Wixarika Research Center
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
ADVOCACY FOR THE HUICHOL INDIANS IN MEXICO, AND PRESERVATION AND PROMOTION OF THE HUICHOL CULTURE AND ARTWORK. OUR MISSION AT THE WIXRIKA RESEARCH CENTER IS TO CONTINUE BUILDING A RICH ARCHIVE OF WIXRIKA (HUICHOL) HISTORY, CULTURE AND TERRITORY THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE BEAUTY AND IMPORTANCE OF WIXRIKA CULTURAL SURVIVAL, ALONGSIDE OUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF SELECT INITIATIVES THAT STRENGTHEN WIXRIKA AUTONOMY. OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE REMAINS OPEN AND FREE TO THE PUBLIC AND WE DO NOT CHARGE A FEE FOR MEMBERSHIP OR FOR ACCESSING OR DOWNLOADING OUR DOCUMENTS. WE WORK TO GENERATE FUNDING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, APPEALS TO OUR GROUP ON FACEBOOK, THROUGH AMAZON SMILE, IN OUR NEWSLETTERS, PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS, AND SALES FROM OUR ONLINE STORE. WE HAVE ALSO HOSTED ONLINE EVENTS TO RAISE FUNDS TO SUPPORT OUR WORK AND PROJECTS. THESE EVENTS ARE AIMED AT EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF THE ARCHIVES WE ARE PUBLISHING FOR THE WIXRIKA PEOPLE, TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. THE EVENTS A
- Income
- $157,593
- Spending
- $132,553
- Reserves
- 12.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 96%
- Highest pay
- $76,852, executive di
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending April 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 (1)
- $132,553 spent. WE BEGAN CONDUCTING ONLINE EVENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND POSTED VIDEOS ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOUTUBE CHANNELS TO RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS ABOUT OUR WORK AND OUR PROJECTS. FINALLY, IN OCTOBER OF 2024, WE HOSTED OUR FIRST POST-PANDEMIC IN-PERSON EVENT WITH AN EXHIBIT OF YARN PAINTINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND BOOKS FOR SALE TO OUR GUESTS. HOSTED AT A BOARD MEMBER'S RESIDENCE AND ORGANIZED BY OUR BOARD, GUESTS WERE ABLE TO LEARN ABOUT OUR FOUNDATION'S HISTORY AND THE ONGOING RESULTS OF THE WORK WE HAVE CARRIED OUT THROUGH OUR ARCHIVE AND ON-THE-GROUND PROJECTS. THE EVENT WAS WELL ATTENDED AND WAS MET WITH GENEROUS DONATIONS AND SALES. IN THE MEANTIME, WE CONTINUE GENERATING INTEREST AND DONATIONS THROUGH OUR ONLINE ACTIVITIES, OUR NEWSLETTERS, AND PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS, AND LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING ANOTHER EVENT BEFORE THE END OF 2025. WE ARE HAPPY TO SHARE WITH YOU OUR ACTIVITIES DURING OUR 2024 - 2025 FISCAL YEAR. IN THE LATE SUMMER OF 2024, WE SUPPORTED THE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL TAMATSI PRITSIKA IN THE COMMUNITY OF TUAPURIE (SANTA CATARINA CUEXCOMATITLN, MUNICIPALITY OF MEZQUITIC); BY PURCHASING THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT THEY NEEDED FOR THE INSTALLATION OF BROAD BAND INTERNET FOR THEIR SCHOOL. SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT CAME OUT OF A PETITION FROM THE SCHOOL'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND WAS FUNDED THANKS TO THE ONGOING PARTNERSHIP WE ESTABLISHED WITH THE INDIGENOUS RECIPROCITY INITIATIVE LED BY THE CHACRUNA INSTITUTE FOR PLANT MEDICINES. THROUGH THIS, WE ARE ALSO PLEASED TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S NEW CAMPUS WHICH WE HAVE BEEN PARTY TO SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN 2009. THIS INCLUDES OUR SUPPORT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CAMPUS'S FIRST BUILDING IN 2015, A WOOD DRYING SOLAR OVEN FOR THE FUNCTION OF A CARPENTRY WORKSHOP. THE SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR WIXARIKA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IS NOW IN ITS EIGHTH YEAR, WITH ONGOING SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION WITH THE INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP CLUB AND THE ROTARY CLUB IN PUERTO VALLARTA. BECAUSE OF THE INTEREST AND CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM DONORS WHO WISH TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS PROGRAM, WE WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE GIVING SCHOLARSHIPS TO TWENTY STUDENTS FOR THE 2025 - 2026 SCHOOL YEAR. DUE TO INFLATION, WE RAISED THE AMOUNT OF EACH STUDENT'S SCHOLARSHIP TO 8,000 MEXICAN PESOS PER YEAR IN 2023, WHICH AT THE CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE IS APPROXIMATELY 420 USD. ALTHOUGH THIS IS A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY, IT HELPS STUDENTS WITH THEIR COST OF BOOKS, TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING, AND FOOD. SOME HAVE USED THE MONEY TO BUY A LAPTOP COMPUTER WHICH WAS INDISPENSABLE DURING THE PANDEMIC WHEN ALL CLASSES WERE HELD ONLINE. STUDENTS ARE FREE TO USE THEIR SCHOLARSHIP MONEY WHERE THEY BELIEVE THEY NEED IT MOST. SINCE 2018, THE WIXARIKA RESEARCH CENTER HAS GIVEN MULTI-YEAR SCHOLARSHIPS TO 78 WIXARIKA UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. THEY HAVE RECEIVED DEGREES IN LAW, NURSING, NUTRITION, FORESTRY ENGINEERING, EDUCATION, MATHEMATICS, ARCHITECTURE, AGRONOMY, AND THREE HAVE GRADUATED FROM MEDICAL SCHOOL. MOST OF THE GRADUATES ARE SERVING THEIR COMMUNITIES AND WORKING IN THEIR AREA OF UNDERGRADUATE SPECIALIZATION, AND TWO STUDENTS ARE PURSUING THEIR MASTER'S DEGREES. THIS PAST YEAR WE HAD 12 STUDENTS GRADUATE WHICH LEFT US WITH 8 CONTINUING STUDENTS. WE WILL ACCEPT 12 NEW STUDENTS FOR THE 2025 - 2026 SCHOOL YEAR. ONCE A STUDENT IS ACCEPTED INTO OUR PROGRAM, WE COMMIT TO SUPPORTING THEM FOR A MAXIMUM OF THREE YEARS AND A MINIMUM OF ONE SEMESTER. SINCE THE PROGRAM BEGAN, WE HAVE ONLY HAD TWO STUDENTS WITHDRAW BEFORE COMPLETING THEIR DEGREES AND ONE HAS SUCCESSFULLY REAPPLIED FOR HIS FINAL SEMESTER. IN ADDITION TO THE SCHOLARSHIPS, WE COORDINATE ACTIVITIES IN WHICH STUDENTS CAN MEET EACH OTHER ONLINE OR THROUGH OUR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES AND WORK IN THE FIELD SUCH AS OUR PREVIOUS AGROECOLOGY WORKSHOPS. OUR BILINGUAL WEBSITE IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING UPGRADED TO DRUPAL 11, AND THAT WORK SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY EARLY FALL 2025. THE UPGRADES, STYLING, AND WRITING TEXT FOR NEW PAGES WILL ALWAYS BE ONGOING. WE CONTINUE TO IMPROVE AND EXPAND THE ONLINE ARCHIVE OF DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS, WHICH IS DRAWING ABUNDANT ATTENTION AND ADMIRATION FROM THE WIXARIKA PEOPLE AND FROM SCHOLARS AROUND THE WORLD. AUKWE MIJARES GARCA, A WIXARIKA WOMAN WITH A DEGREE IN COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE JESUIT UNIVERSITY ITESO, IN GUADALAJARA, HAS BEEN WORKING UPLOADING AND BUILDING OUT THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES. SHE ALSO SUPPORTS OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND EXPLORE THE ARCHIVES. ALL THIS MATERIAL IS OF GREAT HISTORICAL VALUE TO THE WIXARIKA COMMUNITIES AND TO SCHOLARS INTERESTED IN EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE BEGINNING FROM WHEN THE FIRST ROADS PENETRATED THE WIXARIKA SIERRAS. HAVING A NATIVE SPEAKER WORKING WITH THIS MATERIAL IS INVALUABLE. OUR AUDIENCE KEEPS GROWING, AND WE CONTINUE TO BE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN AND TO MODERATE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES. WE REGULARLY RECEIVE CORRESPONDENCE FROM BOTH ACADEMICS AND STUDENTS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE PRIOR TO TRAVELING TO MEXICO TO DO FIELD WORK. IT IS A PLEASURE TO CONNECT THEM TO WIXARIKA PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO HELP THEM WITH THEIR RESEARCH PROJECTS.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending April 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending April 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 2001.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 2026.
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