Writers in the Schools

Tax-deductible

Houston, TX501(c)(3)Since 1984EducationEIN 76-0338549

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The mission of Writers in the Schools (WITS) is to connect children and youth with professional writers and spoken word artists to unlock the joy and power of storytelling and creative expression.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
58¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 35 volunteers and 18 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2024 · 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
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
2 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $239K a year · 14% of revenue · last 5 filings
Concern: a surplus in 2 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
58%
of spending
Worth a look: 58% of spending went to programs; under 65%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$123K
to officers and key staff · 8% of spending
Top officer’s pay lower than 52% of similar orgs
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 8% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
2 mo
of spending, in cash
Fine: 1.8 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
11
named funders · $471K
Looks good: 11 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$260K
14% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 14% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
19
of 19 voting members
Looks good: 19 of 19 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.5M
-7% vs prior year
Spent
$1.4M
To programs
58%
Net assets
$1.6M
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$1.5M
FY2024▼ -7%
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$2.0M
FY2021$2.0M
FY2022$1.5M
FY2023$1.2M
FY2024$1.6M
FY2024$1.5M
Expenses
$1.4M
FY2024▲ +0.6%
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$2.2M
FY2021$1.9M
FY2022$2.1M
FY2023$1.9M
FY2024$1.4M
FY2024$1.4M
Net assets
$1.6M
FY2024▲ +10%
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$2.6M
FY2021$2.8M
FY2022$1.9M
FY2023$1.3M
FY2024$1.5M
FY2024$1.6M

From the FY2024 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jul 1991.

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

Where the money goes

58 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 58% · $843K Management & general 27% · $390K Fundraising 15% · $215K

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

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Who runs it and what they're paid

20 people listed on the 990; $123K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director
$122,789Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Giuseppe Taurino’s $123K as Executive Director is at the 48th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3395 $1–10M education 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 · 6 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Robin Reagler————$137,700$125,000
Angela Flowers Thru 922——$129,880———
Giuseppe Taurino$122,789$38,911————
Jack McBride————$103,417—
Errica Dotson as of 922——$89,760———
Angela Flowers———$79,167——

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.

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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

Programs and updates

Empower children and teachers with quality writing education for academic success.

Provided by the organization

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3 program services account for $843K of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2024.
01

Education for Students

WITS students develop creative and analytical skills through school-based workshops, exposure to diverse texts, cultural field trips, and publication. By offering creative, digital, and performance writing to students, WITS provides a variety of entry points for learning that emphasizes the importance of practice, revision, and…

$630Kprogram expense
02

Creative Writing Camps

WITS partners with schools and academic institutions to offer renowned creative writing camps that address summer learning loss, nurture the growth of the imagination, and ignite a love of learning. Tuition-based revenue generated from camp supports school-based programs throughout the year.

$200Kprogram expense
03

Professional Development for Teachers and Writers

WITS fosters collaborative coaching and professional development for teachers aimed at transforming school ecosystems while inspiring literary cultures. Through its leadership of a national alliance, WITS promotes writers as teaching artists, providing resources, education, and connection to drive collective impact.

$13Kprogram 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 · received and paid
Grants received · FY2024
Total grants receivedfrom 11 funders$471K
See all 11 funders →
Grants paid · 1 grant · $8K · 2024–2024
Unitemized GrantFY2024$7,800

By the numbers

The FY2024 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.5M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$804K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$668K
Investment incomeLn 3$60K
Money outPt IX
$1.4M
Ln 25
Programscol B$843K
Managementcol C$390K
Fundraisingcol D$215K
Owns and owesPt X
$1.6M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$215K
Total assetsLn 16$1.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$260K
PeoplePt VI, VII
20
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a19
IndependentVI 1b19
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$804K
Government grantsLn 1e$10K
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$121K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$668K
Investment incomeLn 3$60K
Gains on assetsLn 7$15K
Total revenueLn 12$1.5M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$51K
SavingsLn 2$164K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$215K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$1.3M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$22K
Other assetsLn 15$76K
Total assetsLn 16$1.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$260K
Net assetsLn 32$1.6M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 518
VolunteersI 635
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY24End FY24
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$243K$215K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$1.2M$1.3M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$28K$22K
Total assetsLn 16$1.8M$1.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$276K$260K
Net assetsLn 32$1.5M$1.6M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$8K$8K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$134K$80K$34K$20K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$910K$551K$226K$133K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$30K$10K$14K$6K
Payroll taxesLn 10$57K$34K$14K$9K
Accounting feesLn 11c$36K$36K
Investment management feesLn 11f$12K$12K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$23K$9K$4K$10K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$38K$28K$398$10K
Office expensesLn 13$43K$21K$19K$3K
Information technologyLn 14$25K$18K$346$6K
OccupancyLn 16$98K$59K$25K$15K
TravelLn 17$8K$8K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$7K$4K$2K$990
InsuranceLn 23$12K$7K$3K$2K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$5K$5K$60$76
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.4M$843K$390K$215K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 $1.6M$1.4M$201K$1.5M 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.2M$1.9M−$679K$1.3M 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.5M$2.1M−$605K$1.9M 990 PDF
FY2021 $2.0M$1.9M$43K$2.8M 990 PDF
FY2020 $2.0M$2.2M−$154K$2.6M 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
See the full FY2024 990 (4 parts)
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,527,335 across 9 lines filed
VIII-1c Fundraising events$121,132
VIII-1e Government grants$10,000
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$673,207
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$804,339
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $668,237$668,237
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $44,997$44,997
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax $15,040$15,040
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising eventsExcluded from tax −$5,278−$5,278
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $668,237 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $54,759$1,527,335
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,447,832 across 16 lines filed
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $7,800$7,800
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $80,351 · Management $34,273 · Fundraising $19,876$134,500
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $551,396 · Management $225,684 · Fundraising $133,272$910,352
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $10,448 · Management $14,304 · Fundraising $5,612$30,364
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $34,225 · Management $14,260 · Fundraising $8,556$57,041
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $36,400$36,400
IX-11f Investment management feesManagement $11,867$11,867
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $8,642 · Management $3,749 · Fundraising $10,465$22,856
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $27,547 · Management $398 · Fundraising $10,380$38,325
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $20,718 · Management $19,362 · Fundraising $3,256$43,336
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $18,262 · Management $346 · Fundraising $6,049$24,657
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $58,903 · Management $24,543 · Fundraising $14,726$98,172
IX-17 TravelPrograms $8,423$8,423
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $3,960 · Management $1,650 · Fundraising $990$6,600
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $7,191 · Management $2,996 · Fundraising $1,798$11,985
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $5,018 · Management $60 · Fundraising $76$5,154
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $842,884 · Management $389,892 · Fundraising $215,056$1,447,832
Part X · Balance sheet $1,887,266 assets, 17 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $85,957$50,770
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $157,081$163,790
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $44,112$40,228
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $122,805$207,212
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $16,529$19,304
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $28,399$21,800
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $1,155,245$1,308,001
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $151,703$76,161
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $1,761,831$1,887,266
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $77,276$97,580
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $39,930$31,339
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $158,511$130,747
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $275,717$259,666
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $1,386,114$1,456,567
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $100,000$171,033
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $1,486,114$1,627,600
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $1,761,831$1,887,266
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,627,600 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,527,335
XI-2 Total expenses$1,447,832
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$79,503
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$1,486,114
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$61,983
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$1,627,600

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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