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Friends Of@gala

EIN 81-2014188 · Los Angeles, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood75 out of 100GovernanceWeak43 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Friends of GALA (FoGALA) is solving economic and gender disparities that exist within STEM fields today, by removing interpersonal, academic and financial barriers for all girls who attend Girls Academic Leadership Academy.Our vision is to remove personal and educational barriers to achievement by opening access to resources, mentors and opportunities for girls, 6th through 12th grade, living in Los Angeles. We achieve this by raising awareness, securing funds, advocating for public all-girls education in STEM, and creating connections for industry leaders to directly impact their future.GALAs vision is to address the projected workforce shortfall of engineers and scientists in the United States, and the ongoing gender and racial inequities in STEM fields. Recognizing that all-girls schools boost the academic achievement and self-confidence of young women in general, and in STEM education in particular, GALA is designed to provide 6th-12th grade girls with a clear pathway to college an

Income
$925,609
Spending
$1.1 million
Spent on programs
85%
Reserves
15.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 94%
Employees
1

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

Good: 75 out of 100. Higher than 45% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 15.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 23% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 14% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    85% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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

Weak: 43 out of 100. Higher than 13% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    12 of 12 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    0 of 15

    Reports no written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    0 of 5

    Reports that it does not keep minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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 (5)
  1. $440,058 spent. Operations: FoGALA provides operations support in the form of professional development, including travel to conferences; campus beautification; admissions staff and school tours; teacher appreciation gifts and luncheons; website software; events coordinator; campus events; and office supplies.
  2. $350,343 spent. Student Support: Other program expenses include student support in the form of providing Chromebooks with cases to every student; covering AP testing fees; providing Princeton Review SAT prep for all of our juniors; field trips to the Aquarium of the Pacific, JA Finance Park, LA City Hall, and engineering competitions among others; supplies for Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) and Special Education (RSP); summer school, including our Science Sleuths camp, middle and high school math enrichment programs, and PE; Graduation; and our CIF Athletics program.
  3. $120,175 spent. Arts & Humanities: FoGALA provides support in the form of partial salaries for the Architecture and Dance teachers; Broadcast cameras, wireless mics, lighting, and soundboard; 3D printer and filament for Architecture; 6 MacBooks with digital audio stations for the music program; registration and transportation to the Choral Music Festival; Graphic Arts computer and projector; and digital cameras for the Yearbook elective.
  4. $45,576 spent. Science Provided cutting-edge science curriculum and equipment for middle school and high school classes, including drones for our Aerospace elective and rockets for Engineering. Supported the Robotics teams with equipment and registered them in the First Robotics tournament where they advanced to the regionals and won the Inspire Award the highest all-round award in the competition. Also supported new classes, like Bio-Medical and Sports Medicine.
  5. $17,120 spent. Math and Engineering: FoGALA provided graphing calculators to all high school math students to provide equal access to math curriculum and testing requirements. For engineering, the students received a class set of rockets and a field trip to Cal State Long Beach Society of Women Engineers Girls Day.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since June 2016.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.