The Aja Project FY2021 filing

Tax-deductible

San Diego, CA501(c)(3)InternationalEIN 33-0969020

To provide photography-based programming to transform the lives of youth and communities. Aja has provided long-term, community-based programming for over 4,500 individuals, and has shared visual narratives with over 1 million viewers through large-scale public exhibits.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
57¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$39K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2021 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
Is it a real charity?
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Are gifts tax-deductible?
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Is it filing on time?
FY2025
latest Form 990
IRS e-file · Filing history
Is it financially stable?
3 of 6
years in the black
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
How much reaches the programs?
57%
of spending
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
What are leaders paid?
$39K
to officers and key staff · 7% of spending
Pt VII · Sec A
Do they have reserves?
8 mo
of spending, in cash
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Who is supporting them already?
6
named funders · $140K
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Do they carry debt?
$315K
liabilities
Pt X · Ln 26
Who oversees it?
7
independent of 7 voting board members
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Revenue
$646K
+48% vs prior year
Spent
$573K
To programs
57%
Net assets
$150K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$646K
FY2021▲ +48%
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$437K
FY2021$646K
FY2022$718K
FY2023$507K
FY2024$499K
FY2025$358K
Expenses
$573K
FY2021▲ +21%
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$474K
FY2021$573K
FY2022$843K
FY2023$321K
FY2024$451K
FY2025$422K
Net assets
$150K
FY2021▲ +95%
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$77K
FY2021$150K
FY2022$25K
FY2023$212K
FY2024$259K
FY2025$196K

From the FY2021 Form 990 (year ending August 2021) · see the original

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Status and standing

Is it real, and can you give to it?

Tax-deductible?
Yes
Per the IRS master file.
Can I give now?
No revocation on IRS record
Not on the IRS revocation list.
Filing up to date?
Filed FY2025 (typical filing lag)
Legal name (IRS)Hdr · item CThe Aja Project
EINHdr · item D33-0969020
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
Ruling yearIRS BMFJul 2001
Latest filingForm 990FY2025 · Form 990
Principal addressHdr · item CSan Diego, CA
NTEE classificationIRS BMFInternational (Q71)
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.ajaproject.org

Where the money goes

What each dollar paid for.

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.57 Management & general $0.32 Fundraising $0.10
Program services57%$329K
Management & general32%$185K
Fundraising10%$58K
Total functional expensesLn 25$573K

Financial health

Is it on solid ground?

Program efficiency
57%
of spending reaches programs
Operating runway
8.2mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate
Surplus margin
+11%
revenue over expenses, this year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2021 · Form 990
Total assets
$466K
FY2021▲ +116%
Total assets by fiscal year
FY2020$216K
FY2021$466K
FY2022$408K
FY2023$214K
FY2024$269K
FY2025$246K
Total liabilities
$315K
FY2021▲ +128%
Total liabilities by fiscal year
FY2020$138K
FY2021$315K
FY2022$382K
FY2023$2K
FY2024$9K
FY2025$51K
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$73K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$466K
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B57%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 37
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 47

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$390K
Total assetsLn 16$466K
Total liabilitiesLn 26$315K
Total net assetsLn 32$150K
Months of cash on handcomputed8.2

Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$562K · 87%
Program service revenue$74K · 11%
Other revenue$10K · 2%
Contributions & grants87%$562K
Program service revenue11%$74K
Other revenue2%$10K
— government grantsLn 1e$190K
Total revenueLn 12$646K

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2021 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $390K · Operating expenses/yr $573K
8.2 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $329K · Total expenses $573K
57%
Management & General
Management & general $185K · Total expenses $573K
32%
Fundraising
Fundraising $58K · Total expenses $573K
10%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (2-yr avg) $33K · Solicited contributions (2-yr avg) $218K
$0.15 to raise $1 (2-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $562K · Total revenue $646K
87%
Government reliance
Government grants $190K · Total revenue $646K
29%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $74K · Total revenue $646K
11%
Investment reliance
Investment income $0 · Total revenue $646K
0%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $74K · Total expenses $573K
13%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $646K · Prior year $437K
+48%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $150K · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $646K · Expenses $573K
+11%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $466K
—
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $150K · Total assets $466K
32%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) — · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $466K
Excludes program-related investments (Pt X, ln 13)
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Rizzhel Javier · Reported title MANAGING DIRECTOR · Highest reported compensation $39K · Total expenses $573K
7%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $335K · Total expenses $573K
59%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 57%——
Overhead ratio 32%——
Fundraising cost ratio 10%——
Revenue growth 48%——

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Leadership and pay

Who runs it, and what are they paid?

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2020); the FY2021 filing did not itemize Part VII
Managing Director
$39,469Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Rizzhel Javier’s $63K as Director (former) is at the 58th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1637 $100K–1M international nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Rizzhel Javier$62,627$69,992$39,469$8,405

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

See The Aja Project executive salaries →

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Governance & Policies

Part VI
  • 7Voting board membersPt VI · Ln 1a
  • 7Independent board membersPt VI · Ln 1b
  • Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
  • Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
  • Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
  • Top official’s pay independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
  • Family or business ties among leadersPt VI · Ln 2No

Mission and programs

What it does.

Empowers youth and communities through transformative photography programs and public exhibits.

Provided by the organization

This section is blank until The Aja Project claims this page.

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Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

1 program service account for $329K of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2020.
01

Programs

The aja project exists to ignite change, break cycles of marginalization, and to build healthy communities. We do this through a platform called participatory photography, which asks youth to reflect on and analyze their personal and social landscapes.

$329Kprogram expense

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Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2024
See all 6 funders →

Filing history

Every return on file.

YearRevenueExpensesChangeFiling
FY2025 Latest $358K$422K-28% 990 PDF
FY2024 $499K$451K-2% 990 PDF
FY2023 $507K$321K-29% 990 PDF
FY2022 $718K$843K+11% 990 PDF
FY2021 Viewing $646K$573K+48% 990 PDF
FY2020 $437K$474K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash

Not shown yet: ratings, outcomes, and peer benchmarks. A Form 990 doesn’t report them.

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2021IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
Names, privacy, and removal requests More

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