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Catholicosate of Armenia Major & Armenia Minor

EIN 84-2033182 · Pioneertown, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong100 out of 100GovernanceWeak25 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

The Catholicosate of Armenia Major and Armenia Minor, a religious organization, is the legal entity of a new Armenian religion. It conducts its activities in countries and jurisdictions where Armenian communities live: California, the US in general, Armenia, and elsewhere, and operates the Baldasar Monastery. Via its publications unit, the Erzenka Publishing House, it is involved in preservation of the Western Armenian literary and linguistic heritage, an endangered language bordering extinction, designated as such by UNESCO, as without which our religion may not survive. The Catholicosate, via Erzenka Publishing House, is involved in research, publishing, manufacturing, distributing, and selling books for the stated purpose. It aims at the publication of mainly pre-Genocide, 19th century Western Armenian literary heritage, but mainly the Bibles and literature of our religion.

Income
$159,681
Spending
$115,628
Spent on programs
100%
Reserves
55.6 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 50%
Employees
0
Volunteers
8

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

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 89% of charities in its peer group (religion, under $250k).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 55.6 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 28% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 30% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    100% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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

Weak: 25 out of 100. Higher than 15% of charities in its peer group (religion, under $250k).

  • Independent board

    0 of 25

    0 of 0 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

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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 (4)
  1. $42,645 spent. Operating and maintaining the Baldasar Monastery, and car, transportation expenses
  2. $7,017 spent. Online publication of our 742 pages Bible in Western Armenian and Arabic--the Bible of Baldasar--translated into Arabic as Al-Qur'an Al-Armani (The Armenian Qor'an) after the completion of its creation and design in the previous years.
  3. $8,460 spent. Continued research and preparing for publication of the 432-pages long Ancient Greek Ethics in hardcover in Western Armenian.
  4. $57,506 spent. Details of ongoing expenses for all existing programs and general expenses are reported in Part X.

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

  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 September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Worth knowing.

    Status was revoked on May 15, 2022 for not filing returns for three years, and reinstated on May 15, 2022.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.

  4. 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 September 7, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since March 2023.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.