Starting Over Strong
Public records raise at least one point you should look into before giving.
What it says it does
Starting Over Strong (SOS) is dedicated to advocating for individuals re-entering society, ensuring they have access to essential services such as housing, job placement, retraining programs, and addressing food insecurity. We amplify their voices through policy advocacy, public awareness campaigns, and by supporting candidates and organizations that align with our mission. Our vision is a society where every person re-entering society receives the support and resources necessary to rebuild their lives and thrive. Key activities include championing policies that provide comprehensive services, conducting public awareness campaigns, educating voters on critical issues, organizing grassroots mobilization efforts, endorsing and supporting aligned candidates, and lobbying for policies that promote long-term stability and self-sufficiency.
- Income
- $201,000
- Spending
- $195,142
- Employees
- 3
- Volunteers
- 25
- Highest pay
- $65,000, operations director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. 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 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. How we rate
Governance
This return does not answer enough of the governance questions to score.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. 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)
- $83,177 spent. In 2025, Starting Over Strong (SOS) conducted nonpartisan civic education and voter outreach in the Inland Empire to educate and mobilize system-impacted and historically underrepresented communities. SOS served as a vendor for IE United to conduct canvassing and phonebank outreach, educating voters about Proposition 50, a November 2025 special election measure on congressional redistricting. SOS deployed canvassers and phone-bankers reaching thousands of system-impacted residents, strengthening long-term civic participation among communities most affected by the carceral system.
- $37,291 spent. In 2025, Starting Over Strong (SOS) advanced community education and public awareness around law enforcement accountability as a core social welfare function. SOS led the Riverside Sheriff Accountability Coalition (RSAC), a broad network of individuals and organizations that educates residents about in-custody deaths, misconduct, and the need for independent civilian oversight of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. SOS collected over 3,000 petition signatures, published op-eds, hosted community education events, engaged contractors for community outreach and awareness activities, and filed a Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition with the Riverside County Registrar in December 2025.
- $26,643 spent. In 2025, Starting Over Strong (SOS) co-sponsored AB 1201 (Jackson), the ReUNITY Act, to reduce unnecessary family separation in California's child welfare system by replacing blanket exclusions for parents with prior felony convictions with individualized, trauma-informed assessments. SOS led coalition redrafting, coordinated a statewide coalition of over 50 organizations, mobilized community testimony, and managed amendment discussions through the 2025 legislative session, advancing the bill through the Assembly and into the Senate.
- $28,782 spent. In 2025, Starting Over Strong (SOS) supported state and local legislation aligned with its reentry, housing, and criminal justice reform mission through co-sponsorship letters, public comment, coalition participation, and legislative education. SOS maintained active roles in regional coalitions and contributed to shared advocacy strategies and public education efforts. SOS also advanced its ongoing effort to repurpose the Benoit Detention Center into a community cooling and warming center with wraparound services, meeting with county public health officials and engaging county department heads to build alignment for this social welfare infrastructure proposal.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. 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)(4) social welfare organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Caution.
The IRS master file records contributions to this 501(c)(4) social welfare organization as not deductible.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.