Burning Cedar Sovereign Kitchen
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Only 5% of its spending went to programs.
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 62 cents.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness is a 100% Indigenous-led community-driven nonprofit communal space for the urban Tulsa Indigenous community to gather heal and grow by cultivating connections to land and ancestral wisdom. We are dedicated to addressing socioeconomic disparities health crises and cultural disconnection affecting Indigenous communities by re-establishing ancestral foodways educating future generations of Indigenous cooks and supporting Indigenous food producers. Services include cultural reconnection through storytelling and traditional cooking workshops youth health and wellness camps professional culinary training and work experience programs research documentation and revitalization of traditional foodways and providing healthy meals made with sustainably and tribally produced ingredients to food insecure members of the community.
- Income
- $252,133
- Spending
- $200,789
- Spent on programs
- 5%
- Reserves
- 4.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 63%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $63,183, executive director
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
Fair: 65 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.9 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 20% of income.
Spending floor
0 of 155% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 62 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: 69 out of 100. Higher than 45% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
18 of 253 of 3 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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 (3)
- $8,234 spent. We ran a teaching kitchen providing seasonal cooking workshops and communal meals celebrating Indigenous food traditions fostering community and promoting food sovereignty. Activities comprised: - Sunday Soup Group: Monthly community cooking workshop using seasonal Indigenous ingredients for a heartwarming soup. - Wild Kitchen: Exploring recipes with seasonal wild foraged ingredients. - Sovereign Pantry: Food preservation techniques including drying water bath and pressure canning fermentation and pickling.
- $1,328 spent. Community building social gatherings such as traditional makers workshops storytelling events movie nights communal meals and seasonal celebrations.
- $285 spent. We built and maintained a community teaching garden rooted in ancestral seeds traditional growing practices and cultivating our relationship with the land. It serves as a living model of Indigenous food sovereignty cultural preservation and sustainable urban agriculture. Activities included: Mushroom Cultivation Seed Swap Garden Skills workshops on seed germination pest management soil health diagnosing plant problems companion planting garden design and seasonal transitioning
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 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 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 November 2022.
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.