Cake4kids

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
453148916
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2013
Location
Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Phone
4083372079
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,986,714
Expenses
$1,974,156
Assets
$315,909
Liabilities
$103,295

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JULIE EADES (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ALISON BAKEWELL (EXEC DIREC/V): $71,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We bake and deliver free custom birthday cakes to at-risk and underserved children who might not otherwise. The youth we serve may be in foster or kinship care, living in group homes, survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking, living in low-income housing with or without a parent, or even homeless. In a world where the basics of a positive childhood are often out of reach and youth have little to call their own, the seemingly simple gift of a birthday cake can make a huge impact by raising their self-esteem and confidence.

What it reported doing in 2025

We bake and deliver free custom birthday cakes to at-risk and underserved children who might not otherwise. The youth we serve may be in foster or kinship care, living in group homes, survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking, living in low-income housing with or without a parent, or even homeless. It only takes one moment to change a child's life and we are working to create that moment every time we deliver a cake and show the youth we believe in them, we are thinking of them, and we care. Cake4kids partners with agencies, private and public, to provide custom, homemade cakes and sweets.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 95% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 75% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 93
  • Accountability: 83
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 88.6%; rating input score 89
  • Program expense ratio: 89.1%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.58 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.6%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.16; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.6%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 24.4% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 24% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 88.6% of revenue deployed · 89.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $72K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2025
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 46/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 52/100.