South End Neighborhood Tutors
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Connecting elementary school children with caring and dedicated tutors, WIZARD'S WARDROBE'S ONE-TO-ONE TUTORING PROGRAM ENHANCES LITERACY, FOSTERS CREATIVITY AND SUPPLEMENTS CLASSROOM LEARNING IN ALBANY'S SOUTH END.
- Income
- $212,659
- Spending
- $222,717
- Spent on programs
- 71%
- Reserves
- 7.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 89%
- Employees
- 3
- Highest pay
- $74,292, coo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 86 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (education, under $250k).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 7.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 6% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 19% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1571% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 71 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (education, under $250k).
Independent board
5 of 250 of 7 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.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 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 (1)
- $222,717 spent. WIZARD'S WARDROBE IS A FREE AFTER-SCHOOL ONE-TO-ONE LITERACY TUTORING PROGRAM FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN ALBANY'S SOUTH END NEIGHBORHOOD. WE PAIR A STRUGGLING READER WITH A WELL-TRAINED, CARING TUTOR WHO HAS THE COMPLETE FLEXIBILITY TO TAILOR INSTRUCTION TO FIT THE LEARNING STYLE OF THEIR STUDENT. OUR TUTORS ARE VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE VETTED AND UNDERGO 13 HOURS OF INITIAL TRAINING PLUS CONTINUOUS SUPPLEMENTAL TRAINING. TUTORS MEET WITH THEIR STUDENTS FOR TWO 90-MINUTE SESSIONS PER WEEK DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. TUTORS WORK ON STRENGTHENING READING, WRITING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. OUR PROGRAM IS QUANTIFIABLY EFFECTIVE. NONE OF OUR STUDENTS READ AT GRADE LEVEL WHEN THEY COME TO US. AFTER ONE YEAR IN THE PROGRAM, 30% ARE READING ON GRADE LEVEL. AFTER TWO YEARS, 60% ARE READING AT AT GRADE LEVEL. WE ARE CONTINUOUSLY WORKING TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE OUR PROGRAM. FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS, WE HAVE FIELDED AN ODYSSEY OF THE MIND (OM) TEAM COMPRISED OF WIZARD'S WARDROBE STUDENTS. OM IS AN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION THAT FOSTERS THE DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS TEAM-BASED CHALLENGES. THE PROGRAM REQUIRES PARTICIPANTS TO WORK AS A TEAM TO CREATE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO COMPLEX CHALLENGES, PULLING FROM VARIOUS FIELDS, INCLUDING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS, LITERATURE, AND THE ARTS. IN 2024 AND 2025, OUR TEAM HAS ADVANCED TO THE STATE-WIDE COMPETITION. LAST YEAR, WE LAUNCHED A SATURDAY ENRICHMENT PROGRAM AND TOOK STUDENTS ON A FIELDTRIP TO THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY IN NEW YORK CITY, BROUGHT THEM TO CAPITAL REPERTORY THEATER FOR A STORY-TELLING EVENT, AND BROUGHT IN A LITERACY- BASED MAGIC SHOW. LAST SUMMER, WE AGAIN ORGANIZED A SERIES OF FIELD TRIPS FOR OUR STUDENTS. WE TRAVELED TO THE CONEY ISLAND AQUARIUM, TACKLED THE ROPES COURSE AT WILD PLAY, AND SWAM IN THOMPSON LAKE.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 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 August 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 October 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.