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672 S LA FAYETTE PARK PL STE 10
Los Angeles CA 90057-3224
Los Angeles CA | IRS ruling year: 2009 | EIN: 26-4644018
"GET LIT" - WORDS IGNITE PROVIDES YOUNG PEOPLE WITH LIFE-SAVING VEHICLES OF EXPRESSION TO CREATE STRONG, EMBOLDENED LEADERS WITH THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO BUILD UP COMM ... (More)
"GET LIT" - WORDS IGNITE PROVIDES YOUNG PEOPLE WITH LIFE-SAVING VEHICLES OF EXPRESSION TO CREATE STRONG, EMBOLDENED LEADERS WITH THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO BUILD UP COMMUNITIES FOR A MORE EQUITABLE WORLD. (Less)
Great
This charity's score is 100%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 90% Accountability & Finance, 10% Culture & Community. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Get Lit Words Ignite Inc. is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
Get Lit Words Ignite Inc. has earned a 100% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
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Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Not ApplicableBoard Composition - 13/14 - 25/25 ptsBoard Composition - 13/14 - 25/25 pts
Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review - Audited - 20/20 ptsIndependent Audit or Financial Review - Audited - 20/20 pts
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
| Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
|---|---|
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 ptsConflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Board Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 ptsBoard Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction - Listed - 3/3 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy - Listed - 3/3 ptsWhistleblower Policy - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Website - Listed - 3/3 ptsWebsite - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 24.51% - 25/25 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 24.51% - 25/25 pts
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
| Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| Less than 50% | Full Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
| 60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Ratio - 76.91% - 25/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 76.91% - 25/25 pts
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
| Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| 70% or higher | Full Credit |
| 60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
| Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Activity data not reported from the IRS
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (Get Lit Words Ignite Inc.) or EIN (264644018) in the 'Search Term' field.
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Get Lit Words Ignite Inc. reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
Many of our contracts with Schools or Educational Facilities were cancelled or postponed. We applied for a PPP loan and this helped us maintain our staff.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
We were extremely challenged in delivering programs primarily to the underserved communities where the Tech Gap is very large.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
We moved all of our programming to virtual spaces like Zoom or Google Meets.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We will now offer a hybrid model for those who want to participate from afar as well as in-person learning.
Not Currently Scored
Get Lit Words Ignite Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Get Lit Words Ignite Inc. reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
GET LIT IN-SCHOOL PROGRAM: THE PANDEMIC'S EFFECT ON THOSE WE SERVE WAS IMMEDIATELY TRAUMATIC. EARLY ON, LAUSD REPORTED THAT 45% OF STUDENTS WERE NOT ATTENDING ONLINE CLASSES, INCLUDING 50,000 BLACK AN ... (More)
GET LIT IN-SCHOOL PROGRAM: THE PANDEMIC'S EFFECT ON THOSE WE SERVE WAS IMMEDIATELY TRAUMATIC. EARLY ON, LAUSD REPORTED THAT 45% OF STUDENTS WERE NOT ATTENDING ONLINE CLASSES, INCLUDING 50,000 BLACK AND LATINO MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. TEACHERS WERE OVERWHELMED BY SIMULTANEOUSLY TRYING TO CREATE CONTENT WHILE BECOMING COMFORTABLE TEACHING ONLINE. IN RESPONSE, GET LIT QUICKLY RETOOLED OUR ENTIRE ORGANIZATION SO THAT WE COULD CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND LESSEN THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON THEIR LIVES,CONNECTIONS, AND EDUCATION. WE WERE DEVELOPING ONLINE PROGRAMS PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, SO HAD A LARGE AMOUNT OF CONTENT READY. WE RAPIDLY TRANSFORMED ALL OUR PROGRAMS TO ONLINE OR HYBRID SERVICES, AND IMMEDIATELY PROVIDED LAUSD WITH 400 FREE HOURS OF LESSON PLANS AND UNLIMITED TEACHER MENTOR VISITS. LESSONS CENTERED ON THE CLASSIC AND ORIGINAL POEMS OF OUR CLASSIC SLAM STUDENT COMPETITORS, AND ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPRESSION, MENTAL HEALTH, SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING DURING THIS TIME. TEACHERS REPORTED THAT 90% OF STUDENTS ATTENDED CLASS BY THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, STATING THAT GET LIT IS WHAT KEPT STUDENTS RETURNING AND EXCITED ABOUT LOGGING ON EACH DAY. (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
GET LIT PLAYERS: TWENTY-SEVEN GET LIT POETS CO-WROTE AND CO-STARRED IN THE FILM SUMMERTIME DIRECTED BY CARLOS LPEZ ESTRADA. THE FILM PREMIERED OPENING NIGHT AT THE 2020 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AND WILL ... (More)
GET LIT PLAYERS: TWENTY-SEVEN GET LIT POETS CO-WROTE AND CO-STARRED IN THE FILM SUMMERTIME DIRECTED BY CARLOS LPEZ ESTRADA. THE FILM PREMIERED OPENING NIGHT AT THE 2020 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AND WILL OPEN IN 300 THEATERS ACROSS THE U.S. IN SPRING 2021. OU (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
GET LIT AFTER SCHOOL: ALL OF GET LIT'S AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS. THIS YEAR, WE TRANSFORMED OUR WEEKLY IN-PERSON DROP-IN" POETRY WORKSHOPS INTO AN INNOVATIVE ONL ... (More)
GET LIT AFTER SCHOOL: ALL OF GET LIT'S AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS. THIS YEAR, WE TRANSFORMED OUR WEEKLY IN-PERSON DROP-IN" POETRY WORKSHOPS INTO AN INNOVATIVE ONLINE FORMAT THAT HAS EXPANDED THE ACCESS TO THESE PROGRAM (Less)
Get Lit Words Ignite Inc. has earned a 100% for the Culture & Community beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
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Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 ptsConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 pts
30% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Who are the people you serve with your mission? Describe briefly.
Get Lit serves youth in diverse communities primarily throughout southern California including students in grades 4-12, young adults in early college or career exploration, and Transition Age Youth aging out of the foster care system. Our curriculum is currently taught in 26 Los Angeles County school districts, and in school districts in 10 other California counties and 10 other states (IN, MA, MD, NC, PA, TX, VA, WA, WI, WV, plus the District of Columbia), Canada, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, England, Australia, and Japan. Of the 10,000 teens who graduate from our curriculum annually, and the 50,000 youth we reach through all programs, services, and performances, 85% are from under-resourced areas and enrolled in Title I schools, and 92% are students of color.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Suggestion box/email
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners
How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship with them or shifted power - over decisions, resources, rules or in other ways - to them?
Our students and communities are centrally engaged in our work and decision-making, and our adaptable programs and services are easily able to respond to their needs, be they cultural, linguistic, educational, emotional, or otherwise. Our staff members have meaningful daily interactions with our teachers and students and are therefore constantly able to assess issues of importance to them, and to assure that our programs remain engaging, impactful, and relevant to those we serve. Our programs have developed in direct response to these needs expressed in surveys, conversations, and powerfully written testimonials.
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
To answer the call for greater equity and appreciation of the contributions of Black literary artists, our 2020-21 Anthology was composed entirely of works by Black poets and available free to schools across the globe. To reach the greatest number and widest socio-economic strata of youth with our life-changing services, in 2021 we launched Uni(verse), the world's first interactive poetry web platform focused on improving both writing and performance skills that can be used independently and in the classroom. To prepare for Ethnic Studies being a graduation requirement in 2023 for all California students, in 2022 we created 3 Ethnic Studies curricula that celebrate the stories of BIPOC people through the lens of poetry and history.
Equity Practices - Data Available - 100/100 ptsEquity Practices - Data Available - 100/100 pts
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 100 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 14 Equity Practices. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective equity policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Equity Practices (7/7) | |
|---|---|
We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. | |
We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and/or portfolios. | |
We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization/'s programs, portfolios, and the populations served. | |
We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support. | |
We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders. | |
We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured | |
We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Equity Policies and Procedures (7/7) | |
|---|---|
We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity. | |
We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. | |
We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization. | |
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board. | |
We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. | |
We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team. | |
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Get Lit Words Ignite Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Leadership & Adaptability methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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