Standing Straight
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Provide spine deformity surgical and medical services to extremely deformed impoverished children in areas without access to medical care and to train the local medical and surgical staff in these regions for early diagnosis and unnecessary severe deformities and death in young adults.
- Income
- $190,241
- Spending
- $102,574
- Reserves
- 42.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 96%
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (international, under $250k).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 42.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 46% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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, 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)
- $95,097 spent. In 2024 the organization was able to successfully complete 2 in person medical mission. More than 30 highly skilled surgical and medical staff volunteered and provided their expertise. The mission's accomplishment included 19 extremely complex lifesaving spine surgeries for a group of extremely impoverished children with no other access to medical care. The service saved a few children from paralysis, gave a child a chance to get out of a wheelchair and walk, relieved all children from severe daily pains and difficulty in taking care of their basic necessities. After the surgical care all children were able to get up, stand straight, and most are either back to or getting ready to get back to school. The surgeries of the children also freed more than 50 family members from daily and routine care giving duties for the patients and has enabled them to get more rest and have more time to earn money to assist with their extreme impoverished living conditions. Other services delivered by the organization was online screening of MRI and X-ray of patients who needed emergency care and virtually assisted and guided local surgeons to save a child from paralysis and allowed our team of surgeons to plan and arrive at the best plan of action before arrival at the service delivery site which saved a lot of planning time and allowed maximum time for the volunteers to give the medical care and recovery services. All these services were provided by extremely skilled US Surgeons for Free.
- $3,392 spent. Ability to virtually help with surgical interventions by allowing remote posting of x-rays and MRI's of children in desperate need of surgical intervention on our website and through the internet access of our volunteers. Through virtual guidance our team of surgical and neuromonitoring volunteers have been able to guide the lesser trained surgical staff in remote areas to help reduce further damage and serious negative medical consequences during 2023 and for future years thereby reducing serious complications of surgery.
- $1,192 spent. One of our accomplishments for the program service has been to move away from collecting funds via mails and tracking detail donor information by volunteers. We use a lot of social media to promote and get donation from our current donors and mainly all the medical staff who are and have been participating in these Medical Missions. Also, by using Paypal services and asking most of our donors to donate using our donate button it has saved the organization's volunteers time to focus on medical mission planning and other services that allow the organization to improve our services. We do have donors who like mailed documents showing our progress and services provided so in 2023 we did mailing of documents as well but we plan on doing that just every few years.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 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? 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since December 2013.
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.