Organizations Filed Purposes:
Spirit Awakening Foundation is an arts based nonprofit dedicated to helping underserved young adults and children in the juvenile justice system heal from trauma, and realize their identity, value and self-worth. Since its inception in 1995, SAF has been a pioneer in developing and offering healing, restorative, transformative, trauma-informed programs to abused, neglected, underserved young people in Los Angeles County. For over 26 years, SAF has been teaching the "unheard, the power of authentic, positive expression. Utilizing meditation, self-reflection, creative writing, visual arts, mentorship, service and leadership training, Spirit Awakening Foundation builds character and raises self-esteem, one child, one being, at a time.As an organization founded and run by Akuyoe Graham, a woman of color (who hails from Ghana, West Africa), SAF exists to stand up against racism, inequality and injustice, all the while offering our young people tools and techniques needed to live in a more i
Accomplishments for 2020 SAF received the Best of Santa Monica Nonprofit Award for the third consecutive year from the Santa Monica Award Program.SAF was inducted into the Santa Monica Business Hall of Fame by the Santa Monica Award Program.SAF Founder & Executive Director, Akuyoe Graham, served her first year on the board of the Office of Violence Prevention/Community Partnership Council.SAF welcomed Jason Smolanoff, a new Board Member/Director of Corporate Giving.SAF hired our second, full time employee (Curriculum Coordinator).In the face of the global pandemic, SAF successfully adapted all of our programs and services to be offered virtually.SAF continued to provide programs and services to 8 public high schools, continuation high schools and juvenile probation facilities all throughout Los Angeles County (in-person and then virtually when the global pandemic began). SAF continues to receive requests to expand the number of sites we currently serve.SAF continued to provide our free, weekly, after-school Mentoring Leaders Program to underserved, systems-involved youth and young adults throughout Los Angeles County (in-person and then virtually when the global pandemic began).SAF provided trauma-informed, holistic, mindfulness, arts-based, mentorship programs and services to hundreds of underserved and/or systems-involved youth. Through collaborative partnerships with several government agencies and philanthropic foundations, SAF provided our program participants with over $15,000 in financial aid stipends (to support youth and their families in being able to purchase meals, groceries, school, and art supplies) and college-bound scholarships (to support students with paying tuition fees for higher-education learning opportunities).SAF provided financial aid to a family of a recently deceased program participant.SAF successfully hosted our first virtual Voices of the Unheard annual performance fundraiser where we had hundreds of viewers tune in and were able to exceed our goal to raise $50,000 to support our general operations.SAF provided our team of Artists with two rounds of $500.00 COVID-19 relief gifts to help them financially during the global pandemic.
Executives Listed on Filing
Total Salary includes financial earnings, benefits, and all related organization earnings listed on tax filing
| Name | Title | Hours Per Week | Total Salary |
|---|
| Peter O' Fallon | Board Member | 20 | $0 |
| Shirley Garcia | Board Member | 20 | $0 |
| Nabwire Butali | Secretary | 20 | $0 |
| India Radfar | Int.Board Chair | 20 | $0 |
| Bertrand Christian | Treasurer | 20 | $0 |
| Lynn Kitchen | Board Member | 20 | $0 |
| Jason Smolanoff | Board Member | 20 | $0 |
| Akuyoe Graham | Executive Dir. | 55 | $0 |
Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (
public 990 form dataset) from:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202101379349308895_public.xml