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Cross Cultural Expressions

EIN 47-2372275 · Sherman Oaks, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak33 out of 100GovernanceStrong91 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

At Cross Cultural Expressions we see a world in which diversity is celebrated as a means to unite people. We work hard to uplift individuals and communities through therapy, education and the arts, in order to increase dialog and understanding. Our projects, though varied in scope, focus and methodologies, all center around this common mission.

Income
$548,646
Spending
$604,211
Spent on programs
74%
Reserves
0.1 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 61%
Employees
7
Highest pay
$139,500, executive dir.

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

Weak: 33 out of 100. Higher than 5% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    4 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 0.1 months of spending.

  • Debt

    5 of 20

    It owes 73% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 10% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 11% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    74% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 15 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: 91 out of 100. Higher than 77% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    7 of 8 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a 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.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 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 (1)
  1. $445,358 spent. In 2024, CCE received the following grants:Jewish Foundation Grant - This funding was used to provide individual, group, couples and family counseling services to over 200 low-income immigrants who are Russian or Farsi speaking. We provided services in their own language at no cost to the client. We also provided training, supervision and workshops to mental health professionals as well as to volunteers who work with these populations on best practices. We also created the Yaran: Iranian Peer Counseling Help-line that is on-going for the Farsi speaking community. This help-line provides mental health support and referral services for Farsi speaking community at no charge. This help-line is manned by trained Farsi speaking volunteers. Persian/Russian book grant - We published two mental health coffee table books; one for the Farsi speaking community titled, "Our Immigrant Stories: A Collection of Essays from the Eastern European Diaspora. and the second titled, "Our Immigrant Stories: A Collection of Essays from the Iranian Diaspora." These books included stories written by community members and mental health articles written by a licensed mental health therapist. We published 1,000 books and distributed them through a series of book signing events to community members at no charge.Russian/Farsi Film Project (The Djinn In The Pen) - This project was funded through a grant from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. CCE created a feature length mental health movie that aimed to look at concepts around grief and loss and to decrease stigma around mental health within the Russian and Farsi speaking communities. One version of the movie had Russian subtitles and was geared towards the Russian community. The other version had Farsi subtitles and was geared toward the Iranian community. The move was released on the CCE YouTube channel.Russian/Farsi Film Project #2 (TRAPPED) - This project was funded through a grant from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. CCE created a feature length mental health movie that aimed to look at concepts around ancestral and generational trauma in immigrant families and to increase dialogue and decrease stigma around mental health issues within the Russian and Farsi speaking communities. One version of the movie had Russian subtitles and was geared towards the Russian community. The other version had Farsi subtitles and was geared toward the Iranian community. The movie was screened in three theaters

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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since December 2016.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.