Child Trends

Legal name: Child Trends Inc

Overview

Mission

Improving the lives of children and families through cutting-edge research, data analysis, and innovative solutions.

What it reported doing in 2025

Youth development - the youth development program at child trends provides research and technical assistance to practitioners and policymakers to improve youth-serving programs, including out of school time care, juvenile justice programs, and career transition programs and to inform the broader public on positive youth development.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 81% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 86% 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.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
132982969
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Headquarters
Rockville, MD, US
Phone
240.223.9200
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.2%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 70.4%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.14 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: -3.5%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.55; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 73.2% of revenue deployed · 70.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 8 filed program accomplishments · $31.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $432K · 25 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.7M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 annual filings from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 48 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 36 filed related-organization links
  • 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

25 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • NATALIA PANE (PRESIDENT): $431,839 total reported compensation
  • DEBORAH TEMKIN CAHILL (CHIEF RESEARCH OFFICER): $350,105 total reported compensation
  • LINA GUZMAN (CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER): $343,628 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2025.