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Boston Debate League

The bdl's mission is to prepare young people for college, career, and engagement with the world through debate-inspired learning in the classroom and beyond.

Boston Debate League Incorporated

Youth Development Boston, MA EIN: 593789722 (IRS) Sign up to see website
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90
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
90/100 · methodology

About Boston Debate League

Our mission is to integrate argumentation and competitive debate into public schools in Boston to develop critical thinkers ready for college, career, and engagement with the world around them.

Founded
Headquarters
Boston, MA
Foundation type
Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2))
NTEE code
O50
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
medium

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 2006

Mission

The bdl's mission is to prepare young people for college, career, and engagement with the world through debate-inspired learning in the classroom and beyond.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Cause tags
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar youth development in United States
Program spending This charity: 66%
Peer average: 82%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 7.54%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 90
Peer average: 90

Concerns

· None found
No red flags found
Screened for IRS revocation history, Open investigations, Governance scandals, Related-party deals, Excessive exec comp.

Where every $1 goes

· FY2025 · IRS 990 (FY2025)
$0.66
Program$0.66

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

Based on the records currently verified by GiveRadar, Boston Debate League has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 4 independent sources including the IRS.

  • It is one of the better-documented youth development charities in the United States GiveRadar currently tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
  • GiveRadar holds 6 years of financial filings for this organization, the most recent for fiscal year 2025 - a deeper filing history than 90% of the 18,694 youth development charities in the United States with filings on record. See the filings
  • It has more complete contact information than nearly all comparable charities, with a verified website, email, phone and address on record. See national comparisons
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (6 filed years)
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a contact email
  • a donation page
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • an owner-submitted profile claim

Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Boston Debate League is a registered youth development nonprofit based in Boston, MA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 2005 and has been operating for 21 years. Its EIN is 593789722. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 90/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $2M in annual revenue. 71 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Boston Debate League's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 593789722. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.

Boston Debate League has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 90/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 90 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for youth development charities in United States is 90/100.

Boston Debate League is located in Boston, MA, United States. The organization was established in 2005 and has been active for 21 years.

Based on official tax filings, Boston Debate League has $2M in annual revenue. It allocates 66% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 82% for youth development charities in United States. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Boston Debate League is classified as a Youth Development organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a medium organization. It has $2M in annual revenue. The organization has 71 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Boston Debate League. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

According to GiveRadar's records, Boston Debate League holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 66% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 82%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.

Our mission is to integrate argumentation and competitive debate into public schools in Boston to develop critical thinkers ready for college, career, and engagement with the world around them. Boston Debate League is classified as a youth development organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 2005.

Among youth development charities registered in United States: It allocates 66% of expenses to programs, below the peer average of 82%. Its annual revenue of $2M is comparable to the peer average of $1M.

Yes, donations to Boston Debate League are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Boston Debate League is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 593789722, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Annual revenue
$1M-$10M
66% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2025) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

6 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2025): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2025, FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
Financial details are free - with a GiveRadar account

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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Staff & volunteers

From filings and published profiles

Employees
14

Leadership

From FY2025 filing

KI
Kimberly W•••••••••
Executive Director

Officers & trustees (22)

Source: Public filings

See full names, roles, and stories

22 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

10 articles found

From news sources and the organization. Shown for transparency; news never affects the integrity score.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$2.0M revenue
FY2025
IRS 990
Form filed
$2.0M revenue
FY2024
IRS 990
Alumna Returns to 'Small but Mighty' Debate League as Executive Director - Newsweek
Sep 2024
www.newsweek.com
Resolved: Debate Programs Boost Literacy and College Enrollment - Education Next
Jun 2024
www.educationnext.org
Making the Case for Student Debate Leagues - Education Next
Jun 2024
www.educationnext.org
Boston Debate League Alumni Say Policy Debate Can Save Higher Education - Newsweek
May 2024
www.newsweek.com
Debate Domination - Suffolk University
Mar 2024
www.suffolk.edu
Form filed
$3.2M revenue
FY2023
IRS 990
How competitive debate can improve public education - Brookings
Dec 2023
www.brookings.edu
Study: School Debate Programs Linked to Improvements in Academic Achievement, Graduation Rates, and College Enrollment -
Oct 2023
www.aera.net
High School Debate Benefits Reading Scores and Soft Skills, New Study Finds - Newsweek
Sep 2023
www.newsweek.com
Former Debater Goes from 'Goofy' Teacher to Coach to Boston League Manager - Newsweek
Jul 2023
www.newsweek.com
Debate teaches Boston's Black youth skills that last a lifetime - WGBH
Apr 2023
www.wgbh.org
Form filed
$2.3M revenue
FY2022
IRS 990
Form filed
$2.2M revenue
FY2021
IRS 990
Form filed
$2.5M revenue
FY2020
IRS 990

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Cause areas in United States

How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.

Human Services 322,679
Education 195,586
Arts & Culture 133,128
Advocacy & Civil Rights 128,026
Religion 114,636
Health 98,862
Community Development 56,086
Youth Development this charity 53,450
See all cause areas in United States

Most common causes in United States

Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.

Community Development 235,146
Education 159,016
Religion 103,741
Arts & Culture 101,203
Human Rights 76,926
Health 65,250
Youth Development 47,775
Animal Welfare 32,425

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2025 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 71 disclosed in the public registry.
News and media coverage
GDELT Project + Google News
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 12, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 6, 2026
Profile completeness
100%

What we know and don't know

Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.

On record · 10
  • Financial data · FY2025 on record
  • Named leadership · 71 officers on file
  • Executive pay · Disclosed
  • Government registration · Registered with an official registry
  • Mission statement · Published
  • Official website · On record
  • Headquarters address · On file
  • Direct contact · Email or phone published
  • Tax-deductibility · Verified
  • Founding date · 2005
Not available · 1
  • Programs & activities
    No named programs listed by the charity

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email [email protected] with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

Quick facts about Boston Debate League

What is Boston Debate League?
Boston Debate League is a youth development publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Boston, United States. Our mission is to integrate argumentation and competitive debate into public schools in Boston to develop critical thinkers ready for college, career, and engagement with the world around them.
When was Boston Debate League founded?
Boston Debate League was founded in 2005.
Who leads Boston Debate League?
Kimberly Willingham serves as Executive Director.
Where is Boston Debate League located?
Headquartered in Boston, MA, United States.
What is Boston Debate League's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately $1M-$10M. 66% of expenses go to program services.
Is Boston Debate League trustworthy?
Boston Debate League has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 90 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Boston Debate League's registration number?
IRS EIN: 593789722.
What is Boston Debate League's website?
http://www.bostondebate.org