Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Sep 2017.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
45 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
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
3 people listed on the 990.
Carlos Cristiani’s $57K as Executive Dir. is at the 35th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1709 $100K–1M community development 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.
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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 15aNo
Programs and updates
Promotes human-centered design to improve lives, work, and play through education and tools for lasting change.
Questions for Design Forward Alliance
Your first name shows with your question. Design Forward Alliance answers here, for everyone.
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DFA continued to develop and support the World Design Capital 2024 program along with its partners, UCSD, Burnham Center, City of San Diego and City of Tijuana. In 2023, DFA going the World Design Organization.
DFA adopted the San Diego Design Week annual program in collaboration with the Mingei International Museum. This partnership allows DFA to further its mission and provides a platform for over 150 community-led events and activations.
DFA completed 4 quarterly Design Ambassador Summits. The summits included human centered design workshops, community discussions and engagement, panel presentations from local design-driven projects from across San Diego County.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2023 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY23 | End FY23 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $90K | $62K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $0 | $0 |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $90K | $62K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $90K | $62K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4 | $153K | $153K | ||
| Management feesLn 11a | $82K | $82K | ||
| Legal feesLn 11b | $9K | $9K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $3K | $3K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $409 | $409 | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $0 | $0 | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $7K | $7K | ||
| Information technologyLn 14 | $15K | $15K | ||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $54K | $54K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $13K | $13K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $2K | $0 | $2K | $0 |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $339K | $153K | $186K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $158K | $124K | $34K | $55K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $382K | $423K | −$41K | $21K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 Viewing | $312K | $339K | −$28K | $62K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $337K | $323K | $14K | $90K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $553K | $529K | $24K | $76K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $14K | $56K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $311,613 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 11 of 13 board members independent, 4 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $311,613 across 9 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $339,241 across 11 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $62,235 assets, 20 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $62,235 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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