Young Eisner Scholars
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Dedicated to promoting America's promise of equal opportunity for equal talent, Young Eisner Scholars ("YES Scholars") identifies promising young students from low-income communities in Los Angeles, New York City, and (Cont. on Sched. O)
- Income
- $891,057
- Spending
- $2.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 71%
- Reserves
- 31.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 85%
- Employees
- 22
- Volunteers
- 40
- Highest pay
- $159,444, former ex. dir.
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
Good: 70 out of 100. Higher than 43% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 31.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 151% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 62% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1571% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 33 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
Strong: 95 out of 100. Higher than 89% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 257 of 8 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
0 of 5Reports that it does not keep 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 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 (1)
- $1.6 million spent. YES support begins once scholars are identified in the 6th grade (and sometimes as early as elementary school). We utilize a data driven approach to student support, consisting of three scaffolded phases, each focused on developing core skills and providing essential supplemental resources to ensure that students are competitive with their more privileged counterparts. Our middle school programming is centered around a rigorous math and logic curriculum designed to improve critical thinking, literacy, and self expression, as well as prepare them for admittance to competitive independent high schools. Middle school scholars also participate in robust summer programming designed to build cultural capital and prevent academic summer backslides. Armed with what they've learned from our (Cont. on Sched. O) thorough middle school programming, Scholars are accepted to and attend the country's most competitive high schools, including Harvard-Westlake, Exeter, and Bronx Science. The YES Scholars high school program builds on the skills students acquired in middle school, with connections to summer programs, academic tutoring, internship opportunities, mentoring, topical workshops, social-emotional wellness, and individualized college admissions counseling, including college tours and high-level standardized test prep. This programming is specifically designed to help foster independence and self-advocacy. The third phase is focused on college persistence, graduation, and career readiness. Our staff individually advises our college Scholars, helping them to adapt to all aspects of college with academic skill development, student advocacy, career counseling, and professional networking support. We provide our Scholars with the means to access both crucial and transformative social immersion opportunities around the country and the world, endowing them with the interpersonal, critical thinking, and communication skills necessary to become competitive candidates for the workforce and achieve their goals. From neighborhoods where fewer than 10% of adults have a college degree, 100% of YES scholars are accepted to the finest colleges across the country. More importantly, 94% of those students persist and graduate! YES scholars are attending and have graduated from medical, dental, & law school, as well as a variety of graduate programs across the country. Our graduates are excelling in careers spanning every field and are employed at companies including Apple, Morgan Stanley, Google, Bain, The LA Philharmonic, Teach for America, Goldman Sachs, Mercedes Benz, Amazon, F/X Networks, Autodesk, The National Park Service, City of Hope, and LinkedIn. Over 90% of our Scholars are first-generation college students, and 87% are from low or super-low income families. YES LA serves scholars across Greater Los Angeles County from Watts, Inglewood, & South Bay to East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, & downtown Los Angeles. In New York City, scholars are identified from six public schools in Harlem District 5. Our Appalachian scholars are identified in rural public schools in Watauga & Ashe Counties in Western North Carolina. YES currently serves over 750 students across the country and grows by approximately 60 students annually. Total program expenses were: $1,591,780.
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? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
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 September 2010.
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.