California · Nonprofit
CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC
CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC (California) receives grants from 1 organization whose IRS filings report $2,300,000 to it, the largest being DIANA DAVIS SPENCER FOUNDATION INC ($2,300,000). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $500k
- Funders on record
- 1
- Grants received
- $2.3M
- Net assets
- $47k
What Culture Wise Studies Inc does
Mission
Culture wise studies, inc is dedicated to promoting family and conservative values through the media by influencing entertainment industry decision makers, artists and craftspeople to produce more family-friendly, morally uplifting, inspiring entertainment and to equip the public, especially parents, grandparents and teachers, to improve the character development of future generations (including children, teenagers and young adults) through conservative, family-friendly, morally uplifting, inspiring entertainment.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Movieguide awards: good news communications, inc. Dba movieguide and the christian film & television commission was partially funded through culture wise studies, inc. To hold its annual faith & values awards gala & report where filmmakers and industry personnel gather to celebrate a year's worth of uplifting titles and receive our prestigious "teddy bear" award. As an example in february of 2024 we had 285 in attendance. Friday february 9th was the night of the awards, but the events ran from thursday february 8th through sunday february 11th (which included a welcome reception on thursday, a sony pictures studio tour before the awards on friday, an insider's breakfast and sunset yacht cruise on saturday, and a send-off event on sunday).
$400,000 spentof which $400,000 as grants80% of program spendingReport to the entertainment industry: good news communications, inc. Dba movieguide and the christian film & television commission was partially funded through culture wise studies, inc. For the production and publication of more than 421 comprehensive movie and television reviews, which were gathered into extensive databases to produce the 2025 report.
$25,000 spentof which $25,000 as grants5% of program spendingInklings fellowship: an esteemed summer program initiated by good news communications, inc. Dba movieguide and the christian film & television commission was partially funded through culture wise studies, inc. To cultivate, mentor, and guide the next generation of content creators who aspire to uphold and incorporate christian values in the entertainment industry. Recognizing the power and pervasiveness of media, this fully funded and paid program is crafted to empower young leaders who are motivated to impact hollywood positively. The inklings fellowship spans from mid-june to september and is based in the los angeles area. During this period, a small, select group of fellows live together in a supportive community, where they are trained to navigate the complex world of entertainment media and understand how to bring a project from concept to screen. The fellowship emphasizes the business and producing side of filmmaking, positioning graduates to strategically influence industry trends. This past summer of 2024 we had seven fellows.
$75,000 spentof which $75,000 as grants15% of program spending
The 3 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $500,000.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2018, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2018, 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 $3k to $51k (+1921%).
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.
100% of CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (64% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 4 of the last 7 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.
Chief executive
Theodore Baehr
CEO and president
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2019 → 2023: the base held at 1 funder, grant income rose $400k → $500k.
From the IRS filings of CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC’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.
Where its funders are
CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC draws 100% of its grant income from funders outside California, across 1 state in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. 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
CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC has grown faster than three-quarters of the 17,936 arts & culture nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 17,936 arts & culture nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2024
Organizations like CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC
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 California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
100% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC: 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 CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC?
- CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC (California) receives grants from 1 organization whose IRS filings report $2,300,000 to it, the largest being DIANA DAVIS SPENCER FOUNDATION INC ($2,300,000). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC have?
- IRS filings report 1 organization giving $2,300,000 in grants to CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC, 1 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC?
- DIANA DAVIS SPENCER FOUNDATION INC is the largest funder on record, with $2,300,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like CULTURE WISE STUDIES INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2018–2024), and the filings of 1 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