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Hear Your Song Inc

EIN 85-3483842 · New York, NY

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong90 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Hear Your Song empowers children and teens living with serious illnesses and complex health needs to make their voices heard through collaborative songwriting. At the heart of our work is a "kid-driven," totally individualized process that puts every child and teen in our community - youth who live with physical and mental health diagnoses that so often deprive them of power and choice - in complete creative control. Hear Your Song supports youth songwriters through partnerships with children's hospitals and nursing homes, summer camps, schools, and diagnosis-specific organizations.

Income
$211,695
Spending
$211,413
Spent on programs
86%
Reserves
8.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 88%
Employees
2
Volunteers
125
Highest pay
$68,290, executive director and co-founder

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

Financial health

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (health care, under $250k).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 8.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 0% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    12 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 0% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 10% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    86% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 cents.

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

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (health care, under $250k).

  • 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.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 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 (1)
  1. $182,560 spent. Hear Your Song's central program service is our Collaborative Songwriting Program for youth with serious illnesses and complex health needs ages 6-18. In 2025, Hear Your Song served over 210 kids through partnerships with children's hospitals, nonprofits, schools, and camp programs. Hear Your Song created peer songwriting groups, live performance opportunities, and virtual song premiere events to strengthen the community of youth participating in programming and to deepen relationships among families, partner organizations, volunteers, and youth songwriters. Through our Duet-A-Doc project, youth songwriters collaborated with their longtime medical professionals to create songs together. Hear Your Song also mentored undergraduate students and other volunteers across the United States to lead songwriting sessions. Associated accomplishments include the amplification of youth songwriters' songs and voices so that their creative work can be celebrated and shared by a wide audience.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 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 August 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 April 2021.

    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.