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Shift Design Inc

EIN 30-0718529 · New Orleans, LA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood83 out of 100GovernanceFair68 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

SHIFT DESIGN INC. SUPPORTS AND DESIGNS COMMUNITY-DRIVEN INITIATIVES TO BOOST SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND RESOURCE EQUITY.

Income
$1.6 million
Spending
$1.2 million
Spent on programs
99%
Reserves
8.1 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 97%
Employees
0
Volunteers
0

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: 83 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 8.1 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 27% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 19% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    99% 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: 68 out of 100. Higher than 17% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    6 of 6 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no 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.

  • Independent check of accounts

    0 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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, 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 (3)
  1. $223,993 spent. DOCUMENTING THE NOW IS ONE OF OUR CORE PROGRAMS. FUNDED PRIMARILY BY THE MELLON FOUNDATION AND NOW IN ITS FIFTH YEAR, DOCNOW DEVELOPS TOOLS AND BUILDS COMMUNITY PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT THE ETHICAL COLLECTION, USE, AND PRESERVATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT. THIS PROJECT IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, AND OTHERS.
  2. $557,778 spent. HISTORYPIN IS A FREE-TO-USE DIGITAL PLATFORM AND ENGAGEMENT METHODOLOGY NOW SERVING THE PUBLIC FOR OVER A DECADE. DESIGNED TO SHARE STORIES AROUND LOCAL HISTORY IN ORDER TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY, THE PLATFORM HAS BEEN UTILIZED BY OVER 4,000 CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE WORLD. WITH SUPPORT FROM THE FILECOIN FOUNDATION FOR THE DECENTRALIZED WEB, WE ARE EMBARKING ON A RESEARCH PROJECT TO EXAMINE THE ETHICS AND TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS OF DECENTRALIZED STORAGE WITH A FOCUS ON THE NEEDS OF COMMUNITY-BASED ARCHIVES.
  3. $330,070 spent. SHIFT COLLECTIVE CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE ARCHIVING THE BLACK WEB (ATBW) PROJECT ON A THREE-AND-A-HALF-YEAR $2.5 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM THE MELLON FOUNDATION TO DEVELOP WARC SCHOOL, A WEB ARCHIVING TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ARCHIVISTS AND MEMORY WORKERS AT BLACK COLLECTING ORGANIZATIONS; A RESEARCH INITIATIVE THAT WILL ATTEMPT TO MAP AND DEFINE THE BLACK WEB; AND CREATE SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE WEB ARCHIVING COLLECTIONS DOCUMENTING THE BLACK EXPERIENCE. ARCHIVING THE BLACK WEB IS DRIVEN BY AN URGENT CALL TO ACTION TO ESTABLISH A MORE EQUITABLE AND ACCESSIBLE WEB ARCHIVING PRACTICE TO EFFECTIVELY DOCUMENT THE BLACK EXPERIENCE ONLINE. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COLLEGE OF WOOSTER, SPELMAN COLLEGE ARCHIVES, THE AUBURN AVENUE RESEARCH LIBRARY ON AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE AND HISTORY, AND (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LIBRARY. IN 2024, SHIFT COLLECTIVE CONTINUED ITS WORK ON A TWO-YEAR RESEARCH PROJECT WITH THE COUNCIL ON LIBRARY AND INFORMATION RESOURCES (CLIR) TO RETROSPECTIVELY ASSESS CLIR'S RECORDINGS AT RISK PROGRAM. RECORDINGS AT RISK IS A NATIONAL REGRANTING PROGRAM FUNDED BY THE MELLON FOUNDATION AND ADMINISTERED BY CLIR TO HELP PRESERVE "RARE AND UNIQUE AUDIO, AUDIOVISUAL, AND OTHER TIME-BASED MEDIA OF HIGH SCHOLARLY VALUE THROUGH DIGITAL REFORMATTING," ACCORDING TO CLIR. OVER THE PAST YEAR, SHIFT COLLECTIVE HAS DESIGNED AND ADMINISTERED A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES OF THOSE WHO HAVE CONSIDERED APPLYING FOR, APPLIED FOR, OR RECEIVED A RECORDINGS AT RISK (RAR) GRANT. WE HAVE ALSO CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS WITH GRANT RECIPIENTS AND OTHER APPLICANTS, THE PROGRAM'S INDEPENDENT REVIEW PANEL, CLIR'S STAFF, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO EVALUATE THE PROGRAM'S IMPACT ON COLLECTING ORGANIZATIONS AND THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE. OUR RESEARCH AIMS TO SHED LIGHT ON THE PERSISTENT CHALLENGES FACED BY STEWARDS OF FRAGILE AND OBSOLETE AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA AND HELP GUIDE FUTURE ENDEAVORS BY CLIR AND OTHERS "COMMITTED TO THE SAFEKEEPING OF RARE AND UNIQUE AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS." IN 2025, SHIFT COLLECTIVE WILL PUBLISH A PUBLIC-FACING REPORT DOCUMENTING OUR FINDINGS.

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

  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 2024.

    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 September 2013.

    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.

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.