Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
270811733
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Marlboro, NJ, USA
Phone
7329042799
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Cancer Research

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,328,797
Expenses
$1,511,756
Assets
$456,535
Liabilities
$250,000

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DENA SHERWOOD (PRESIDENT)
  • WILLIAM SHERWOOD (TRUSTEE, VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DENA SHERWOOD (PRESIDENT): $132,498 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL GILLETTE (DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS): $110,464 total reported compensation
  • KRISTEN ALEXANDER (TREASURER/BOARD CHAIR): $20,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To support families that are affected by pediatric cancer and to fund research relating to the study of pediatric cancer.

What it reported doing in 2025

Raised funds which were granted to organizations conducting activities furthering research in childhood cancer treatment. Conducted events to raise awareness of the need for more focus on the issues faced by the children and their families who are affected by cancer.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 45% for direct work, and 55% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 13
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.3%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 79.3%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 88.2%; rating input score 88; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.4%; rating input score 99; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -13.8%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.3; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.55; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17.4%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.4% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90.3% of revenue deployed · 79.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $132K · 10 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $157K reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 30 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 6 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.