Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation

Claim this org

(tell your story, add context, and more) Claim it free, then get the verified mark for $300 a year.

How does your 990 look to donors? Take the 10-Question Audit

Our mission is to bring a transformative message of higher meaning and purpose to a Western Culture increasingly bereft of meaning and purpose. We do this by introducing individuals and organizations to the power of service and selflessness.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
57¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$54K 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

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
2 of 4
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $26K a year · 11% of revenue · last 4 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 2 of the last 4 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 4 filings
Spent on programs
57%
of spending
Worth a look: 57% of spending went to programs; under 65%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$54K
to officers and key staff · 13% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 13% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
<1 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $112K in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Fine: 0.1 months of spending in cash, plus $112K in investments.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Liabilities
$265K
230% of total assets
Concern: liabilities are 230% of assets; over 80%.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
0
of 6 voting members
Concern: none of 6 voting members are independent.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$433K
+123% vs prior year
Spent
$431K
To programs
57%
Net assets
−$150K
By yearFY2021–FY2025
Revenue
$433K
FY2025▲ +123%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2021$65K
FY2022$147K
FY2023$149K
FY2024$194K
FY2025$433K
Expenses
$431K
FY2025▲ +35%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2021Not on file
FY2022$120K
FY2023$157K
FY2024$319K
FY2025$431K
Net assets
−$150K
FY2025▼ -0.8%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2021−$174K
FY2022−$146K
FY2023−$155K
FY2024−$149K
FY2025−$150K

From the FY2025 Form 990 · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Sep 1999.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

57 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 57% · $248K Management & general 43% · $184K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

Something off? Claim to add context

Who runs it and what they're paid

7 people listed on the 990; $54K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
VP, Secy and Treasurer
$36,000Pt VII · Sec A
Accountant
$18,000Pt VII · Sec A
President and Chair
$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

Melissa Hawks’s $36K as VP, Secy and Treasurer is at the 31st percentile of top reported officer pay among 2216 $100K–1M arts & culture 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 · 2 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2023FY2022FY2021
Melissa Hawks$36,000$33,100$38,000$35,600
Cheryl Reedy$18,000$18,000$16,444—

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 Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation executive salaries →

Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
  • Loans to or from officersSch L · Pt II1 listed

Programs and updates

Inspire individuals and groups with a message of higher meaning and purpose.

Questions for Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation

Tap to ask. Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation sees how many people are interested.

Your first name shows with your question. Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation answers here, for everyone.

1 program · $248K · in their own filed words · FY2025
01

A book on spiritual awareness was being written and published.

$248Kprogram expense

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$433K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$415K
Other incomeLn 4–11$14K
Investment incomeLn 3$4K
Money outPt IX
$431K
Ln 25
Programscol B$248K
Managementcol C$184K
Owns and owesPt X
−$150K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$3K
Total assetsLn 16$115K
LiabilitiesLn 26$265K
PeoplePt VI, VII
7
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a6
IndependentVI 1b0
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$415K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$288K
Investment incomeLn 3$4K
Other incomeLn 4–11$14K
Total revenueLn 12$433K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$3K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$3K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$112K
Total assetsLn 16$115K
LiabilitiesLn 26$265K
Net assetsLn 32−$150K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 50
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3More from this return
Abroad and in kindSch F, M
Noncash gifts receivedSch M Pt I$288K
4Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$3K$3K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$95K$112K
Total assetsLn 16$98K$115K
LiabilitiesLn 26$247K$265K
Net assetsLn 32−$149K−$150K
5Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$2K$2K
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$0
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$0
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$0
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$0
Payroll taxesLn 10$0
Management feesLn 11a$81K$81K
Legal feesLn 11b$0
Accounting feesLn 11c$37K$37K
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$0
Advertising and promotionLn 12$4K$4K
Office expensesLn 13$14K$14K
Information technologyLn 14$0
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$12K$12K
TravelLn 17$13K$13K
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$0
InterestLn 20$0
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$0
InsuranceLn 23$3K$3K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$256K$241K$15K
All other expensesLn 24e$9K$9K
Total functional expensesLn 25$431K$248K$184K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS May 13, 2026 $433K$431K$1K−$150K 990 PDF
FY2024Filed with the IRS May 13, 2025 $194K$319K−$125K−$149K 990 PDF
FY2023Filed with the IRS May 24, 2024 $149K$157K−$8K−$155K 990 PDF
FY2022Filed with the IRS May 15, 2023 $147K$120K$27K−$146K 990 PDF
FY2021Filed with the IRS May 9, 2022 $65K−$174K 990 PDF

Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support M · Noncash O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $432,564 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $378,953$414,507
I-9 Program service revenue$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year −$190,715$4,330
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $6,118$13,727
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $194,356$432,564
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $4,061$2,296
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefits$0
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $314,900$429,075
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $318,961$431,371
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$124,605$1,193
Part VI · Governance 0 of 6 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body6
VI-1b Independent voting members0
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $432,564 across 5 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $13,727 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$414,507
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$288,185
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$414,507
VIII-3 Investment income$4,330
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $27,454$432,564
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $431,371 across 30 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $2,296$2,296
IX-2 Grants to domestic individuals$0
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipients$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for members$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staff$0
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wages$0
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$0
IX-9 Other employee benefits$0
IX-10 Payroll taxes$0
IX-11a Management feesManagement $80,730$80,730
IX-11b Legal fees$0
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $37,393$37,393
IX-11d Lobbying fees$0
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $3,936$3,936
IX-13 Office expensesManagement $13,727$13,727
IX-14 Information technology$0
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 OccupancyManagement $12,000$12,000
IX-17 TravelManagement $13,172$13,172
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetings$0
IX-20 Interest$0
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortization$0
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $2,790$2,790
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $241,396 · Management $14,520$255,916
IX-24e All other expensesManagement $9,411$9,411
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $247,628 · Management $183,743 · Fundraising $0$431,371
Part X · Balance sheet $114,872 assets, 9 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $3,056$3,304
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $95,015$111,568
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $98,071$114,872
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $43,934$49,974
X-22 Loans from officers and insidersStart of year $202,653$214,653
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $246,587$264,627
X-31 Retained earnings or endowmentStart of year −$148,516−$149,755
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year −$148,516−$149,755
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $98,071$114,872
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets −$149,755 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$432,564
XI-2 Total expenses$431,371
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$1,193
XI-4 Net assets at start of year−$148,516
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments−$2,432
XI-10 Net assets at end of year−$149,755

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

Similar organizations you could support · Compare with another nonprofit

Names, privacy, and removal requests More

The names, titles, and compensation shown on this page are reproduced from IRS Form 990 filings, which are public records.

Philanthropy.org does not alter the content of those filings. All information appears exactly as reported by the filing organization for the tax year shown.

We publish only information contained in the public IRS filing — and less than the filing contains. Our profile pages do not display street addresses, telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or other personal contact information, even where the filing includes them.

Many people share the same name. A name shown on this page reflects only what one organization reported in one IRS filing for one tax year. It should not be interpreted as identifying any other individual with the same or a similar name.

If you are no longer affiliated with the organization, your name will generally stop appearing in future IRS filings once the organization no longer reports you. Pages for tax years in which you were reported remain published because those filings remain part of the public record.

Philanthropy.org does not alter or remove IRS filing records. Removing a page from this website would not remove the underlying IRS filing, which remains publicly available from the IRS and other publishers of the same information.

If you believe the IRS filing itself is inaccurate, corrections must be made by the filing organization or the IRS directly.

All figures are derived from public IRS Form 990 filings and are presented without evaluation of any organization. philanthropy.org does not rate, score, or rank organizations, including the pay comparisons above.