Reading Between the Lines Nfp FY2021 filing

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Reading Between the Lines creates a unique space for the discussion of great literature with people who are incarcerated or transitioning back to their communities.

Form 990 Part I, line 1, FY2021. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 82-0921310) · Dispute this line
501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
45¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$50K 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
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
The IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
The latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
2 of 4
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $23K a year · 7% of revenue · last 4 filings
A surplus in 2 of the last 4 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 4 filings
Spent on programs
45%
of spending
45% of spending went to programs.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$50K
to officers and key staff · 20% of spending
Pay to officers and key staff is 20% of spending.
Part VII, Section A
25.2 mo
of spending, in cash
25.2 months of spending in cash.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
3
named funders · $56K
3 funders name it on their filings.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$34K
5% of total assets
Liabilities are 5% of assets.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
10
of 10 voting members
10 of 10 voting members are independent.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Revenue
$439K
Spent
$254K
To programs
45%
Net assets
$666K
By yearFY2021–FY2025
Revenue
$439K
FY2021
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2021$439K
FY2022$452K
FY2023$220K
FY2024$166K
FY2025$118K
Expenses
$254K
FY2021
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2021$254K
FY2022$313K
FY2023$371K
FY2024Not on file
FY2025$381K
Net assets
$666K
FY2021
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2021$666K
FY2022$805K
FY2023$655K
FY2024$408K
FY2025$144K

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

You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

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

Program services 45% · $114K Management & general 32% · $82K Fundraising 23% · $59K

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

10 people listed on the 990; $50K paid to officers and key staff (Part VII, Section A).

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Dir.
$47,500Pt VII · Sec A
$1,500Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$1,100Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Vice-Chairman
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Agustin M Torres’s $103K as Executive Director is at the 79th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1404 $100K–1M crime & legal 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 · 4 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021
Agustin M Torres$102,820$88,333———
Joan Shapiro——$65,754$50,621$47,500
Andrea Martonffy————$1,500
Jan Yourist————$1,100

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 Reading Between the Lines Nfp 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

Programs and updates

Facilitates discussions of literature with incarcerated individuals and those rejoining society.

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1 program · $114K · in their own filed words · FY2020
01

The organization uses discussion of literature to build critical thinking and communication skills with the currently and formerly incarcerated. The organization facilitates discussion of short, powerful poems and stories every week with men and women living in transitional residences or halfway houses.

Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2020. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 82-0921310) · Dispute this line
$114Kprogram expense

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
Total grants receivedfrom 3 funders$56K
See all 3 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2021 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$439K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$439K
Investment incomeLn 3$367
Money outPt IX
$254K
Ln 25
Programscol B$114K
Managementcol C$82K
Fundraisingcol D$59K
Owns and owesPt X
$666K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$534K
Total assetsLn 16$700K
LiabilitiesLn 26$34K
PeoplePt VI, VII
10
listed · VII A
PaidVII A3
Voting boardVI 1a10
IndependentVI 1b10
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$439K
Government grantsLn 1e$19K
Investment incomeLn 3$367
Gains on assetsLn 7$0
Total revenueLn 12$439K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$84K
SavingsLn 2$450K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$534K
Pledges and grants receivableLn 3$165K
Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesLn 9$1K
Total assetsLn 16$700K
LiabilitiesLn 26$34K
Net assetsLn 32$666K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 55
VolunteersI 610
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
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 FY21End FY21
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$350K$534K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$0
Total assetsLn 16$503K$700K
LiabilitiesLn 26$21K$34K
Net assetsLn 32$482K$666K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$0
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0
Pay of officers and key staff (Part IX, line 5)Ln 5$48K$24K$7K$17K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$111K$59K$29K$22K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$0
Payroll taxesLn 10$12K$4K$4K$4K
Management feesLn 11a$0
Legal feesLn 11b$0
Accounting feesLn 11c$0
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$56K$21K$23K$13K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$2K$2K
Office expensesLn 13$4K$544$3K
Information technologyLn 14$4K$590$2K$2K
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$4K$4K
TravelLn 17$99$99
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$951$896$55
InterestLn 20$0
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$0
InsuranceLn 23$1K$1K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$12K$4K$6K$1K
All other expensesLn 24e$0
Total functional expensesLn 25$254K$114K$82K$59K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Apr 14, 2026 $118K$381K−$264K$144K 990 PDF
FY2024Filed with the IRS Jan 17, 2025 $166K$408K 990 PDF
FY2023Filed with the IRS Dec 21, 2023 $220K$371K−$150K$655K 990 PDF
FY2022Filed with the IRS Nov 10, 2022 $452K$313K$139K$805K 990 PDF
FY2021 ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 24, 2021 $439K$254K$185K$666K 990 PDF

Schedules filed Part IV

A · Public support I · Grants O · Explanations
See the full FY2021 990
Part I · Summary $439,096 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $200,649$438,729
I-9 Program service revenue$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $5,128$367
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $416$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $206,193$439,096
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $138,600$170,256
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $63,554$84,128
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $202,154$254,384
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $4,039$184,712
Part VI · Governance 10 of 10 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body10
VI-1b Independent voting members10
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $439,096 across 9 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$18,690
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$420,039
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$438,729
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $367$367
VIII-5 Royalties$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or loss$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assets$0
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising events$0
VIII-12 Total revenueExcluded from tax $367$439,096
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $254,384 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$0
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 officers and key staff (Part IX, line 5)Programs $23,750 · Management $7,125 · Fundraising $16,625$47,500
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $59,243 · Management $29,164 · Fundraising $22,250$110,657
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$0
IX-9 Other employee benefits$0
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $4,497 · Management $3,670 · Fundraising $3,932$12,099
IX-11a Management fees$0
IX-11b Legal fees$0
IX-11c Accounting fees$0
IX-11d Lobbying fees$0
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $21,060 · Management $22,538 · Fundraising $12,680$56,278
IX-12 Advertising and promotionManagement $1,556$1,556
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $544 · Management $3,142$3,686
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $590 · Management $1,719 · Fundraising $1,965$4,274
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 OccupancyManagement $4,250$4,250
IX-17 TravelManagement $99$99
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsManagement $896 · Fundraising $55$951
IX-20 Interest$0
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortization$0
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $1,358$1,358
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $3,927 · Management $6,483 · Fundraising $1,266$11,676
IX-24e All other expenses$0
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $113,611 · Management $82,000 · Fundraising $58,773$254,384
Part X · Balance sheet $700,264 assets, 23 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $17,197$84,081
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $332,654$449,825
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $152,650$165,000
X-4 Accounts receivable$0
X-5 Loans to officers and key people$0
X-6 Loans to other insiders$0
X-7 Notes and loans receivable$0
X-8 Inventories for sale or use$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred charges$1,358
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, net$0
X-11 Publicly traded securities$0
X-12 Other securities$0
X-13 Program-related investments$0
X-14 Intangible assets$0
X-15 Other assets$0
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $502,501$700,264
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $2,278$2,076
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $18,690$31,943
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $20,968$34,019
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $331,533$475,895
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $150,000$190,350
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $481,533$666,245
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $502,501$700,264
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $666,245 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$439,096
XI-2 Total expenses$254,384
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$184,712
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$481,533
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$666,245

Form 990 e-file FY2021 from the IRS (about our sources) · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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