California · Nonprofit
DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION
DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION (California) receives grants from 33 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,900,807 to it, the largest being NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST ($1,000,000). 14 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 63% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2024
- $1.3M
- Funders on record
- 33
- Grants received
- $2.9M
- Net assets
- $1.9M
What David's Harp Foundation does
Mission
To inspire, educate, and empower "opportunity youth", to achieve academic success through music education, sound engineering, and multimedia production.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Beats behind the wall brings the David's Harp Foundation's relationship-centered creative programming into juvenile detention facilities, offering justice-involved youth an opportunity to engage in music production, self-expression, and skill-building while incarcerated. Through six-week modules, participants learn critical listening, songwriting, and audio engineering using industry-standard tools and workflows. Each session is led by tdhf artist mentors who are trained not only in the technical aspects of music production but also in healing-centered mentorship. These mentors build authentic relationships with youth, helping them process complex emotions through creativity while introducing them to practical skills that translate into future opportunities. Select students who demonstrate commitment and growth earn offsite studio experiences--special visits to tdhf's downtown production facility that serve as both incentive and inspiration. Youth who complete the program are invited to continue their journey upon release through paid internships and employment in tdhf's biz pod program, where they can further develop their technical and professional skills.
$199,508 spentof which $47 as grants$239,557 earned by the program25% of program spendingThe student studio program is the heart of the David's Harp Foundation, offering high school students a safe, creative, and relationship-centered space to grow through music and multimedia production. The program operates after school in six-week project-based learning cycles, where students explore songwriting, audio engineering, video production, and digital storytelling using industry-standard equipment and software. Artist mentors--some of whom are program graduates--guide students through the creative process while building trust and offering holistic support. These mentors act as consistent, caring adults who help youth navigate challenges both in and out of the studio. The program also integrates academic support, allowing students to work toward personal educational goals while engaging in creative work. A key feature of the program is its incentive structure: students earn additional studio time, recording opportunities, and gear access in exchange for improving their grades or achieving other milestones. This unique system uses creativity as motivation, helping young people re-engage with their education in a meaningful way. The student studio program serves as a…
$159,607 spentof which $800 as grants$26,920 earned by the program20% of program spendingThe David's Harp Foundation's biz pod program is a creative workforce development initiative designed for transitional-aged youth (ages 1624) who are experiencing homelessness, system involvement, or barriers to employment. The program provides hands-on training in content creation, entrepreneurship, and business development, equipping young people with the tools they need to thrive in the creative economy. Participants earn a livable wage producing high-quality video, audio, and digital content for paying clients, including national brands like sony and local partners such as the city of san diego. Through this process, youth gain essential workforce skills--project management, customer service, budgeting, and communication--while building a portfolio of professional work. Each participant also has the opportunity to receive academic support and college credit through ucsd extension, reinforcing both career and educational pathways. The program is grounded in mentorship and relationship-centered learning. Artist mentors, many of whom are program alumni, guide youth through client projects and personal growth.
$159,607 spentof which $500 as grants$105,744 earned by the program20% of program spendingBeats beyond the wall is the reentry component of the David's Harp Foundation's creative youth development model, supporting young people as they transition from incarceration back into their communities. This program builds on the trust and mentorship formed through beats behind the wall, creating a seamless pathway from detention to opportunity. Upon release, youth are met by the same artist mentors who worked with them inside. These mentors provide relational support and navigation through probation requirements, court appearances, and reentry challenges--while simultaneously reengaging youth in their creative passions. In collaboration with the san diego county office of education's juvenile court and community schools (jccs), youth also reconnect with their education through independent study, hosted onsite at tdhf's downtown production facility. This integration of academics and creativity gives young people a second chance to earn their diploma in a setting that feels safe, engaging, and relevant.
$159,607 spent$239,557 earned by the program20% of program spendingThe transformation house, also known as the launchpad, was created in response to a critical need observed within the David's Harp Foundation's biz pod program: nearly 60% of participating youth were experiencing some form of homelessness--sleeping on couches, in cars, or bouncing between unstable housing situations. To address this, tdhf established a residential program that offers both stability and opportunity for transitional-aged youth (1824) working toward independence. Located in southeast san diego--just blocks from public transportation and six miles from tdhf's downtown production facility--the launchpad provides a safe, supportive living environment rooted in relationship. As youth earn income through paid creative work in the biz pod program, they contribute $500 per month toward rent. These payments are held in an escrow savings account and reported to build their credit. After 12 months, youth access their full savings to cover first month's rent, last month's rent, and move-in expenses for their own apartment. The launchpad has since expanded to serve youth through multiple referral pathways, including the less restrictive placement (lrp), probation, and other…
$55,862 spentof which $15 as grants7% of program spendingStudio nights is a partnership between the David's Harp Foundation and san diego youth services that offers a consistent, creative outlet for youth staying in emergency shelters. Each evening, immediately after check-in at the teen shelter, young people are transported to tdhf's downtown recording facility where they are invited into a safe and inspiring studio space. Once in the studio, youth engage in songwriting, music production, and spoken word sessions led by caring artist mentors. These creative activities are not only expressive but therapeutic--offering youth a way to process trauma, explore identity, and find their voice in an environment of dignity and support. Studio nights is intentionally designed to build trust and relationship with youth during one of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. For many, this is their first experience in a professional creative space--and their first experience being seen, heard, and valued by adults who genuinely care. As youth stabilize and transition into longer-term housing, they are invited to continue their creative journey through the student studio or biz pod programs, ensuring a continuum of opportunity and support. Studio…
$39,902 spent$33,120 earned by the program5% of program spendingThe digital arts program at the David's Harp Foundation equips youth with tools to express themselves visually while building skills for the creative economy. Designed for both community-based and incarcerated settings, this 12-week program blends professional development with personal transformation, helping youth create portfolios that reflect both technical skill and personal growth. Youth use ipad pro software introducing essential software tools while creating space for personal reflection and creative exploration through projects like taking and tracing a photo of themselves, reimagining their identity through digital illustration. Youth apply what they've learned to complete a mentor-assigned sticker design. This shift from personal to professional reinforces deadlines, quality standards, and the ability to execute on external direction--essential for success in creative work environments. Throughout the program, artist mentors provide consistent guidance and support. Youth not only build a creative resume, they also learn how to channel complex emotions into art, develop a sense of identity, and take steps toward meaningful career pathways in the visual arts.
$23,940 spent3% of program spending
The 7 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $798,033.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 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 $336k to $1.0M (+208%).
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: 2020 14% · 2021 10% · 2022 1% · 2023 2% · 2024 12%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
72% of DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (82% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 1 of the last 8 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
Brandon Steppe
Founder/executive director
Board chair
Genevieve Jones-Wright
Board chair
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 8 funders, grant income rose $11k → $448k.
10 of 33 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 63% 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 DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 33 funders by total. 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
DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION leans on a few funders — its largest provides 34% of grant income and the top three 65%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
68% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2018 60% · 2019 100% · 2020 67% · 2021 33% · 2022 85% · 2023 52% — diversifying over time.
“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.
How long its funders stay
27% of DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 42% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
63% of DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $1.1M that is directly attributable, 52% of it comes from funders outside California, across 9 states.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $1.8M arriving through sponsors registered in 7 states 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
DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION has grown faster than three-quarters of the 1,928 youth development nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 1,928 youth development nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2024
Organizations like DAVID'S HARP 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 California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
64% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
98%
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 DAVID'S HARP 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 DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION?
- DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION (California) receives grants from 33 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,900,807 to it, the largest being NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST ($1,000,000). 14 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 63% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION have?
- IRS filings report 33 organizations giving $2,900,807 in grants to DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION, 14 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION?
- NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST is the largest funder on record, with $1,000,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION 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.
Play a game about who funds David's Harp →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 33 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