The New York Foundling

Legal name: New York Foundling

Overview

Mission

At The New York Foundling, we trust in the power and potential of people, and we deliberately invest in proven practices. The New York Foundling provides carefully designed programs, effective and interrelated services, and opportunities for our community members to create transformational change in their own lives.

What it reported doing in 2024

Education - at the New York foundling, we see education as the pathway to independence. All of our programs lay the groundwork for healthy development, wellbeing, and self-determination by teaching critical life and learning skills. We understand that education is much more than what happens in a classroom, and includes families learning to communicate, individuals with developmental disabilities learning job skills, and children who have experienced trauma learning study skills.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
131624123
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Aug 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
New York, NY, USA
Phone
212-633-9300
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Children's, Youth Services

Official website

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 50
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87.2%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 86.3%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $82.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.3%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.5; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.34; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.2%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 87.2% of revenue deployed · 86.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 26 of 26 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $216.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $523K · 37 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $6.9M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

37 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • MELANIE HARTZOG (PRESIDENT & CEO): $522,675 total reported compensation
  • WILLIAM BACCAGLINI (FORMER CEO/SR. ADVISOR): $359,519 total reported compensation
  • MOLLY EAGAN (CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER): $319,883 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.