Yazda
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
To support the Yazidi Community after the genocidal campaign in August 2014 . The goal is to help thousands of displaced families and individuals that have been uprooted from their homeland. Yazda provides humanitarian aid, psych, and social assistance and medical clinic.
- Income
- $1.2 million
- Spending
- $1.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 95%
- Reserves
- 3.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 76%
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $48,000, deputy director
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 39% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 7% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 39% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1595% 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
Strong: 94 out of 100. Higher than 59% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 255 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
5 of 5Keeps 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
9 of 15Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.
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 (5)
- $497,402 spent. Code: TJRUSG23 - This a project to continue with the existing work for the Yazidi Survivors Law (YSL) which represents a landmark step toward justice and reparations for survivors of ISIL atrocities. The law aims to deliver material, psychological, and symbolic support to survivors, yet its implementation remains slow. Yazda's ongoing project seeks to empower survivors by facilitating access to their rights under the YSL and promoting survivor-centered transitional justice in Iraq. This project focuses on enabling ISIL survivors-especially women and children-to access reparations under the Yazidi Survivors Law. It combines legal aid, psychosocial support, and advocacy for justice and reintegration.
- $240,812 spent. (Code: SVM23) -Yazda began offering essential health services in Sinjar in early 2015. Due to the widespread devastation of infrastructure, a Mobile Medical Unit was established for operations. Since April 2018, the project has been funded by the Dutch donor SV. This Sinjar-based mobile medical unit provides basic healthcare to 14 villages on the mountain's north side. The team sees patients for a variety of primary health concerns, including chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension. They offer roughly 1,300-2,000 consultations monthly to a community of 7,000-10,000 people, operating five days a week in the villages of Adeeka, Tairaf, Aldeenah, Kharbah, Qane, Bayeev, Naqsay, Bakrah, Kormale, Zerwa, Bakhilif, Shorka, Gurmiz, and Karse. The majority of these villages are remote, and many households lack cars or any means of transportation. he project received additional funding in August 2023. Project Details (SVM22): Delivers the complete range of primary healthcare services, integrating non-communicable and mental healthcare. Aims to identify and manage the most prevalent NCD and MH conditions as close to patients as possible, even in hard-to-reach and insecure environments with limited skilled resources and supplies. Builds long-term sustainability and replicability of the model by providing initial training and ongoing clinical supervision for staff. Maximizes task-shifting and task-sharing among technical staff. Project Details (SVM23): Continues delivering the full spectrum of primary healthcare activities it has provided since 2020: general consultations, SRH consultations (including ANC, FP, and awareness sessions on mother and child health topics). Emphasizes that these core activities are essential for guaranteeing access to primary healthcare. Integrates NCD-MH components seamlessly within primary healthcare services, not as a separate program. Project Goal: Reduce illness and death rates in the target population by providing and increasing access to primary healthcare, Non-Communicable Disease care, and Mental Health support.
- $218,641 spent. (Code: IOM23) Return of Displaced in Nineveh - Yazda joined forces with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support the return and reintegration of displaced people in Nineveh Plains and West Nineveh. This USAID-funded project utilizes a multi-pronged approach for a sustainable return, encompassing: * Livelihood and Economic Independence: Helping returnees establish themselves financially. * Access to Services: Ensuring returnees have the resources they need. * Social Cohesion: Fostering a sense of community among returnees. * Psychosocial Support (PSS): Providing mental health services to those who have experienced trauma. * Diaspora Engagement: Connecting returnees with Yazidi communities abroad. * Administrative Support: Assisting returnees with navigating bureaucracy. To oversee these activities, Yazda opens a new office in Sinune, focusing on large collective villages north of Sinjar and Sinjar City itself. Mental Health Services: Two Psychosocial Support Therapists are hired in Sinune to begin case management and provide support sessions in 2021. Livelihood Support: Thirteen locations are chosen for livelihood support, including nine villages on the north side (Khanasor, Sinune, Dugre, Duhola, Borek, Gubhal, Zorava, Hardan) and three on the south side (Sinjar City, Sulagh, Wardiya, Bashiqa, Bahzani). Yazda aims to establish 90 small businesses within two years and offer vocational training to select communities. Education Support: Recognizing the importance of education, Yazda assesses vulnerable schools and allocates monthly stipends for teachers and school supplies to eight schools since December 2018. Community Engagement: Yazda collaborates with six youth groups whose goals align with the project's objectives. These groups receive funding for training and capacity building in exchange for support with information gathering, community outreach, and promoting safe return through advocacy and social media. Yazidi Survivor Network A separate initiative, the Yazidi Survivor Network (YSN), funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, empowers survivors of the ISIS Genocide. YSN provides a platform for survivors to share their experiences, advocate for justice and human rights, and fight for essential programs and services.
- $34,313 spent. (Code: NBL24) - Project Description: Nobody's Listening is a groundbreaking Virtual Reality experience and immersive exhibition programme by Yazda, a Yazidi charity, and Upstream, a VR company, that commemorates the atrocities by ISIS against the Yazidi community in the summer of 2014 in northern Iraq. Using cutting-edge Virtual Reality technology, photography and art, the exhibition explores the consequences of the ISIS atrocities, including sexual violence. Above all, Nobody's Listening pays tribute to the courage, determination and agency of the survivors, and gives them a space where they can be heard.
- $29,431 spent. (Code: JIY22) - Funding received for the Community and Mental Health program for children. Fund was received at the end of the previous financial year and has been used to support the project objectives in this calendar year.
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 February 2015.
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.
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