sessions a safe locations such a churches and schools to inform all ages of the value of U.S. citizenship participation in community programs engagement in civic programs and extending their knowledge learned at our programs to their families friends and associates. Having been providing these and other programs related to U.S. citizenship lawful immigration and civic programs for more than 15 years we have learned their is not communal knowledge in families about the importance of citizenship lawful immigration and civic programs. Unfortunately our public schools do not adequately address these issues opportunities and challenges in the classroom environment and many parents do not share their knowledge of these programs with others in their families and communities This is demonstrated by the lack of integration into civic engagement. Our programs are designed to be fun informative and free.
- Part III Statement of Program Service Accomplishments: No Supplemental Information to Describe; all covered in Part III. Did the organization complete Schedule O and provide explanations on Schedule O for Part VI lines 11b and 19? Note: All Form 990 filers are required to complete Schedule O . .Organization retains contemporaneous copy of current and prior years 990 forms available at the organizations listed headquarters location for review by any legal organization or individual on request in writing. All inquiries are referred first the IRS public depository of 990 forms. Part VI Section B 15a and 15b; Organization requires its public accounting firm to independently research the range and competitive comparison of salaries and other compensation for its officers as compared to similar organizations in staff revenue and expense size types of services provided and geographic commonality each year and report same to Chief Executive Officer for sharing with Governing Body. Part Vi Section A No.2 Organizations Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer are spouses founded the organizations operate the organization and manage the staff daily. Stockholders of the organization corporation are the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Operating Officer Stockholders or Board of Directors may add or remove members of the governing body
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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? Worth knowing.
Status was revoked on May 15, 2023 for not filing returns for three years, and reinstated on May 15, 2023.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 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 2024.
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 October 2023.
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 November 4, 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.