Special Service for Groups, Inc. (SSG)
Legal name: Special Service for Groups Inc
Overview
Mission
Special Service for Groups (SSG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to provide community-based solutions to the social and economic issues facing those in greatest need. Herbert Hatanaka, Executive Director of SSG, was featured by United Way of LA during their AAPI Heritage Month celebrations. We are grateful for United Way’s support of our programs, especially our services that target the most disadvantaged communities in Los Angeles County. > Our fearless leader, Herb Hatanaka, was featured by @LAUnitedWay for AAPI Heritage Month. We are proud to be a provider of culturally/linguistically appropriate services for LA's diverse communities. Thx to funders like United Way for helping us meet our mission @ssghopics < > — Special Service for Groups, Inc (@SSG_HQ) May 28, 2021.
What it reported doing in 2024
Job and Education: Access to Prevention Advocacy Intervention and Treatment (APAIT) is the most comprehensive provider of HIV/AIDS services for API in Southern California. Its history is rooted in advocacy and provides critical services to the most vulnerable in the community during times of crisis and when other support systems are difficult to access. APAIT was able to raise awareness about mental health and help educate individuals in the spirit of community.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 98% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 82% 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
- 951716914
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Headquarters
- Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Phone
- 213-553-1800
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Ethnic, Immigrant Centers
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: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 93
- Sustainability: 37
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 87.7%; rating input score 88
- Program expense ratio: 90.4%; rating input score 90
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.54; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.64; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.1%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 14.3% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 16.5% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 87.7% of revenue deployed · 90.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $231.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $487K · 21 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $21.9M reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 64 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 50 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Leadership & pay
21 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- Herbert Hatanaka (Exec. Director/Secretary): $487,243 total reported compensation
- Beth De Los Santos (Director of Finance): $458,709 total reported compensation
- Brett J Sevilla (Medical Director): $450,236 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.