Ronald McDonald House Atlanta

Legal name: Atlanta Ronald Mcdonald House Charities Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
581295754
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Phone
404.315.1133
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Patient Services - Entertainment, Recreation

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$30,046,456
Expenses
$8,587,489
Assets
$111,918,942
Liabilities
$7,951,991

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

35 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TRACEY B ATWATER (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • TRACEY B ATWATER (PRESIDENT & CEO): $346,915 total reported compensation
  • KIMBERLY A CUNNINGHAM (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $257,524 total reported compensation
  • MARISSA V GRIEDER (SR DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY): $197,370 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of Ronald McDonald House Atlanta is to provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare.

What it reported doing in 2024

Atlanta ronald mcdonald house charities, inc. Owns and operates two temporary housing facilities for families of children undergoing treatment (outpatients or inpatients) for serious illnesses and injuries. These facilities are located at 795 gatewood road, atlanta, Georgia and 5420 peachtree dunwoody road, sandy springs, Georgia and have a total of 81 rooms. The houses are much more than a room to stay in, they provide comfort, support and resources for families with sick children just steps away from the hospital. To ensure no families are turned away, the charity utilized hotel partners in addition to its two housing facilities in 2024. 3,652 families were served by our house and hotel programs in 2024.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 45
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 83
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 25.7%; rating input score 26
  • Program expense ratio: 74%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $19.61 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 66th 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: 71.4%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.03; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.4%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 25.7% of revenue deployed · 74% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 28 of 28 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $6.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $347K · 35 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $36.5M reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 26/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.