Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Aug 2017.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
69 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
14 people listed on the 990.
Kristen Sydow’s $72K as Co-Founder and Creative Director is at the 29th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1637 $1–10M religion 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kristen Sydow | $72,204 | $70,000 | $70,000 | $70,000 | $30,103 |
| Cary Heise | $63,372 | $70,000 | $70,000 | $70,000 | $30,103 |
| Grace Morris | $53,462 | — | — | — | — |
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
Designed for Joy is a religious organization based in Raleigh, NC.
Questions for Designed for Joy
Your first name shows with your question. Designed for Joy answers here, for everyone.
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Designed For Joy is a transitional work experience for women coming from trafficking, homelessness, time in prison, overcoming addiction or other vulnerable situations. Since 2017, we have employed 179 women and paid over $703,000 in living wages. In 2024, Designed For Joy provided over 13,561 hours of employment.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $277K | $109K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $38K | $38K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $439K | $326K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $12K | $133K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $428K | $193K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $168K | $126K | $42K | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $666K | $563K | $103K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $69K | $52K | $17K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $5K | $5K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $55K | $55K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $11K | $11K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $3K | $3K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $113K | $85K | $28K | |
| InterestLn 20 | $6K | $6K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $21K | $21K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $78K | $78K | ||
| All other expensesLn 24e | $107K | $14K | $14K | $80K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.3M | $894K | $328K | $80K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $1.0M | $1.3M | −$291K | $193K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $1.2M | $1.2M | $18K | $428K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $846K | $784K | $63K | $337K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $783K | $668K | $115K | $274K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $651K | $542K | $109K | $160K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $349K | $296K | $53K | $51K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,011,422 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 8 of 10 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,011,422 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,302,021 across 12 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $326,001 assets, 10 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $192,929 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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