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Teen Kitchen Project

The mission of the Teen Kitchen Project (TKP) is to build healthy communities through food. We accomplish this through our Meals Program, Catering Program, and teaching cooking classes.

Youth Development Soquel, CA EIN: 270524692 (IRS) Sign up to see website
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77
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
77/100 · methodology

About Teen Kitchen Project

Teen Kitchen Project is a teen volunteer meal program delivering healthy meals to those in need while teaching teens valuable life skills.

Founded
Headquarters
Soquel, CA
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 2009

Mission

The mission of the Teen Kitchen Project (TKP) is to build healthy communities through food. We accomplish this through our Meals Program, Catering Program, and teaching cooking classes.

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: 81%
Peer average: 82%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 3.81%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 77
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

· FY2024 · IRS 990 (FY2024)
$0.81
Program$0.81
81% to programs beats the Charity Navigator "highly efficient" threshold (75%).

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

From what GiveRadar has verified so far, Teen Kitchen Project has a complete profile, sourced from 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
  • It has more complete governance disclosure than nearly all comparable organizations, because GiveRadar has verified leadership, executive compensation, a mission statement and a founding date. See national comparisons
  • By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 83% of the 18,293 youth development charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (5 filed years)
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a donation page
  • third-party accreditation
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • a contact email
  • 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

Teen Kitchen Project is a registered youth development nonprofit based in Soquel, CA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 2009 and has been operating for 17 years. Its EIN is 270524692. 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 77/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $2M in annual revenue. 39 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Teen Kitchen Project's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 270524692. 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.

Teen Kitchen Project has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 77/100. 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 77 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 81% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for youth development charities in United States is 90/100.

Teen Kitchen Project is located in Soquel, CA, United States. The organization was established in 2009 and has been active for 17 years.

Based on official tax filings, Teen Kitchen Project has $2M in annual revenue. It allocates 81% of expenses to programs and services. This is in line with 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.

Teen Kitchen Project 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 39 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Teen Kitchen Project. 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, Teen Kitchen 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 81% 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.

Teen Kitchen Project is a teen volunteer meal program delivering healthy meals to those in need while teaching teens valuable life skills. Teen Kitchen Project is classified as a youth development organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 2009.

Among youth development charities registered in United States: It allocates 81% of expenses to programs, in line with the peer average of 82%. Its annual revenue of $2M is comparable to the peer average of $1M.

Yes, donations to Teen Kitchen Project are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Teen Kitchen Project is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 270524692, 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
81% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2024) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
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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
69

Leadership

From FY2024 filing

LI
Lisa F•••••••• S••••
President

Officers & trustees (16)

Source: Public filings

See full names, roles, and stories

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

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$2.3M revenue
FY2024
IRS 990
Form filed
$1.0M revenue
FY2023
IRS 990
Form filed
$1.0M revenue
FY2022
IRS 990
Form filed
$0.9M revenue
FY2021
IRS 990
Form filed
$1.1M 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 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 39 disclosed in the public registry.

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 12, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 6, 2026
Profile completeness
90%

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 · FY2024 on record
  • Named leadership · 39 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 · 2009
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 Teen Kitchen Project

What is Teen Kitchen Project?
Teen Kitchen Project is a youth development publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Soquel, United States. Teen Kitchen Project is a teen volunteer meal program delivering healthy meals to those in need while teaching teens valuable life skills.
When was Teen Kitchen Project founded?
Teen Kitchen Project was founded in 2009.
Who leads Teen Kitchen Project?
Lisa Finkelman Smith serves as President.
Where is Teen Kitchen Project located?
Headquartered in Soquel, CA, United States.
What is Teen Kitchen Project's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $1M-$10M. 81% of expenses go to program services.
Is Teen Kitchen Project trustworthy?
Teen Kitchen Project has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 77 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 Teen Kitchen Project's registration number?
IRS EIN: 270524692.
What is Teen Kitchen Project's website?
https://teenkitchenproject.org