Bridges Outreach Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
223190141
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Summit, NJ, USA
Phone
9082730176
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Homeless Centers

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,780,397
Expenses
$3,614,734
Assets
$1,670,976
Liabilities
$227,286

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RICHARD UNIACKE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • RICHARD UNIACKE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $152,187 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Bridges ends homelessness through volunteer-driven outreach and individual case management focusing on health, housing, and independence. Bridges forms relationships with those experiencing homelessness while meeting their most urgent needs. Bridges connects the housed and homeless to establish relationships that lead to greater acceptance and understanding, social and economic growth, and wellbeing.

What it reported doing in 2024

We solve homelessness by meeting people where they are. Firstproviding supplies of food, clothing, toiletries, other necessitiesand work to build trust with people experiencing homelessness, or facing imminent homelessness, inessex and union counties in nj. The information gathered duringthese engagements enables connections to case management, services and programs. Our quantitative and qualitative data alsoenable us to drive changes to broken systems. In 2024 we engaged9,780 people experiencing homelessness in nj. In 2024, we placed 480people in permanent housing allowing them to exit homelessness, and prevented homelessness for 347 households. With the help of2,289+ volunteers each year, bridges delivers 49,244 brown bagmeals, 14,102 cold weather and toiletry kits, 101 buckets of soup,12.018 bottles of water and over 7,668 pieces of seasonallyappropriate clothing. All of this work is done with a trauma-informed approach. Through both project connect drop-incenters, in newark, and summit, bridges prevents imminenthomelessness and connects people who are experiencinghomelessness, to officialidentification documents, healthcare, specialized health and socialservice providers, income, employment and permanent housing. 9,780 people experiencing homelessness480 people in permanent housingprevented homelessness for 347 households2,289 volunteers (estimated from email chain)49,244 brown bag meals14,102 cold weather and toiletry kits2,828 cups of soup12,018 bottles of waterover 7,668 pieces of seasonally appropriate clothing.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 62
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.9%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 84.6%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.55 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • 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: Limited
  • 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: 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 4.4%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.2%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.9% of revenue deployed · 84.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $152K · 10 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 30 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 42/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 49/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 59/100.