Lumensparq Inc
Spotlighting and Supporting Local Heroes in Education
Lumensparq Inc
EIN: 85-2932162
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Lumenaries and SparQs
We seek to spotlight and support local heroes in education with a focus on those performing a social good for communities in need. As we select our local heroes, we place them in two distinct categories. The first category is for adults, be they teachers, administrators, or staff, performing a social good.
We call them Lumenaries.
Support for Lumenaries may come in the form of financial assistance to further enhance or maintain the project on which they are working, say an after school program for parent education. Support may involve providing supplies a teacher needs to coordinate an after school event for students and families. Help may come through professional development to increase a faculty’s technology skills to improve teaching during remote learning.
The second category is for students, those that go above and beyond the regular school day to take on a passion project that impacts others in need.
We call them SparQs.
These students may be working toward a solution to a local community problem, like food insecurity, or helping to bring awareness to broader societal issues, like systemic racism or gender equality. Support for SparQs may include financial assistance to fill a gap in funding their project, providing materials needed as they engage in their work, or possibly hands-on resources through volunteer support.
We will best understand our heroes’ actual needs as we come to know their story deeply. Through this discovery, the details of their mission come to light, and we can determine our clearest and most effective path to support them. Every story is different, and every need is thereby unique. We remain flexible as an organization to assist these heroes in the most effective manner possible.
Where we work
External reviews

Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Financials
Financial data
Lumensparq Inc
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: 2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Revenue | |
---|---|
Contributions, Grants, Gifts | $7,235 |
Program Services | $0 |
Membership Dues | $0 |
Special Events | $0 |
Other Revenue | $599 |
Total Revenue | $7,235 |
Expenses | |
---|---|
Program Services | $1,854 |
Administration | $0 |
Fundraising | $0 |
Payments to Affiliates | $0 |
Other Expenses | $599 |
Total Expenses | $1,854 |
Lumensparq Inc
Balance sheetFiscal Year: 2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Assets | |
---|---|
Total Assets | $0 |
Liabilities | |
---|---|
Total Liabilities | $0 |
Fund balance (EOY) | |
---|---|
Net Assets | $5,380 |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Founder and President
John Umekubo
I have the good fortune to work with incredible schools in the local area and around the country on topics ranging from design thinking, personalized learning, maker education, and project-based learning.
I believe authentic learning happens when we give students the appropriate tools and physical environment to foster curiosity, find purpose, and allow for agency in their work.
My role as a consultant is to help organizations work through the challenges and opportunities presented by new technologies and the latest research in teaching and learning.
When not consulting, I'm the Director of Social Entrepreneurship at Westside Neighborhood School, in Los Angeles, where I continue to teach classes at the middle school level.
In 2020, I co-founded LumenSparQ Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to spotlight and support local heroes in education.
Founder
Katya De los Rios
I was born in Mexico City and moved to the United States at the end of high school. The experience of having to maneuver two different cultures and lifestyles has given me a deeper understanding of what many people go through daily to be successful, to make ends meet, or to become part of something bigger.
My early path in the U.S. was transformed by committed educators whose dedication and “outside the box” thinking changed my educational experience in the U.S. for the better. The support I got from what I now call my mentors changed my career path as well. In each stage of my life as a student, I encountered one or two people whose commitment and dedication steered me in the direction I needed to succeed. This early experience as a student in the U.S. motivates me to be part of LumenSparQ’s commitment to highlight and celebrate those making a difference in our immigrant and marginalized communities.
There are no officers, directors or key employees recorded for this organization
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Lumensparq Inc
Board of directorsas of 02/05/2023
Board of directors data
John Umekubo
Westside Neighborhood School
Term: 2020 - 2022
Katya De los Rios
Cal State Dominguez Hills
Armando Franco
Lennox School District
Christine Franco
Lennox School District
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as: