2024-09-24T17:30:12-07:00 2024-06-30 872509602 Sun Mountain Consulting 5689 Knight Rd Bellingham WA 98226 990 2023-07-01 931773705 THE BENJI PROJECT BENJ 9712486027 PO BOX 1487 Port Townsend WA 98368 Heather McRae-Woolf Executive Director 9712486027 2024-08-22 1 1 Kelsey Bedient P01981216 7199635863 2024-08-22 X 2023 2024-08-08 14:25:15Z X Heather McRae-Woolf PO Box 1487 Port Townsend WA 98368 233604 0 X https://www.thebenjiproject.org/ X 2023 WA The Benji Project's mission is to see young people thrive navigating life's ups and downs with resilience. 5 5 3 0 0 0 208674 12311 2863 -7293 0 216555 2575 0 0 103369 20524 35778 86408 0 212876 0 3679 0 141235 0 3531 0 137704 The Benji Project teaches proven mindfulness and self-compassion tools to young people and their families and communities. Through classes, workshops and camps, we build capacity for stress management and emotional resilience. The Benji Project programming serves youth ages 11 to 19 and their families in East Jefferson County, Washington. Jefferson County is a rural area on the Olympic Peninsula. Much of the county is economically disadvantaged and suffers from a lack of mental health resources. We serve all teens regardless of means, more than half of our participants in after-school and camp programming receive full or partial scholarships. 0 0 43983 0 5591 School-based programming: Our instructors start with the Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens curriculum and modify the timing and number of sessions to accommodate the needs of local school districts and different age groups. Schools where we have offered programs include Port Townsend High School, Chimacum High School, OCEAN K-12 Alternative Learning Environment, Brinnon Middle School, and Blue Heron Middle School. In FY 2023-24, we reached 283 young people with our in-school programming. 28217 2425 6395 Summer camp: Annual week-long summer camps are held for middle and high school age students to introduce mindfulness and self-compassion tools in a nature-based, engaging setting. Through games, arts activities, and outdoor exploration, youth learn lifelong skills for emotional resilience. 25980 150 325 Community programs: The Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens curriculum is offered after school hours for 6th-12th graders. In partnership with community organizations, we extend opportunities for small group support around social emotional well-being. We also periodically offer workshops for parents, caregivers, and educators that help adults understand the brain science of adolescent development, how to support teenagers in positive ways, and how to care for themselves amid parenting and teaching challenges. To celebrate Mental Health Awareness month, we collaborated with two local organizations to design and implement the MAAY project: Mental health Arts Action for Youth, a series of hands-on art-making workshops where students designed and created a large puppet representing youth mental health. The puppet then walked in the large Rhody Parade in Port Townsend. Through our community programs, we reached more than 60 youth directly, and dozens more through awareness and interaction with the MAAY project. 0 0 0 98180 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 WA X Aleah Lawrence-Pine 8313456388 PO BOX 1487 Port Townsend WA 98368 X X Heather McRae-Woolf Executive Director 40 0 X 33158 29243 0 Cynthia Osterman President and Treasurer 3 0 X X 0 0 0 Beth Ross Secretary 2 0 X X 0 0 0 Susan O'Brien Director 1 0 X 0 0 0 Rebekah Minarchek Director 1 0 X 0 0 0 Jennifer Mitchell Director 1 0 X 0 0 0 33158 29243 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12690 0 44608 151376 0 208674 School Programs 611600 5591 5591 0 0 Summer Camp Programs 624100 6395 6395 0 0 325 325 0 0 12311 2863 0 0 2863 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9756 12640 17049 -7293 0 -7293 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 216555 12311 0 -4430 X 0 0 2575 2575 0 0 0 0 60175 27497 23083 9595 33135 10753 20477 1905 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10059 4180 4746 1133 1221 31 1190 0 4936 0 4936 0 8190 0 8190 0 0 0 0 0 20524 20524 0 0 0 0 31974 28854 3120 4107 3970 4 133 5145 2900 1270 975 7231 35 5776 1420 0 0 0 0 12762 10028 2734 0 1114 954 117 43 0 0 0 0 3356 3356 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4647 1949 2698 0 Meals/Catering 1725 1098 577 50 0 0 0 0 212876 98180 78918 35778 0 10656 0 128224 0 150 0 205 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2000 0 141235 0 3531 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3531 X 0 124434 0 13270 0 137704 0 141235 X 3679 -203 0 0 0 134228 X 0 0 0 X 208674 208674 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 208674 208674 31431 177243 2863 2863 0 0 0 0 211537 12311 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED X X 1 Cloudbreak Collective LLC PO Box 10745 Bainbridge Island WA 98110 Grant writing and research support 0 0 13874 -13874 Janine Boire 527 V Street Port Townsend WA 98368 Donor cultivation and organizational coaching 0 0 6650 -6650 0 20524 -20524 WA Festival of Hearts 22396 12640 9756 738 0 1297 2863 0 12151 0 0 22396 12640 9756 738 0 1297 2863 0 12151 17049 -7293 Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b The form 990 is provided to the board of directors for review and approval prior to filing. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c The Board of Director bylaws include a conflict of interest policy. This policy states that any director, principal officer, or member of a committee with governing board-delegated powers who has a direct or indirect financial interest, as defined below, is an interested person and they have a duty to disclose this conflict of interest. Once disclosed, the board (minus the interested party) must determine if a conflict of interest does exist. The interested person is allowed to present information to the board, but must leave the room for the discussion and vote pertaining to the transaction or agreement in their proposal. The board must investigate if there are any reasonable alternatives to the proposal that satisfy the needs of the organization without a conflict of interest, and if there are not, the board must discuss and vote on whether or not the proposal is in the organization's best interest and is fair and reasonable. The person of interest can not be involved in any of these proceedings. The minutes of the meeting shall reflect all information pertaining to the disclosure of the conflict of interest, including naming the person of interest, and of the investigation for a reasonable alternative. Also voting members may not provide information to the board or vote on any matters regarding compensation if the compensation being voted on is their own. A person has a financial interest if the person has, directly or indirectly, through business, investment, or family a. An ownership or investment interest in any entity with which the Organization has a transaction or arrangement; b. A compensation arrangement with the Organization, or with any entity or individual with which the Organization has a transaction or arrangement; or c. A potential ownership or investment interest in, or compensation arrangement with, any entity or individual with which the Organization is negotiating a transaction or arrangement. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 13 This is the first year the organization has been an independent 501(c)3 exempt organization. Certain policies are under review and have not been formally approved by the board of directors. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15 The Board of Directors determines the Executive Director compensation, reviewing Jefferson County non-profit salary survey data for context. On an annual basis, the Board conducts a performance review of the Executive Director and approves any salary increase, bearing in mind the constraints of that year's budget. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request. Form 990, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a The Executive Director was contracted by the organization's former fiscal sponsor for the first six months of 2023 prior to the organization's incorporation date of July 1, 2023. Form 990, Part IX, Line 11g Instructor fees for programs Form 990, Part XI, Line 9 Cash accumulated with fiscal sponsor at the time the organization transitioned to an independent 501(c)3 entity.