Luv U Project in Memory of Carolyn C Mattingly Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE MISSION OF THE LUV U PROJECT IS TO TURN AN UNACCEPTABLE TRAGEDY INTO A QUANTIFIABLE AGENDA AND RESPONSIBLE ACTIONS THAT ADVANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF, AND TREATMENTS FOR, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
- Income
- $760,628
- Spending
- $261,010
- Spent on programs
- 76%
- Reserves
- 76.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 99%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 25
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 89% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 76.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 66% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 9% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1576% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 94% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 258 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.
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 September 30, 2025, 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 (2)
- $197,672 spent. AS TRADITION, WE BEGAN THE YEAR WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE NATIONAL PRESS FOUNDATION ON THE CAROLYN C. MATTINGLY AWARD FOR MENTAL HEALTH REPORTINGTHE MOST PRESTIGIOUS JOURNALISTIC AWARD FOR MENTAL HEALTH COVERAGE IN AMERICA. THE AWARD RECOGNIZES EXEMPLARY JOURNALISM THAT ILLUMINATES AND ADVANCES THE UNDERSTANDING OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND TREATMENTS. IT CARRIES A $10,000 PRIZE FOR THE WINNER.(CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)
- FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4A, PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS (CONTINUED): WE WERE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE 2025 CAROLYN C. MATTINGLY AWARD FOR MENTAL HEALTH REPORTING?WAS AWARDED TO SARAH WILDMAN, A WRITER AND EDITOR OF THE NEW YORK TIMES OPINION SECTION, FOR HER COVERAGE ON MENTAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE WITNESSED OR EXPERIENCED PEDIATRIC END-OF-LIFE CARE AND HOW MEDICAL TEAMS FAILED TO MEET THEIR NEEDS. THIS STORY IF MY DYING DAUGHTER COULD FACE HER MORTALITY, WHY COULDNT THE REST OF US? IS TOLD THROUGH THE LENS OF WILDMANS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF HER OWN DAUGHTERS CANCER JOURNEY AND THE LACK OF EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SHE RECEIVED AT THE END OF HER LIFE. WILDMANS DAUGHTER, ORLI WILDMAN HALPERN, WAS IN CANCER CARE FROM AGE 10 THROUGH 14. FOR THE SECOND YEAR, WE PARTNERED WITH THE NATIONAL PRESS FOUNDATION TO SERVE AS THE LEAD SPONSOR OF AN IMPORTANT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOCUSING ON COVERING WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH. THE PURPOSE WAS TO EDUCATE AND ENCOURAGE ACCURATE, NUANCED AND IN-DEPTH JOURNALISM ON MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, TREATMENTS AND ADVANCES AT WORK. THE TWO-DAY TRAINING FELLOWSHIP WAS HELD IN WASHINGTON, D.C., MAY 21-22, 2025. FOURTEEN JOURNALISTS WERE SELECTED AS FELLOWS AND THE FACULTY FEATURED EXPERT SPEAKERS FROM WITHIN THE PSYCHOLOGY AND BUSINESS FIELDS, AMONG OTHERS. ALL FELLOWS ALSO ATTEND THE ENTIRE CAROLYN C. MATTINGLY AWARD CEREMONY AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB RECOGNIZING OUR 2025 JOURNALISM WINNER, WITH A ROBUST Q & A SESSION. IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE FELLOWSHIP, THE FELLOWS PRODUCED NUMEROUS RELATED STORIES PUBLISHED ON WEBSITES WITH MILLIONS OF UNIQUE MONTIN THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE FELLOWSHIP, THE FELLOWS PRODUCED NUMEROUS RELATED STORIES PUBLISHED ON WEBSITES WITH MILLIONS OF UNIQUE MONTHLY HITS. THIS INITIATIVE HAS BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR EDUCATIONAL AGENDA, AND IT IS OUR INTENT TO AGAIN SPONSOR AND EXPAND THIS INITIATIVE IN 2026. AS SHARED REGULARLY IN OUR ANNUAL UPDATES, WE HAVE A STRONG AND PRODUCTIVE ALLIANCE WITH THE JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. OUR COMMITMENT AND WORK TO BUILD THE JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH/THE LUV U PROJECT CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE CONTINUES AS THE COUNTRYS FIRST ACADEMIC HOME FOR WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. IN THE SPRING WE LAUNCHED OUR FOURTH-YEAR CYCLE FOR THE CAROLYN C. MATTINGLY AWARD FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE. THE IDEA WAS CONCEIVED AS A RESULT OF OUR 2016 SYMPOSIUM WITH THE JOHN HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH (JHBSPH), ENTITLED MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE: A PUBLIC HEALTH SUMMIT AND PUBLISHED IN 2018 IN THE JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE (JOEM). THE AWARD FOCUSES SPECIFICALLY ON ROBUST APPROACHES THAT SUPPORT EMPLOYEE MENTAL HEALTH. CRITERIA INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS AND RESOURCES, WORKPLACE POLICIES AND PRACTICES, LEADERSHIP SUPPORT, AND EFFORTS TO CREATE A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT IS OFFERED IN A GENERAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING PROGRAM. RECOGNIZING THAT WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH EFFORTS ARE MOST EFFECTIVE IN THE CONTEXT OF AN OVERARCHING CULTURE OF HEALTH AND COMPREHENSIVE EFFORTS THAT ENHANCE EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING, THE WORKPLACE AWARD IS BUILT ON THE FOUNDATION OF BROAD-BASED PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY WORKPLACE PRACTICES INCLUDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT, HEALTH AND SAFETY EFFORTS, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, WORK-LIFE SUPPORT, REWARD AND RECOGNITION, AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION. WINNER OF THE 2025 AWARD WAS THE PHOENIX UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT (PXU), ONE OF THE LARGEST HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE UNITED STATES, SERVING A DIVERSE STUDENT AND EMPLOYEE POPULATION ACROSS THE PHOENIX METROPOLITAN AREA. PXU PRIORITIZES EMPLOYEE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING THROUGH ITS PXYOU WELLNESS PROGRAM. THE DISTRICTS GOALS INCLUDE REDUCING BURNOUT, INCREASING STAFF RETENTION, ENHANCING JOB SATISFACTION, AND ENSURING EQUITABLE ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES. PXU IMPLEMENTS MULTI-TIERED SUPPORT SYSTEMS, INCLUDING INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING, GROUP INTERVENTIONS, CRISIS RESPONSE, AND RESILIENCE TRAINING. THE DISTRICT ALSO INTEGRATES SYSTEMIC STRATEGIES SUCH AS LEADERSHIP TRAINING, MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS, AND SCHOOLWIDE WELLNESS INITIATIVES TO BUILD A CULTURE OF WELL-BEING.AWARDS ARE FORMALLY PRESENTED AT OUR ANNUAL EVENING OF LUV, HELD IN BETHESDA, MD EACH NOVEMBER. THE JUDGES ALSO RECOGNIZED FIVE ADDITIONAL COMPANIES, AS HONORABLE MENTION RECIPIENTS THIS YEAR. THEY INCLUDE CLEMSON UNIVERSITY, MCGOHAN BRABENDER, SARGENTO FOODS, STAFFMARK GROUP AND UNION BANK & TRUST. AT HOPKINS, WE WORK IN CONCERT WITH, AND OUR FUNDING SUPPORTS THE JHBSPHS DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND THE JOHNS HOPKINS POE (PSYCHOLOGICAL, ORGANIZATIONAL, ENVIRONMENTAL) TOTAL WORKER HEALTH CENTER IN MENTAL HEALTH. THE INSPIRATION FOR THE POE CENTER CAME FROM THE INITIAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT OF AND COLLABORATION WITH THE LUV U PROJECT, WHEN WE CONVENED A MEETING OF THE MINDS AT A SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZED AT THE JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH ON OCTOBER 20, 2016, ENTITLED, MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE: A PUBLIC HEALTH SUMMIT. THIS PAST FALL, AT OUR ANNUAL EVENT, AN EVENING OF LUV, WE HONORED REMARKABLE PEOPLE ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF MENTAL HEALTH. NOTABLY, WE PUBLICLY AWARDED AND SHARED THE STORIES OF SUCCESS OF 2025 CAROLYN C. MATTINGLY AWARD FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE WINNERS BEFORE A PACKED ROOM OF LUV U PROJECT SUPPORTERS.THIS YEARS EVENT ALSO RECOGNIZED CONSTATINE GUS KALARIS, A DEAR FRIEND OF THE LUV U PROJECT, AS OUR 2025 AN EVENING OF LUV HONOREE AND LESA HOPKINS AS THE THIRD-EVER LUVING HEART AWARD RECIPIENT. YOU CAN READ MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE AWARD WINNERS AND ALL OUR INITIATIVES ON THE LUV U PROJECT WEBSITE: THELUVUPROJECT.ORG. IN ADDITION TO ALL THE EXCITING WORK OUTLINED ABOVE, WE REMAIN FAITHFULLY COMMITTED TO OUR ACTS OF KINDNESS INITIATIVES. IN OCTOBER, WE SPONSORED THE 2025 WOMEN MOVING FORWARD CONFERENCE AT THE MARYLAND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION FOR WOME
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, 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 September 2025.
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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