Los Angeles Poverty Department
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Los Angeles Poverty Department creates performances and multi-disciplinary artworks that connect the experience of people living in poverty to the social forces that shape their lives and communities our work expresses the realities hopes dream and rights of people who live and work in L.A. Skid Row.
- Income
- $357,727
- Spending
- $643,885
- Spent on programs
- 72%
- Reserves
- 2.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 44%
- Employees
- 15
- Volunteers
- 20
- Highest pay
- $69,464, founding artistic director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 45 out of 100.
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 80% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 52% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1572% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 18 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 86 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 256 of 6 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
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 September 30, 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)
- $463,758 spent. Programming during the fiscal year continued to creatively serve housed and unhoused members of our low-income Skid Row community and the public at our Skid Row History Museum & Archive SRHMA and other public spaces. In October 2023 LAPD hosted our 15th annual 2-day Festival for All Skid Row Artists in Gladys Park Skid Row attended by an est. 1,500 people and 150 artists. In January we published and distributed free to community members 2,000 newspapers documenting the festival and featuring the participating artists. LAPDs Welcome to the Covid Hotel exhibition was on view at the SRHMA through December 2024. LAPDs related theatrical performance The Covid Hotel Welcomes You to the Future was performed at the closing of the exhibition and January through September we performed it 12 more times in theaters and community settings throughout Los Angeles County for combined audiences of 1200. 9 of the performances were followed by community conversations with doctors nurses and other community health workers. The project documented and disseminated the experiences of frontline workers at County Quarantine and Isolation medical shelters for Covid patients. Total participants: approx. 40 Skid Row rehearsals with 10 Skid Row cast members 26 panelists at community conversations; and 1200 audience. During the year the Skid Row History Museum & Archive also hosted 3 exhibitions curated by outside curators Tents & Tenants curated by the Echo Park Collective ran for 2 months February and March 2025 and was visited by over 600 people. The exhibition Walk with Me featuring Skid Row visual artists working at the People Concerns Studio 526. The exhibition was up from April 11 through June 28 and was curated by Alice Corona Director of Studio 526. The exhibition was viewed by an estimated 600 people and Studio 526 produced 3 community events during the run of the exhibition. Scratching the Surface: 40 Years of Visual Arts in Skid Row opened on September 6 and continued through the end of the Fiscal Year on Sept. 30. The exhibition was curated by Hayk Makhmuryan of the Community Arts Depot. It has been viewed by over 400 people. Throughout FY2024-25 SRHMA hosted free monthly workshops and meetings as well as special events for Skid Row community members led by individuals and grassroots groups. These included Creative Writing Sock Puppet Making other meetings organized by community groups and the annual Bob Marley Day and Juneteenth celebrations organized by Skid Row community member DJ Sir Oliver. LAPD produced Movie Nights twice month and Open Mic Nights monthly. In all Museum programs engaged an estimated 10,000 participants including exhibition visitors and public program audience members in FY2024-5. Working with other Skid Row arts organizations LAPD created and distributed 2,500 copies issue a quarterly ArtsZine highlighting neighborhood artists and activities. Throughout FY2024-25 LAPD archivists worked with 9 volunteers to continue to put our archival holdings into a Central Management System while also acquiring and processing new materials generated through LAPD activities and donated from Skid Row leaders and organizations. There were another 11 volunteers who supported LA Poverty Department projects throughout the year.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 1993.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 2026.
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