Youth Passageways
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The mission of Restoring Lifeways was to build a network of material interpersonal and spiritual support around leaders and communities practicing both traditional and emergent forms of cultural healing and regeneration.
- Income
- $3.1 million
- Spending
- $3.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 83%
- Reserves
- 3.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 91%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $124,999, director - ever forward club
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: 63 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.9 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 4% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 49% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1582% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 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
Fair: 60 out of 100. Higher than 14% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
5 of 250 of 4 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 (3)
- $2.4 million spent. The primary activity of Restoring Lifeways is fiscal sponsorship Restoring Lifeways RL serves as an interface with governmental and philanthropic entities for an individual or projects work accepting and administering funds in collaboration with them. Fiscal sponsorship at RL gives individuals and groups a 501c3 non-profit home allowing them to focus on their work while RL helps to manage financial HR and legal elements. This helps give projects the room they need to make their impact on the world. We see ourselves as partners with the organizations we support and our interactions with our projects go far beyond the transactional. We recognize and honor the sovereignty of our fiscal sponsors many of whom come from and are serving communities that have been subjected to historical and ongoing systems of subjugation disempowerment and oppression. We design our services to remove barriers build trust and partnership uplift traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices and contribute to healing justice and liberation. RLs fiscally sponsored projects have access to an array of services provided at a lower or more flexible cost than would be possible for these projects on their own. All fiscally sponsored projects at RL have a mission-aligned focus on supporting youth on their journey into healthy adulthood. We also partnered with a donor advised fund to distribute grants to a cohort of charitable exempt organizations.
- $167,060 spent. Restoring Lifeways will also sponsor conferences retreats and gatherings approximately 12 per year initially throughout the United States on topics related to cultural regeneration its efficacy and importance as part of comprehensive youth and community development efforts. These gatherings varying in size depending on specific outcomes and organizational capacity will both seek to provide training and educational experiences for participants as well as provide an opportunity to cultivate broader public awareness through engagement with the general public in the locale in which they are held. These are and will be funded through individual donations foundation grants and gathering fees. These activities are and will be funded through individual donations fees for service and foundation grants. They are accomplished by W2 staff and a roster of 1099 contractors.
- $115,500 spent. Through education and partnership we are weaving a more resourced and interconnected network of relations between our fiscal sponsees grantees and collaborators. We serve as a hub for resources information and wisdom-flow between different parts of our network. This includes: Network gatherings workshops and online education and training opportunities Media that supports and spreads the word about culturally rooted ceremonial practices from our partners promoting cross cultural protocols dismantling oppressive systems and paradigms and re-indigenizing cultural practices and ceremonies Connecting practitioners with each other and to our web of culture builders through our Education and Consulting Directory Mutual aid and resource redistribution including our Resilience and Reparations Funds Relational tending and web-weaving across our network to support a more interconnected network of relations
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 December 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.