About the Foundation

A small, patient, California nonprofit, since 2010.

Alpha Life Foundation was incorporated as a California nonprofit corporation in 2010 and received determination of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service the following year. We remain small by design.

Our story

The Foundation began in 2009 as a series of informal Sunday-afternoon gatherings at a Culver City family home, six adults meeting to work through basic questions of faith with a retired Presbyterian pastor. By early 2010, three of those adults had convinced two others to formalize the effort. A California nonprofit corporation was filed in October of that year and the IRS Determination Letter arrived the following spring.

The five programs we run today, Foundations, Together, Life After, Neighbors, and Youth Bridge, grew one at a time between 2011 and 2018 as specific needs arose in our participant community. We have added no new programs since 2018. We have discontinued none.

How we work

We are entirely volunteer-run. Our seven-member board meets four times a year. Our thirty-or-so program leaders receive training, occasional stipends for travel, and quarterly retreats. We do not pay salaries. We do not maintain an office. Our overhead is limited to insurance, printing, and the occasional retreat facility rental.

We operate on modest annual contributions from participants, alumni, and a small handful of local foundations. Our budget has never exceeded $200,000 in a fiscal year, and never fallen below $40,000. We are proud of both numbers.

Governance and compliance

We file the required annual return (Form 990-N electronic notice or Form 990-EZ, depending on the tax year) with the Internal Revenue Service and maintain our registration in good standing with the California Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts. Our nonprofit record is publicly available through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search and on ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer.

We do not fundraise publicly beyond this website and our quarterly letter. We accept no funding from any political organization or elected official. Our board approves all program partnerships individually.

Our Board of Directors

Seven volunteers, elected to three-year terms.

Ana Delacruz

Board Chair

Retired teacher, Culver City Unified School District. Board member since 2014, chair since 2020.

Rev. Marcus O. Whittaker

Vice Chair

Pastor emeritus, Grace Community Church, Palms. Board member since 2011.

Priya S. Ramanathan, CPA

Treasurer

Financial planning practice in Palms. Handles our modest annual reporting.

Devon R.

Secretary

Alumnus of our first Youth Bridge cohort. Youngest board member.

Elena M. Costanzo

Programs Director (volunteer)

Coordinates the five programs across partner churches.

Jorge Villafuerte

Community Liaison

Connects Alpha Life with Spanish-speaking parishes and community groups in the Westside.

Rev. Sarah Hendricks

Spiritual Advisor (ex officio)

Associate minister, St. Augustine Catholic, Culver City.

On the public record

Alpha Life Foundation at a glance

Legal nameAlpha Life Foundation Inc
Employer Identification Number91-2088852
Tax status501(c)(3), contributions tax-deductible under IRS §170
State of incorporationCalifornia, 2010
Registered address4747 Purdue Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230
Board sizeSeven directors (three-year terms)
Program leaders (volunteer)~30 across five programs
Correspondenceinfo@alphalifefoundation.org