Read to Me Project
The Read to Me Project helps underserved children achieve kindergarten readiness & a lifetime of literacy by empowering school-age children to read to their young siblings at home. …
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The family is a baby’s first teacher. A child’s development during the first five years of its life is the foundation for learning through the rest of its life. The earliest literacy experiences prepare a child with the language, vocabulary, and cognitive learning capacity that can set the course for a lifetime of greater success, equity and opportunity.
Verified certifications
Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.
Mission
The Read to Me Project helps underserved children achieve kindergarten readiness & a lifetime of literacy by empowering school-age children to read to their young siblings at home. We raise public awareness of the importance of language & pre-reading in the first 5 years of life.
Focus areas & reach
· What they work on and whereHow it stacks up against peers
· vs. 8 similar education in United StatesConcerns
· 1 red flagWhere every $1 goes
· FY2025 · IRS 990 (FY2025)GiveRadar Analysis
Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations
From what GiveRadar has verified so far, Read to Me Project has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the IRS.
- It is one of the better-documented education 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
- It has more complete contact information than nearly all comparable charities, with a verified website, email, phone and address on record. See national comparisons
- 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
- government registration
- financial records (5 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- 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 + methodologyRead to Me Project is a registered education nonprofit based in Salinas, CA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 2014 and has been operating for 12 years. Its EIN is 471224251. 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 84/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $577K in annual revenue. 33 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. GiveRadar has identified 1 potential concern.
Read to Me Project's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 471224251. 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.
Read to Me Project has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 84/100. 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 84 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for education charities in United States is 90/100.
Read to Me Project is located in Salinas, CA, United States. The organization was established in 2014 and has been active for 12 years.
Based on official tax filings, Read to Me Project has $577K in annual revenue. It allocates 62% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 74% for education charities in United States. Its revenue is below the peer average of $7M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
Read to Me Project is classified as an Education organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a small organization. It has $577K in annual revenue. The organization has 33 disclosed officers and directors.
GiveRadar has identified 1 potential concern for Read to Me Project. Red flags are automatically detected from official data and may include high executive compensation relative to budget, low program spending, or missing financial filings. Red flags do not necessarily mean wrongdoing but indicate areas that may warrant further review before donating.
According to GiveRadar's records, Read to Me Project 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 62% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 74%). 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.
The family is a baby’s first teacher. A child’s development during the first five years of its life is the foundation for learning through the rest of its life. The earliest literacy experiences prepare a child with the language, vocabulary, and cognitive learning capacity that can set the course for a lifetime of greater success, equity and opportunity. Read to Me Project is classified as an education organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 2014.
Among education charities registered in United States: It allocates 62% of expenses to programs, below the peer average of 74%. Its annual revenue of $577K is below the peer average of $7M.
Yes, donations to Read to Me Project are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Read to Me Project is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 471224251, 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
5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2025): 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.
READ TO ME PROJECT 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 FY2025 filing
Officers & trustees (12)
Source: Public filings
12 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.
Latest news
From global news sources
4 articles found
From news sources and the organization. Shown for transparency; news never affects the integrity score.
Read to Me Project eyes South Monterey County expansion - The King City Rustler
Read to Me Project to expand early literacy programs into South County - Monterey Herald
Read to Me Project expands Literacy for All across South Monterey County - The King City Rustler
Read to Me Project recognizes students - Salinas Californian
Activity timeline
Filings and press mentions, merged
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Sign up to write a reviewCause areas in United States
How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.
Most common causes in United States
Causes charities work on most.
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 - 33 disclosed in the public registry.
- News and media coverage
- GDELT Project + Google News
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 · FY2025 on record
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Named leadership · 33 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 · 2014
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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 Read to Me Project
- What is Read to Me Project?
- Read to Me Project is a education publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Salinas, United States. The family is a baby’s first teacher. A child’s development during the first five years of its life is the foundation for learning through the rest of its life. The earliest literacy experiences prepare a child with the language, vocabulary, and cognitive learning capacity that can set the course for a lifetime of greater success, equity and opportunity.
- When was Read to Me Project founded?
- Read to Me Project was founded in 2014.
- Who leads Read to Me Project?
- Cynthia W Hertlein serves as Treasurer.
- Where is Read to Me Project located?
- Headquartered in Salinas, CA, United States.
- What is Read to Me Project's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately $100K-$1M. 63% of expenses go to program services.
- Is Read to Me Project trustworthy?
- Read to Me Project has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 84 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 Read to Me Project's registration number?
- IRS EIN: 471224251.
- What is Read to Me Project's website?
- http://www.readtomeproject.org/