Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 2018.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
72 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
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
15 people listed on the 990; $232K paid to officers and key staff (Part VII, Section A).
Dwight Tostenson’s $108K as President is at the 42nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 3869 $1–10M human services 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 · 5 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwight Tostenson | $107,871 | $124,808 | $99,648 | $82,500 | $45,000 | $9,000 |
| Robert Elfstrand | — | — | $73,911 | $79,551 | — | — |
| Tom Pippitt | — | — | — | $47,364 | — | — |
| Tim Owens | — | — | — | — | $37,500 | — |
| Mitch Pearlstein | — | — | — | $22,400 | — | — |
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 The Redemption Project 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
Connects incarcerated individuals with mentors and job opportunities for successful reentry.
Questions for The Redemption Project
Your first name shows with your question. The Redemption Project answers here, for everyone.
Offered 14-week Virtues for Success class to Minnesota inmates in Stillwater, Lino Lakes, and Rush City prisons. Connected all graduates to a mentor. Prior to release, and again upon release, providing graduates with job opportunities with The Redemption Project's employment partners.
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2022. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 82-3857659) · Dispute this lineFunders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2022 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY22 | End FY22 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $45K | $99K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $45K | $189K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $221K | $318K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | −$176K | −$129K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of officers and key staff (Part IX, line 5)Ln 5 | $232K | $180K | $15K | $37K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $30K | $30K | ||
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $20K | $16K | $1K | $3K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $28K | $28K | ||
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $42K | $42K | ||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $28K | $28K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $20K | $2K | $18K | |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $1K | $1K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $751 | $728 | $23 | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $49K | $46K | $3K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $10K | $10K | ||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $17K | $17K | ||
| InterestLn 20 | $1K | $1K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $3K | $3K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $5K | $4K | $1K | $183 |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $487K | $349K | $53K | $86K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Jun 4, 2026 | $1.1M | $967K | $101K | $80K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Sep 24, 2025 | $1.3M | $1.1M | $192K | −$21K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS May 28, 2024 | $548K | $631K | −$83K | −$209K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 ViewingFiled with the IRS Oct 11, 2023 | $535K | $487K | $48K | −$129K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Jun 9, 2022 | $215K | $347K | −$132K | −$176K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Jul 22, 2021 | $147K | −$44K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2022 990
Part I · Summary $535,240 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 11 of 13 board members independent, 2 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $535,240 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $487,405 across 15 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $188,974 assets, 9 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets −$128,626 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file FY2022 from the IRS (about our sources) · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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