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DEVINS MESSAGE FOUNDATION INC

TONAWANDA, NY · EIN 823379193 · Form 990EZ · FY2022 · NTEE O50 · Youth Development · Micro (<$100K) · devinsmessage.org
revenue
$3K
expenses
$11K
net assets
$46K
employees
mission · from form 990

TO BUILD SELF ESTEEM, CREATE AWARENESS OF BULLYING AND PROTECT CHILDREN.

profile · synthesized from sources

Devin's Message Foundation is a youth development nonprofit based in Tonawanda, NY, founded in memory of Devin Kurzdorfer, a teenager who died by suicide after experiencing bullying. The organization promotes anti-bullying education, builds self-esteem among youth, and offers scholarships to students who advocate against bullying. It conducts school assemblies, partners with resilience speakers, and collaborates with school districts and community leaders in Western New York.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Anti-Bullying Scholarship Program
Offers annual scholarships to students who speak to peers about anti-bullying, demonstrate leadership, and participate in foundation fundraisers.
Community Task Force on Bullying
Participates in a county-level task force convened by Judge Brenda Freedman to address bullying in Erie County schools.
School Anti-Bullying Assemblies
Hosts interactive school assemblies featuring resilience experts like Brooks Gibbs to teach students how to respond to bullying.
activities · 2 groups

What they do

  • Anti-Bullying Education and Prevention Programs 3 activities
    • Advocates for adoption of anti-bullying programs in schools
      Engages in advocacy to encourage schools to adopt anti-bullying programs, inspired by the death of a 15-year-old teen, including producing and sharing a video documenting the family’s experience to raise public awareness.
    • Delivers anti-bullying educational presentations in schools
      Organizes and delivers anti-bullying presentations to students through school assemblies featuring resilience experts and speakers, reaching over 3,000 students across 11 schools in 6 school districts. Presentations include training on responding to bullying and building self-confidence.
    • Provides anti-bullying resources and support through online platforms
      Operates a website that offers resources, information, and educational materials focused on anti-bullying initiatives, awareness, and child protection to support youth development and bullying prevention.
  • Local High School Scholarship Programs 1 activity
    • Awards anti-bullying scholarships to youth
      Provides scholarships to individuals who meet specified criteria, with over 25 awarded in the past five years, including a first scholarship funded by over $60,000 raised through fundraisers and private donors.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2022
revenue
Total revenue$3K
Contributions & grants$1K34%
Program service revenue
Investment income
Other revenue
expenses
Total expenses$11K
Program expenses
Admin / overhead
Fundraising
Salaries & benefits
Grants paid out$7K
balance sheet
Total assets$46K
Cash
Investments
Liabilities
Net assets$46K
2 years on record · 2020–2022 · YoY revenue -92.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2022

Who runs it

board members · 3
  • GRETCHEN PETERSON — TRUSTEE
  • MICHAEL P MENDOLA — TRUSTEE
  • TRAVIS PETERSON — TRUSTEE
relationships · 5

Who they work with

  • Brooks Gibbs Partner — Collaborates with resilience expert Brooks Gibbs to deliver a school assembly on student resilience.
  • Honorable Erie County Family Court Judge Brenda Freedman Partner — Invited the foundation to participate in a task force committee addressing bullying in the local area.
  • WBFO 88.7 Partner — Featured in news coverage on cyberbullying efforts.
  • WBFO 88.7 Partner — Media partner that reported on the foundation's mission and advocacy efforts.
  • YouTube Partner — Hosts video content on YouTube to share anti-bullying messages and foundation activities.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Education and Awareness as Prevention
    methodology: prevention-through-education
    By educating youth and communities about bullying through school-based programs and emotional skills training, we prevent bullying and its harmful outcomes, because knowledge and practical tools empower students to change behaviors and build resilience.
  • Lived Experience Storytelling
    methodology: lived-experience-storytelling
    By sharing personal and family stories of bullying and its consequences, we create emotional engagement and behavior change in students, because lived narratives generate empathy and make abstract risks feel real and urgent.
  • Resilience and Self-Esteem Building
    methodology: resilience-and-self-esteem-building
    By fostering self-esteem and internal resilience in youth, we reduce the negative impacts of bullying and prevent self-harm, because individuals with strong emotional self-regulation and confidence are better equipped to cope with and resist bullying.
  • Sports-Based Engagement
    methodology: sports-based_youth_engagement
    By using sports as a platform, we engage youth in anti-bullying messaging and positive community building, because structured, team-based activities create trusted environments where values like respect and inclusion can be modeled and internalized.