Note from the foundation: this article was generated as part of a content effort, but the specific dollar figures and percentage allocations below are placeholders, not actual foundation financials. Please update with current Form 990 data or your most recent annual report before publishing. The structure of the article is correct; the numbers need real ones.
The Deaf Santa Claus Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 86-1409858). That status comes with real accountability — we file an annual Form 990, our financial records are publicly available, and we’re obligated to use donations for the purposes we tell donors we’ll use them for.
This is a plain-language breakdown of where donor dollars go. The numbers below should be updated with current foundation financials; they’re placeholder ranges based on similar small-but-growing nonprofits, not actual DSCF allocations.
What we spend money on
The foundation’s expenses cluster around five categories.
Event support: roughly [X]% of expenses. This is the biggest line. It covers interpreter fees, travel costs for Deaf Santas, and marketing support for partner venues that couldn’t otherwise afford an inclusive appearance. Most donor dollars directly support the events themselves — the children and families in the chair line.
Specifically, this line covers:
- ASL interpreters and team-interpreting coverage
- Santa travel, lodging, and per diem for out-of-market appearances
- Outreach to Deaf community organizations in event markets
- Accessibility infrastructure at partner venues
Documentary and educational outreach: roughly [Y]% of expenses. This funds the continued distribution of the Deaf Santa Claus documentary — including theatrical bookings, library and educational licensing, captioning maintenance, and the post-screening community programming that turns each showing into a real conversation rather than a passive viewing.
Santa training programs: roughly [Z]% of expenses. Development of training materials for hearing Santas (basic ASL signs, Deaf cultural awareness, working with interpreters), curriculum partnerships with Santa schools that want to add inclusion modules, and direct training support for Deaf people pursuing professional Santa careers — including help covering Santa school tuition, suit costs, and certification fees for Deaf candidates.
Foundation operations: roughly [A]% of expenses. The unglamorous but essential category: legal and compliance costs, accounting, insurance, the website, communication tools, and the small operations staff needed to run everything else.
Most well-run nonprofits in our category spend 10-15% on overhead. We try to stay at the lower end of that band; the rest goes to programming.
Fundraising costs: roughly [B]% of expenses. The smallest line. We deliberately keep fundraising costs low — we use Zeffy for donations (which keeps the platform free for nonprofits), we don’t run paid acquisition campaigns, and the bulk of our donor relationships come through the work itself rather than through dedicated fundraising staff.
Where the money comes from
The foundation is funded through a mix of:
- Individual donations through our Zeffy donation page
- Foundation and institutional grants (development of this stream is ongoing)
- Documentary licensing and rental revenue
- Partner venue contributions for events
- Earned revenue through the foundation’s online shop and CEU program
We do not currently accept corporate sponsorships that would require endorsement language or limit our editorial independence about the issues we discuss publicly. We may revisit this policy in the future if specific partnerships present themselves that align with the mission.
What your specific donation does
Rough rules of thumb for what donations at different levels translate into:
- $25 — helps cover printed accessibility materials at a community event
- $100 — covers approximately one hour of interpreter support at a screening
- $500 — sponsors a single Deaf family’s round-trip travel to a regional event
- $1,000 — covers full interpreter team for a 2-3 hour event
- $5,000 — underwrites a full appearance, including Santa, travel, interpreters, and outreach in one community
(These rough conversions are illustrative. Donations go to the general fund unless you designate them for a specific purpose at the time of donation.)
How to verify the numbers
The foundation’s most recent IRS Form 990 is available through:
- The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search — search by EIN 86-1409858 at apps.irs.gov/app/eos
- ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer — the same data, often more readable, at projects.propublica.org/nonprofits
- The foundation’s own annual reports — published on the website each spring
If you have questions about how a specific donation will be used, or want to make a restricted gift to a specific program area, the foundation’s contact form is the right place to start — we’ll get back to you with a real answer, not a templated response.
One more honest thing
The foundation is still small. We don’t yet have the multi-million-dollar reserves that older nonprofits operate from. That means donor support directly determines how much programming happens each season — not in a marketing sense, in a literal one. A donor who funds an event makes that event happen. A season with stronger fundraising produces more events, more screenings, and more Deaf children meeting Santa Claus. A season with weaker fundraising produces fewer.
We say this not to apply pressure but to be honest about the mechanics. There’s no buffer fund. The work scales with the giving.
