Skip to the page content
Your donations
Passes our checks

Human Restoration Project

EIN 84-3753948 · Ames, IA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair69 out of 100GovernanceStrong91 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Human Restoration Project is organized and operated exclusively for educational purposes in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. More specifically, Human Restoration Project is dedicated to informing and spreading progressive education, such as gradeless learning, equity-focused classrooms, and experiential education, through free educational programs, free resources, and free online materials for teachers, families, and students.

Income
$985,753
Spending
$954,965
Spent on programs
100%
Reserves
0.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 95%
Employees
9
Volunteers
0
Highest pay
$82,500, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 69 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    4 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 0.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 3% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 46% 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, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 91 out of 100. Higher than 81% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    7 of 7 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

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

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • 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 December 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 (4)
  1. $933,985 spent. Third Coast Learning Collaborative is a five-year, $3.9M U.S. Department of Education Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant partnership to reimagine public schools in Western Michigan through interdisciplinary project-based learning and feedback-driven, portfolio-based assessment. The program provides infrastructure for student learning experiences, teacher stipends, professional development, and independent evaluation by the RAND Corporation, with the goal of scaling to additional districts and schools.
  2. $17,319 spent. The Human-Centered Schools Network (HCS) is Human Restoration Project's professional development program that integrates student voice and teacher leadership into actions toward systemic school change, using empathy interviews structured one-on-one conversations that surface students' lived experiences to inform school design decisions. HCS is now being intertwined with the Polaris Education platform, which digitizes and scales the empathy interview process through AI-powered question generation, secure consent workflows, and administrator dashboards for theme analysis across districts.
  3. $10,294 spent. Conference to Restore Humanity! is Human Restoration Project's annual virtual conference for K-12 and college educators, designed around a flipped model where attendees engage with keynotes asynchronously and then participate in extended live Q&A conversations with speakers, alongside week-long learning journeys, virtual school tours, and community events. All conference resources are freely shared under a Creative Commons license, featuring scholars and educators reimagining progressive, human-centered education.
  4. Other revenue is generated through professional development workshops and coaching for educators, individual and organizational donations, and merchandise sales in partnership with RAYGUN. Expenses include technology infrastructure, and the development of two new platforms Floopedu.com, a feedback literacy tool that empowers students with agency over their learning through scaffolded peer review and self-assessment, and Polariseducation.ai, a student empathy interview platform that helps districts systematically center student voice in school design.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 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 December 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 August 2020.

    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.