Washington, D.C. · Nonprofit
1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION
1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION (Washington, D.C.) receives grants from 5 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,353,525 to it, the largest being THE ANDREW W MELLON FOUNDATION ($1,100,000). 3 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $708k
- Funders on record
- 5
- Grants received
- $1.4M
- Net assets
- $809k
What 1882 Project Foundation does
Mission
The 1882 foundation promotes public awareness of the chinese exclusion laws and broadens public understanding of the laws, their history, and relevance today. We promote and support programs and projects that preserve and interpret the history of chinese contributions in forming and enriching america.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
On its FY2025 return the organization reported starting a significant new program.
The 1882 foundation has a cooperative agreement with the u.s. Forest service to develop educational learning experiences that complement the heritage tour program in an effort to promote visitation to national parks in california. The chinese american women in history (cawh) program includes initiatives for documenting the history of chinese american women, including lecture series and the bi-annual cawh conference. Projects include installing an ada lift in the dc chinatown office and a mural initiative.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 2).
The sacramento expansion project is a 3-year project funded by the mellon foundation to expand the summit tunnel camp heritage tour program by establishing an office in sacramento chinatown while strengthening operations in the dc chinatown headquarter office. This project also includes a feasibility study for program maintenance and sustainability purposes. A new office was established in sacramento july 1, 2025 with an office launch event on august 8, 2025 with the unveiling of the national historic landmark plaque for summit tunnel camp. A mini-tour to summit tunnel camp was provided on august 9, 2025. Over 200 individuals participated in the two-day event.
$313,809 spent63% of program spendingThe talk story program continues to be the 1882 foundation's flagship program. Our team organizes and presents educational lectures of different cultural and historical topics. In fy2025, we expanded the talk story program to include hands-on learning workshops and a podcast program called the "pod-luck club." in fy2025, average in-person attendance was about 25 - 30 individuals for regular monthly events; 75 - 200 for special events and conferences; and 5-30 participants via zoom.
$64,406 spent$24,130 earned by the program13% of program spendingProjects include installing an ada lift in the dc chinatown office and a mural initiative.
$47,843 spent10% of program spendingThe chinese american women in history (cawh) program includes initiatives for documenting the history of chinese american women, including lecture series and the bi-annual cawh conference.
$25,128 spent5% of program spendingThe rural chinatown and hidden sites conference includes initiatives for documenting chinese american communities across the us and canada that were in rural areas. Some of these sites are now abandoned or are no longer active chinese american communities. This bi-annual conference encourages the sharing of family stories (oral history) and academic research.
$14,652 spent3% of program spendingThe 1882 foundation has a cooperative agreement with the u.s. Forest service to develop educational learning experiences that complement the heritage tour program in an effort to promote visitation to national parks in california.
$11,910 spent2% of program spendingThe 1882 foundation plans and organizes heritage tours to the summit tunnel camp and other areas that highlight the learning opportunity of chinese american history. Heritage tours can be day trips or multi-day trips that may include transportation arrangements, lodging, meals, program materials, entrance fees, etc.
$9,934 spent$18,883 earned by the program2% of program spendingEducation program includes curriculum design, lesson planning, and teaching resources for k-12.
$8,497 spent2% of program spendingKennedy center cultural caucus is a collaborative project with the kennedy center's social impact program to plan, coordinate, and execute cultural and artistic performances at the kennedy center reach and millennium stage, including the annual lunar new year event.
$1,775 spent0% of program spendingInternship program is offered year round and includes a collaborative partnership with university of california washington program (ucdc) for intern placement. Students from other colleges/universities from all over the country are also selected as interns.
$1,064 spent0% of program spending
The 10 programs described on its FY2025 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $499,018.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2020, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2020, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2020 to 2021, from $100k to $621k (+521%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2021 0% · 2022 20% · 2024 0% · 2025 9%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
92% of 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION’s revenue is contributions — more donation-reliant than the typical peer (64% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 1 of the last 6 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Who funds it, year by year
2018 → 2023: the base held at 1 funder, grant income rose $6k → $120k.
1 of 5 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 15% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION leans on a few funders — its largest provides 81% of grant income and the top three 99%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2018 100% · 2019 100% · 2020 60% · 2021 100% · 2022 100% · 2023 100% — broadly stable.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION draws 95% of its grant income from funders outside Washington, D.C., across 2 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $197k arriving through sponsors registered in 1 state is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 11,634 arts & culture nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 11,634 arts & culture nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2025
Government funding 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $250k on record.
- Department of Agriculture$243k
- Smithsonian Institution$7k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Washington, D.C.
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
88% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
54%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION?
- 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION (Washington, D.C.) receives grants from 5 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,353,525 to it, the largest being THE ANDREW W MELLON FOUNDATION ($1,100,000). 3 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION have?
- IRS filings report 5 organizations giving $1,353,525 in grants to 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION, 3 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION?
- THE ANDREW W MELLON FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $1,100,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like 1882 PROJECT FOUNDATION find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Washington, D.C.. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds 1882 Project →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2020–2025), and the filings of 5 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing