Filling Out the 1023-EZ Form (To Become 501(c)(3) Official!)

Okay, this one was a doozy.

If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve been turning Empower Her Care Kits into a real nonprofit. Step 5 was filling out the 1023-EZ form—which might sound like a spaceship name, but it’s actually how you apply to become a 501(c)(3).

What’s a 501(c)(3)? Basically, it’s a fancy way of saying your nonprofit is tax-exempt—which means the government says you're official, and when people donate to your nonprofit, it can help them on their taxes too. Win-win!

But let me tell you… the 1023-EZ form was no joke.

It asked questions like:

What does your nonprofit actually do?


How do you plan to raise money?


What will you use the money for?


Who makes decisions and how?

It kind of felt like writing a really long school essay—but instead of turning it in to a teacher, you're turning it in to the IRS. So, yeah... no pressure.

I didn’t do this part alone (thank goodness). My mom and I sat together and read everything super carefully. We made a plan for what to say, how to explain Empower Her’s mission, and how to be honest and clear about what we want to do in the future—like building period pantries in Pierce and King County.

It was confusing sometimes, but we figured it out together. And honestly, I learned a lot! Like, you can’t just want to help people—you have to explain how you’ll do it, how you’ll pay for it, and how you’ll stay fair and organized. (So many grown-up words…)

Once we submitted the form, we had to wait again—this time to see if the IRS would approve us as a real 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Ava

Step 4: Getting Our EIN (Like a Nonprofit’s Social Security Number!)

Let’s talk about another big step in starting my nonprofit: getting our EIN!

First of all—what even is an EIN?


When I first heard it, I joked that it must mean “Extra Important Number”… because it sounded important, and, honestly, it kind of is! But it actually stands for Employer Identification Number.

We had to apply for one through the IRS, which made me feel like a real adult (even though I still don’t like Brussels sprouts and I forget to charge my tablet sometimes).

An EIN is basically like a social security number for a nonprofit or business. It helps the government know we exist, and it’s what we need to:

Open a bank account for Empower Her Care Kits


Accept donations (legally!)


File taxes (ugh, grown-up stuff!) 


Keep everything organized and official

We applied online through the IRS website. I was ready to wait a long time—because paperwork usually takes forever—but surprise… we got our EIN the same day!

That moment was huge. With our EIN in hand, we could finally start setting up things like a real bank account and applying for grants and donations. It made everything feel more official—like, Empower Her Care Kits was no longer just something I worked on after school. It was becoming a real organization with its own identity.

Even though EIN doesn’t actually mean “Extra Important Number,” it kind of does in my book. Because now we can grow, give, and help more people in Washington and beyond.

So yeah—Step 4: Check!


Ava