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