Catholic Charities of Buffalo

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
160743251
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Buffalo, NY, USA
Phone
7162181400
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Community Foundations
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$31,524,928
Expenses
$32,863,372
Assets
$43,856,493
Liabilities
$9,542,386

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

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DEACON STEVE SCHUMER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL QUINN (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $185,977 total reported compensation
  • DEACON STEVE SCHUMER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $184,838 total reported compensation
  • MOLLY ANDERSON (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $165,918 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Catholic Charities of Buffalo serves people in need and those who are most vulnerable without regard to age, gender, race, or religious affiliation, empowering individuals, children, and families through Catholic-sponsored human services across Western New York. Catholic Charities of Buffalo is the most comprehensive human service provider serving all of Western New York, reaching all eight counties with 51 professionally staffed locations plus a presence in many area schools and other community sites. Catholic Charities serves people in need and those who are most vulnerable without regard to age, gender, race or religious affiliation. Catholic Charities offers programs that strive to empower individuals, children and families. Among them are comprehensive counseling services for all ages, basic emergency assistance and referrals, child and adult mental health counseling...

What it reported doing in 2024

Stability and connectedness - social care programs address the needs of some of our community's most vulnerable, who face challenging and unexpected situations. This assistance is offered in all eight counties. Basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, financial, prescription, and heat assistance were provided to 9233 individuals, children, and families across western New York. In cattaraugus and allegany counties, our kinship caregiver program supported 199 kinship and non-relative caregivers and their families. Using a case management model and support groups, kinship caregivers also offer families other community resources for financial and non-financial assistance. Programs for older adults that sustain social interaction for personal well-being and keep individuals safely in their own homes served 292 people. These include home visitation in genesee and Wyoming counties, the telephone assurance program in erie county, friendly phones in orleans county, and project hope, a case management program geared to older adults. Care coordination includes programs to assist 221 children and adults, many of whom are low-income. Services include assessing and assisting client needs through the children's health home care management and community health worker (chw) programs. The programs work with clients and their network of health providers (medical, dental, and mental health counselors), health plans, and community-based organizations to meet their needs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 71% for direct work, 20% for grants, and 9% for affiliated organizations.
  • 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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 88
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87.8%; rating input score 88
  • Program expense ratio: 84%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $17.66 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 95%; rating input score 95; 28th 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: -4.2%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.33; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.8%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.6% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.1% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 12th 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: 87.8% of revenue deployed · 84% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 20 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 8 filed program accomplishments · $27.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $186K · 25 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $233K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 54/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 18/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.