Thinking Project Institute
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE THINKING PROJECT'S MISSION IS TO BRING INQUIRY TO EVERY STUDENT, EVERYWHERE. ROOTED IN THE PROCESS OF INQUIRY-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (IBSR), WE'RE EXPLORING HOW THIS WORK-AND RELATED, CONGRUENT PRACTICES-CAN MEANINGFULLY SUPPORT BOTH STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS. OUR FOCUS IS ON REDUCING STRESS AND AWAKENING NATURAL JOY, OPENNESS, AND CREATIVITY, ESPECIALLY IN THE MOMENTS THAT FEEL MOST CONFUSING OR CHALLENGING. WE'RE DISCOVERING HOW THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY AND QUESTION SPECIFIC STRESSFUL THOUGHTS-AND TO SEE WITH FRESH PERSPECTIVE-CAN BE A POWERFUL FOUNDATION FOR LASTING CHANGE, RELEVANT LEARNING, AND DEEP GROWTH.
- Income
- $80,544
- Spending
- $155,195
- Reserves
- 1.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Highest pay
- $108,400, president
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending July 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 43 out of 100. Higher than 10% of charities in its peer group (education, under $250k).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 8% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 93% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending July 31, 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 July 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 (2)
- $100,803 spent. PIVOTED TO DIRECT EDUCATOR SUPPORT THROUGH IBSR SESSIONS: BUILDING ON OUR PRIOR-YEAR EDUCATOR INTERVIEWS AND FRAMEWORK PILOTS, WE VERIFIED THAT TEACHERS REGULARLY FACE DIFFICULT SITUATIONS WHERE THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO RESPOND. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH NATIONAL RESEARCH ON WIDESPREAD EDUCATOR STRESS AND BURNOUT. IN RESPONSE, WE FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING EDUCATORS DIRECTLY THROUGH INQUIRY-BASED STRESS REDUCTION (IBSR) SESSIONS. WE DEVELOPED A VIRTUAL IBSR TOOL TO HELP GUIDE A SESSION, AND TESTED BOTH THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN IBSR EXPERIENCE IN REDUCING EDUCATOR STRESS AND ITS POTENTIAL FOR SUSTAINED, REPEATED USE BY EDUCATORS. WE DELIVERED 32 INDIVIDUAL IBSR SESSIONS TO EDUCATORS (31 REPORTED A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE), 5 SMALL-GROUP SESSIONS WITH PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (PLCS) AND INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES (5-12 PARTICIPANTS EACH), AND ONE EDUCATOR SUMMIT OF APPROXIMATELY 10 PARTICIPANTS. ALL REPORTED POSITIVE EXPERIENCES.
- DIAGNOSED THE "FIZZLE" BARRIERS TO SUSTAINED, SCALEABLE PRACTICE: DESPITE CONSISTENTLY POSITIVE INITIAL IBSR SESSIONS -- MANY LASTING 45 MINUTES TO AN HOUR -- WE OBSERVED THAT THE EXPERIENCE OFTEN DID NOT TRANSLATE INTO SUSTAINED PARTICIPATION ACROSS A FIVE-SESSION ARC. DRAWING ON OUR OWN IMPLEMENTATION DATA AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH, WE IDENTIFIED THE RECURRING BARRIERS THAT AFFECT US AND SEL PROGRAMS BROADLY: TIME SCARCITY, COMPETING PRIORITIES, AND SCHEDULING AND LOGISTICAL FRICTION. THESE PRESSURES IMPACT EFFECTIVE SCALING: ACROSS THE RESEARCH, THE SMALL, HIGH-FIDELITY CONDITIONS THAT PRODUCED POSITIVE IMPACT STOPPED REPLICATING IT AS PROGRAMS SCALED INTO THE TIME-SCARCE CONTEXTS OF WHOLE SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS, WITH THEIR COMPETING PRIORITIES AND UNPREDICTABLE SCHEDULES. WE ALSO STUDIED THE FACTORS MORE LIKELY TO SUPPORT RESILIENT, ONGOING UPTAKE AND GROWTH, SUCH AS QUICK WINS, ADAPTABILITY TO LOCAL CONTEXT, AND REPEATABILITY. THIS DIAGNOSIS GAVE US A GROWTH-RESEARCH FOUNDATION AND DESIGN GUIDE FOR THE RESOURCE AND DELIVERY TESTING WE PURSUED IN FY25.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending July 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 July 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 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.