Indigenous Roots
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Indigenous Roots Cultural Center (IRoots) is a coalition of artists, culture bearers, business owners, cultural groups and organizations dedicated to building, supporting and cultivating opportunities for and with Brown, Black, Native and Indigenous Peoples through cultural arts and activism.
- Income
- $1.5 million
- Spending
- $1.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 75%
- Reserves
- -4.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 88%
- Employees
- 4
- Volunteers
- 210
- Highest pay
- $58,500, executive 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
Fair: 61 out of 100. Higher than 34% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 26% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 20% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 52% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1575% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 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: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 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
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 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)
- $906,205 spent. In 2024, the Organization heavily invested into organizational, strategic growth as we expanded to be an international organization. Having run on low administrative overhead for close to a decade, we leaned into process improvement with the help of past audits and hired 2 additional full time staff - a Partnerships Director and an Administrative Director who doubles as our youth workforce manager. Indigenous Roots also fulfills their mission by focusing its efforts in the following primary service areas:Culture Bearers:Culture Bearers practice intergenerational lifeways and living, evolving cultural art practices that educate, exchange, and share in order to preserve ancestral knowledge. In this work, Culture Bearers hold a direct throughline from ancestors and teachers and center sharing their practice with youth. The role of a culture bearer is particularly important within ancestral cultures undergoing transition or experiencing threat from outside and dominating culture(s). Culture Bearers accept a responsibility to share ancestral and cultural knowledge. The practice of being a Culture Bearer is distinct from other individual art practices because the practice is a full life tradition (not separate) and includes intergenerational transmission of learning. While we honor the role of guests within lineages, the intent of this opportunity is to first resource individuals and cultures that are from the cultural and heritage lineage that they practice. Culture Bearers recognize a need in the community for reconnection with ancestral teachings, a need of Culture Bearers for space. Additionally, funding and supportive structures share their teachings and a need to connect across cultures. The Organization will continue to build the Culture Bearer Exchange Network. This network will be centered around processing decolonization with our participants to make space for intercultural, intergenerational, and intertribal learning and connection to encourage a flourishing exchange of traditional arts and cultural practices extending far beyond our neighborhood and city.
- Youth-Led and Youth-Centered Programming:Indigenous Roots is home to the Interthrival Indigenous Youth Coalition (IIYC) which is a youth council that acts as the driving force behind the representation of youth voice in our space. As such, we have a variety of youth-centered programming and events taking place. At the core of our youth work is Roots Cafe - a youth led, creative economy development program. Roots Cafe not only offers a safe environment to develop employment skills, but provides a space for youth to form positive adult relationships, and connect with their cultural identity.
- Artist and Business Incubation:Indigenous Roots IRoots is a coalition of artists, culture bearers, business owners, cultural groups and organizations dedicated to building, supporting and cultivating opportunities for and with Brown, Black, Native and Indigenous Peoples through cultural arts and activism. As such, we lend our space, resources and networks to emerging BIPOC artists, culture bearers and small business owners seeking to establish themselves. We do this for example by hosting 8-10 emerging artists gallery exhibitions throughout the year, sharing storefront space with small businesses, grant writing assistance and more. Our collective partners include BLCK Press, City Mischief, Indigenous Lotus, Videos de Sancho, Karaya Guey, Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli, Conferencia Alianza Latinx, Filipinx for Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice in Minnesota, Esencia Mexicana, Cypher Side and a dozen other artists and groups and we act as fiscal sponsor for a large variety of smaller organizations.
- Community Responsive Programming, Advocacy and Special Events:Beyond our regular programming, Indigenous Roots receives a lot of requests for partner- and allyship for events, social justice and community related projects, events and more. As we continually aim to meet the ever changing needs of a widely diverse community, our programming shifts throughout the years, including a variety of staple events that activate community and provide opportunities for engagement with large audiences. These events also offer economic opportunities for a wide range of artists and Black, Brown and Indigenous vendors.
- Culture Bearer Residency Center - Centro Noxtitlan, Mataxhi, MX:In 2024, we completed the purchase of 100 acres of land with a 3,500 sq ft hacienda and horse stable based in Mataxhi, MX just an hour outside of Mexico City. Centro Cultural Noxtitlan is a vibrant cultural center established through a partnership between US-based and local Indigenous leaders and in October 2024, we completed our first cultural exchange bringing elders and youth to the land. This initiative is rooted in ancestral teachings and aims to foster economic opportunities and cultural exchange among Indigenous communities in Mataxhi, surrounding regions in Mexico, and the United States. After two years of collaboration with the Mataxhi community, Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli and Indigenous Roots leaders seized the opportunity to acquire this land as part of a landback effort, which will eventually provide locals with land access and economic development.In our work, we are often leveraging our vast network of community partners as well as being called on for policy work, advocacy on various levels and engage in policy work that pushes for adequate representation and funding for core issues identified within the communities we serve.
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 October 13, 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 July 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 October 21, 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.