Touchstones Discussion Project Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Only 40% of its spending went to programs.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
Touchstones builds critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills through respectful and engaging discussion-based programs within the United States and internationally.
- Income
- $428,289
- Spending
- $504,403
- Spent on programs
- 40%
- Reserves
- 4.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 59%
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 65
- Highest pay
- $95,333, 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
Weak: 40 out of 100. Higher than 10% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.8 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 38% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 18% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 4% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1540% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 29 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 95% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2512 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 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)
- $203,573 spent. First Accomplishment K-12 School Programming, Enrichment and After School Programs, Youth Workforce Development, Educational Conferences, Teacher Professional Development K-12 Program Expansion Through grants related to school program development, we expanded programming and services at two public-charter schools in Washington, DC in 2023. In addition, our sales of discussion curriculum went into 52 schools and districts serving and engaging an estimated 150 educators and 4,000 students, in addition to the thousands of teachers and students already using Touchstones at existing program sites. Our contract with the Bureau de la Education Francais in Manitoba, Canada provided digital access to Touchstones programs in French to hundreds of educators and more than 5,000 students. Higher Ed We supported continued expansion of programs in higher with new digital textbooks that were used by more than two dozen instructors to engage more than 650 students in First and Second Year seminar classes, a new course specifically for veterans, and students studying educational psychology at the University of Neveda, Las Vegas, as well as philosophy courses at the University of Rhode Island.
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 August 1997.
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.