Abolitionist Sanctuary

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
862003530
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2024, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Verdugo City, CA, USA
Phone
6469247447
Rating
52
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$181,917
Expenses
$70,248
Assets
$206,499
Liabilities
$-8,342

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Rev Nikia S Robert PhD (Executive Dir.): $22,500 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

At Abolitionist Sanctuary, our mission is to train Black-serving churches, civic organizations, and educational institutions to unite against the moral crisis of mass incarceration and the criminalization of impoverished Black motherhood.

What it reported doing in 2025

Abolition Academy provides educational programs, trainings, and certificate courses that equip participants with abolitionist principles and practical skills to promote healing, justice, and community transformation.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 79% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 40
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 12
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 25.6%; rating input score 26
  • Program expense ratio: 66.2%; rating input score 66
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Limited
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 61.4%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.94; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 64.4% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 41.2% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 25.6% of revenue deployed · 66.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 6 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $47K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $22K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 26/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.