Grassroot Projects
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Grassroot Projects creates and supports equitable communities for immigrant and refugee children by removing barriers and empowering kids to reach their full potential as they enjoy their childhoods. This is accomplished by having a very low-resistance client intake process, decreased need for documentation, multilingual volunteers, and delivering care packages to the families either at their homes or at a specific pick-up point.
- Income
- $573,841
- Spending
- $625,708
- Spent on programs
- 84%
- Reserves
- 2.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 98%
- Employees
- 7
- Volunteers
- 120
- Highest pay
- $50,681, board member / part-time exec. dir. (wa)
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
Fair: 59 out of 100. Higher than 21% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 9% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 2% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1584% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 11 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
Good: 84 out of 100. Higher than 70% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 257 of 9 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
0 of 7Reports no 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
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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)
- $525,706 spent. Grassroot Projects provides the following services to help under-resourced immigrant/refugee families as they struggle to resettle into a new country and call it their home: a) Care Packages: These include basic essentials for children/babies ranging from diapers, wipes, formula, seasonal clothing, car seats, and school supplies to culturally-appropriate groceries. b) Sponsor a Passion: We provide sponsorships for children to pursue their passions/talents such as gymnastic classes, swimming, tumbling, art classes, and such. Our goal is to help these kids enjoy their childhood and experience the power of play. c) Healthy Families program through which grocery gift cards are given to help purchase culturally-relevant foods that aren't otherwise easily accessible to families that are food insecure. d) Early literacy program to promote the joy of reading by adopting 1-3 elementary and middle schools every year, where kids are able to choose from a variety of free books that reflect diversity. Children's books are also a part of each care package as book ownership is proven to promote literacy. Also as part of our Back to School program, kids are provided new backpacks filled with all the essential school supplies to help them start a new school year with confidence. We assisted 3,225 children from 1,137 households in 2024 for immigrant families from 32 different countries. In 2024, the organization received donated professional service hours from its board members and volunteers for sustaining operations and increasing outreach. A total of 6,472 volunteer hours were received in 2024.
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 May 2017.
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.