Together in Service
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SWOPLA stands for Sex Workers Outreach Project Los Angeles. We are a peer support organization, run by sex workers and for sex workers. Our mission is to pursue our human rights to bodily autonomy, racial and social justice, and mutual liberation through outreach, education, mutual aid and political advocacy. Our vision is to usher in the reality where all sex workers are respected.
- Income
- $310,016
- Spending
- $195,706
- Spent on programs
- 85%
- Reserves
- 15.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 67%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 40
- Highest pay
- $34,668, treasurer
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 85% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 15.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 37% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 15% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1585% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 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
Fair: 61 out of 100. Higher than 37% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
18 of 252 of 3 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a 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 (5)
- $49,518 spent. SWLEARN - Sex Worker Lived Experience Affirming Research Network -- Collaborating with UCLA, UCSF, and two other Los Angeles-based community organizations, Together in Service is undergoing a multi-year HIV intervention adaptation and implementation science research project. We are aiming to administer a six-session workshop series to over 100 trans women of color who do sex work in Los Angeles county and measure how effective that workshop series is in improving several public health-related outcomes, including relating to HIV treatment and prevention. In 2024, we finished adapting the intervention we had chosen using the ADAPT-ITT framework, prepared to begin running the sessions, prepared materials for Institutional Review Board approval, and scheduled a site visit with the funder, California HIV/AIDS Research Program. In the longer term, we hope this project will both provide a tested workshop series for people to run in the future, as well as help to show that research based on community collaborations that is led by the sub-population of interest can lead to higher quality research overall.
- $69,465 spent. SWANS - Sex Worker Abortion Navigation Services -- Thanks to California's Abortion Practical Support Fund (and the elbow grease of our stipended volunteers -- & the unpaid volunteers who came before them), we are able to help provide practical support to sex workers facing difficult circumstances who are seeking to obtain lawful abortions in California. We have a team of peer navigators who are trained and equipped to help arrange--and pay for, as necessary--appointments, after care, childcare, lodging, transportion, or any other urgent needs that are preventing someone from obtaining an abortion. In 2024, we helped connect dozens of people to sexual and reproductive health services, including by directly aiding clients seeking abortion care, and helped train several sex workers in how to assist members of their communities in obtaining reproductive health care.
- $17,412 spent. Sex Worker Parent Project - In 2024, our Sex Worker Parent Project published the Magazine "ProMomme: A Sex Workers' Guide to Parenting", and worked on filming a documentary about the process of creating and publishing "ProMomme." The Zine was published in August of 2024, with co-publishers Sming Sming and Cash Machine; and we held a reading of works from the Zine at Cash Machine's storefront, featuring dozens of audience members. We aim to finish and promote the documentary, and to publish a second volume of "ProMomme," featuring more voices from our under-represented community. In the long term, we hope to build community between sex worker parents, and destigmatize the choices of sex workers to have kids or of parents to do sex work.
- $30,642 spent. In addition to our three largest programs, we offer a wide variety of programming in the areas of community building, outreach, direct service provision, and art, research, public education, and political advocacy. Our longest running programs include our monthly general meetings, bi-weekly virtual support groups, regular community building events like potlucks and clothing swaps, and our website where users can find our Bad Date List and extensive and regularly updated resource list.
- In addition to our three largest programs, we offer a wide variety of programming in the areas of community building, outreach, direct service provision, and art, research, public education, and political advocacy. Our longest running programs include our monthly general meetings, bi-weekly virtual support groups, regular community building events like potlucks and clothing swaps, and our website where users can find our Bad Date List and extensive and regularly updated resource list.
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 November 6, 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 March 2023.
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 November 4, 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.