The Mosaic Project

“Lara Mendel, the ED & Brian Lowe, the COO of the organization are married.”

“The tax return is prepared by an outside accounting firm. After completion of said returns, the organization is sent a draft of the tax returns to be reviewed and examined. The organization makes copies of the returns and distributes to those individuals charged with governance. Those individuals at that time can review and if applicable discuss any line items in the return with the accountant who has prepared the return. If all items are found to be acceptable, an authorization is signed and provided to authorize the outside accounting firm to process, sign and provide copies of the returns to be filed (paper or electronically) with the designated governmental agencies. The tax returns are then signed by the organization, stamped and mailed with certified return receipt or the signed form 8879 is provided to the outside accounting firm allowing electronic filing.”

“Annually all members of the board of directors/key employees complete a disclosureform wherein they report any possible conflict of interest. This form is kept onfile by the organization and is reviewed periodically.”

“Members of the board of directors review the compensation of all high-level personnel periodically in accordance with irs rules and regulations. Efforts are made to secure compensation data from industry sources in order to determine competitiveness and appropriateness of salaries. Every effort is made to ensure thatthe process is thorough and transparent in accordance with irs guidelines and the organization's policies and procedures.”

“The finance/hr committee reviews nonprofit surveys every 2-3 years. Management hasconcluded that employees are not yet compensated at market rate.”

“Federal Tax Returns are available at guidestar.org, charitynavigator.org & www.mosaicproject.org/about/people/board/governance.”

“All of the organization's governing documents, financial statements and other legalfilings are maintained in a secure environment and held available for inspection bytax authorities and the general public. Tax returns are available for a physical inspection at the organization's office and on the organization's website.”

“With COVID-19 safety protocols disrupting usual programming, we decided to implement a one-time Gap Year program with 5 college age students from September 2020 to May 2021. Programing consisted of weekly on-line meetings and outdoor activities at our Castro Valley property. Students learned community building and conflict resolution skills in the unusual environment of the 2020 national election, the pandemic, and Black Lives Matter movement.”

“In 2020, we did not run our Outdoor Project or Youth Leader programs due to COVID-19 safety protocols. These are in-person, experiential programs that bring together students of diverse backgrounds. Instead the team focused on developing and improving virtual and on-line programming content for the same programs.”

“OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROJECT: WE OFFER LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR HIGH-SCHOOL AND COLLEGE AGED STUDENTS WHO SERVE AS MENTORS FOR THE 4TH AND 5TH GRADERS AT OUR OUTDOOR SCHOOL. THE PROJECTS CURRICULUM ADDRESSES ISSUES OF DIFFERENCE WHILE BUILDING LEADERSHIP SKILLS. YOUTH LEADERS UNDERGO EXTENSIVE TRAINING PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THE OUTDOOR SCHOOL. ONCE THERE, THE TRAINING CONTINUES AS THEY SERVE AS CABIN LEADERS FOR A SESSION, PUTTING THEORY INTO PRACTICE. WE OFFER THE YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN EVENTS YEAR-ROUND, INCLUDING DISCUSSIONS, WORKSHOPS, GUEST LECTURES, GAME DAYS, FIELD TRIPS, AND SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS. THE PROJECT ENCOURAGES THE GROWTH OF A VIBRANT CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNITY OF YOUTH THROUGHOUT THE BAY AREA.We served just a few students with Youth Leadership project in 2020, but we hope to be better prepared when we return to in-person programming.”