Mindful Life Project
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Empower underserved students and their teachers through mindfulness and other transformative skills to gain self-awareness, confidence, self-regulation and resilience, leading to lifelong success.
- Income
- $4.5 million
- Spending
- $4.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 85%
- Reserves
- 0.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 54%
- Employees
- 107
- Volunteers
- 12
- Highest pay
- $177,846, president
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 58 out of 100. Higher than 25% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
4 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 0.6 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 18% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 4% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 9% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1585% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 64% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 12 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 June 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 (3)
- $2.2 million spent. Mindful Community: During the 2024-2025 school year, MLP's schoolwide mindfulness program, Mindful Community, provided over 20,000 students with weekly mindfulness-based social-emotional programming. These 25-minute sessions, delivered during the regular school day, help build a strong foundation of mental wellness and emotional intelligence across entire school communities.Mindful Community is particularly impactful because it reaches every student on a school campus, reinforcing a shared culture of wellness and emotional growth. Through this approach, schools have cultivated supportive ecosystems of mental health that contribute to thriving, connected learning environments.Program outcomes from 20242025 highlight the program's success: 91% of students stated that mindfulness was important to them. 90% of students reported that MLP programming helped them make healthier decisions. Teachers rated Mindful Community 8.5 out of 10 (very effective) for its ability to help create healthier classroom environments. On average, teachers reported a gain of 16 minutes of quality teaching time per day as a direct result of MLP's programming. 96% of teachers observed improvements in students' self-awareness. 93% of teachers saw improvements in students' ability to relate to one another.Overall, Mindful Community strengthens school climate by integrating mindfulness and emotional wellness into the fabric of daily learning, equipping students with practical tools to support their mental and emotional health both in and beyond the classroom.
- $1.5 million spent. Rise Up: During the 20242025 school year, MLP's Rise Up program provided over 1,700 students with curated, mindfulness-based support designed to meet the needs of high-need students and those impacted by trauma.Rise Up's signature programming creates emotionally safe spaces where students can explore their lived experiences alongside peers who understand their challenges. Through accessible, creative outlets such as music, art, dance, poetry, yoga, and performing artsall interwoven with mindfulnessstudents discover meaningful ways to express themselves, release emotions in healthy ways, and cultivate inner awareness.Teacher feedback underscores Rise Up's deep impact within schools: 89% of teachers reported having a better understanding of the needs of their Rise Up students. 90% of teachers stated they are now better able to establish more supportive relationships with those students.Rise Up not only empowers students but also transforms teacher-student connections, fostering more compassionate, understanding school communities. As one 5th grader said, "I enjoy Rise Up! We do fun activities and mindful sits. When [my MLP instructor] comes, I get excited since that means it's mindfulness timea time for myself and to notice how I feel."
- $305,360 spent. Hybrid Services - Mindfulness 360: MLP's Mindfulness 360 program offers a hybrid, whole-school approach to mindfulness and social-emotional learning. Mindfulness 360 is designed to be flexible and adaptive in response to the diverse social-emotional needs of students and educators alike. This customizable model combines mindful hip-hop assemblies, weekly live virtual mindfulness sessions, in-person classroom experiences, teacher professional development, and regular mindfulness sessions for teachers and families.During the 20242025 school year, Mindfulness 360 served over 10,000 students across Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, and Solano countiesmaking it one of MLP's most sought-after programs. Notably, 85% of participating students stated that mindfulness is now important to them because of their experience with MLP's hybrid services.In addition to school-based programming, MLP continues to offer mindfulness training for personal well-being to community-based organizations and other partners. These trainings equip educators and community members with practical tools and resources to cultivate healthy, thriving school and community ecosystems.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 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 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 June 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 April 2016.
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.