Meztli Projects INC

Tax-deductible

Los Angeles, CA501(c)(3)Arts & CultureEIN 86-3357843Revenue $880K in FY2025

On file with the IRSmeztliprojects.org6615 Easton St, 90022-4728 · Los Angeles, CATax-exempt since Oct 2021Publicly supported — 509(a)(2)

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Indigenous-based arts and culture collaborative

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
90¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 10 volunteers and 1 employee.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · 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
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 3
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $207K a year · 26% of revenue · last 3 filings
Looks good: a surplus in 3 of the last 3 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 3 filings
Spent on programs
90%
of spending
Looks good: 90% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$78K
to officers and key staff · 11% of spending
Top officer’s pay higher than 73% of similar orgs
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 11% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
10 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 10.0 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $30K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$0
0% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 0% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
3
of 3 voting members
Looks good: 3 of 3 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$880K
+1% vs prior year
Spent
$733K
To programs
90%
Net assets
$609K
By yearFY2022–FY2025
Revenue
$880K
FY2025▲ +1%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2022$675K
FY2022$562K
FY2024$871K
FY2025$880K
Expenses
$733K
FY2025▲ +8%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2022$396K
FY2022$552K
FY2024$677K
FY2025$733K
Net assets
$609K
FY2025▲ +33%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2022$279K
FY2022$289K
FY2024$458K
FY2025$609K

From the FY2025 Form 990 (year ending June 2025) · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 2021.

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

Where the money goes

90 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 90% · $656K Management & general 10% · $76K

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

1 person listed on the 990; $78K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
Executive Director
$77,500Pt VII · Sec A

Joel Garcia’s $78K as Executive Director is at the 73rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 2216 $100K–1M arts & culture 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 · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2022FY2022
Joel Garcia$77,500$49,500$30,000$11,000

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

Promotes Indigenous arts and culture through collaborative projects.

Provided by the organization

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1 program · $656K · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

Meztli Projects provided free programs such as the Cultural Worker Fellowship, Summer Youth Arts Program, as well as the Cultural Worker Apprentice program as part of the organization's youth development project through the Ready to Rise and Care First Community Investment initiatives.

$656Kprogram 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 · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$30K

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$880K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$738K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$142K
Money outPt IX
$733K
Ln 25
Programscol B$656K
Managementcol C$76K
Owns and owesPt X
$609K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$608K
Total assetsLn 16$609K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0
PeoplePt VI, VII
1
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a3
IndependentVI 1b3
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$738K
Government grantsLn 1e$98K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$0
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$0
Fees for servicesLn 2g$142K
Total revenueLn 12$880K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$608K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$608K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$1K
Total assetsLn 16$609K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0
Net assetsLn 32$609K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 51
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 FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$458K$608K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$1K
Total assetsLn 16$458K$609K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0$0
Net assetsLn 32$458K$609K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$65K$65K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$65K$65K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$2K$2K
Payroll taxesLn 10$50K$50K
Accounting feesLn 11c$17K$17K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$310K$310K
OccupancyLn 16$39K$39K
TravelLn 17$75K$75K
All other expensesLn 24e$111K$90K$21K
Total functional expensesLn 25$733K$656K$76K$0

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $880K$733K$148K$609K 990 PDF
FY2024 $871K$677K$194K$458K 990 PDF
FY2023 Not on file
FY2022 $675K$396K$279K$279K 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 FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $880,485 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $870,974$738,060
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $0$142,425
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $0$0
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $870,974$880,485
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $169,522$182,021
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $507,683$550,604
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $677,205$732,625
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $193,769$147,860
Part VI · Governance 3 of 3 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body3
VI-1b Independent voting members3
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 $880,485 across 9 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $142,425 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1a Federated campaigns$0
VIII-1b Membership dues$0
VIII-1c Fundraising events$0
VIII-1d Related organizations$0
VIII-1e Government grants$97,702
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$640,358
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$0
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$738,060
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $142,425 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$880,485
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $732,625 across 9 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $65,000$65,000
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $64,555$64,555
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $2,085$2,085
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $50,381$50,381
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $16,750$16,750
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $309,569$309,569
IX-16 OccupancyManagement $38,868$38,868
IX-17 TravelPrograms $74,851$74,851
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $89,695 · Management $20,871$110,566
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $656,136 · Management $76,489 · Fundraising $0$732,625
Part X · Balance sheet $609,087 assets, 8 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $457,971$607,617
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, net$1,470
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $457,971$609,087
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $0$0
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $0$0
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $457,971$609,087
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $457,971$609,087
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $457,971$609,087
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $609,087 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$880,485
XI-2 Total expenses$732,625
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$147,860
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$457,971
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$0
XI-6 Donated services and use of facilities$0
XI-7 Investment expenses$0
XI-8 Prior period adjustments$0
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$3,256
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$609,087

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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