Making Waves Academy
The goal of the academy is to advance students to and through college or post-secondary education.
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Visit www.makingwavesacademy.…About Making Waves Academy
Making Waves Academy is a education organization based in RICHMOND, United States. Annual revenue: $26.2 million. EIN: 208967421.
Verified certifications
Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.
Mission
The goal of the academy is to advance students to and through college or post-secondary education.
Focus areas & reach
· What they work on and whereHow it stacks up against peers
· vs. 8 similar education in United StatesConcerns
· None foundWhere every $1 goes
· FY2023 · IRS 990 (FY2023)GiveRadar Analysis
Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations
Based on the records currently verified by GiveRadar, Making Waves Academy has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the IRS.
- By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 94% of the 88,739 education charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
- It has more complete governance disclosure than nearly all comparable charities, because GiveRadar has verified leadership, executive compensation, a mission statement and a founding date. See national comparisons
- GiveRadar holds a more complete profile for this organization than for 74% of the 195,586 education charities in the United States it tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
- government registration
- financial records (4 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- third-party accreditation
- a contact email
- a donation page
- 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 + methodologyMaking Waves Academy is a registered education nonprofit based in Richmond, CA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 2007 and has been operating for 19 years. Its EIN is 208967421. 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 72/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $29M in annual revenue. 47 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.
Making Waves Academy's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 208967421. 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.
Making Waves Academy has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 72/100. 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 72 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 94% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for education charities in United States is 90/100.
Making Waves Academy is located in Richmond, CA, United States. The organization was established in 2007 and has been active for 19 years.
Based on official tax filings, Making Waves Academy has $29M in annual revenue. It allocates 94% of expenses to programs and services. This is above the average of 83% for education charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $7M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
Making Waves Academy is classified as an Education organization, registered in United States. It operates as a School (170(b)(1)(A)(ii)). By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has $29M in annual revenue. The organization has 47 disclosed officers and directors.
No red flags have been detected for Making Waves Academy. 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, Making Waves Academy 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 94% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 83%). 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.
Making Waves Academy is a education organization based in RICHMOND, United States. Annual revenue: $26.2 million. EIN: 208967421. Making Waves Academy is classified as an education organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 2007.
Among education charities registered in United States: It allocates 94% of expenses to programs, above the peer average of 83%. Its annual revenue of $29M is well above the peer average of $7M.
Yes, donations to Making Waves Academy are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Making Waves Academy is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 208967421, 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.
Filing history
4 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2023): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
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Tax-deductibility for donors
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.
MAKING WAVES ACADEMY is registered in United States. Donations from the Netherlands to charities outside the EU/EEA are generally not tax-deductible for Dutch donors unless the charity is listed on the Dutch ANBI register with foreign-recognized status.
Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.
Staff & volunteers
From filings and published profiles
Leadership
From FY2023 filing
Officers & trustees (17)
Source: Public filings
17 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.
Latest news
From global news sources
No recent news coverage found
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Activity timeline
Filings and press mentions, merged
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Most common causes in United States
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Sources and verification
- Registration and legal identity
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
- Financial filings
- IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2023 most recent on file.
- Officers and trustees
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 47 disclosed in the public registry.
- Supplementary verification
- Charity Navigator
Data freshness
What we know and don't know
Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.
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Financial data · FY2023 on record
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Named leadership · 47 officers on file
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Executive pay · Disclosed
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Government registration · Registered with an official registry
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Mission statement · Published
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Official website · On record
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Headquarters address · On file
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Direct contact · Email or phone published
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Tax-deductibility · Verified
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Founding date · 2007
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Programs & activitiesNo 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.
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Quick facts about Making Waves Academy
- What is Making Waves Academy?
- Making Waves Academy is a education school (170(b)(1)(a)(ii)) based in Richmond, United States. Making Waves Academy is a education organization based in RICHMOND, United States. Annual revenue: $26.2 million. EIN: 208967421.
- When was Making Waves Academy founded?
- Making Waves Academy was founded in 2007.
- Who leads Making Waves Academy?
- Alton B Nelson Jr serves as CEO.
- Where is Making Waves Academy located?
- Headquartered in Richmond, CA, United States.
- What is Making Waves Academy's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2023 is approximately $10M-$100M. 94% of expenses go to program services.
- Is Making Waves Academy trustworthy?
- Making Waves Academy has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 72 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 Making Waves Academy's registration number?
- IRS EIN: 208967421.
- What is Making Waves Academy's website?
- http://www.makingwavesacademy.org