Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 362170821
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Chicago, IL, United States
- Phone
- (312) 655-7700
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $174,675,811
- Expenses
- $169,115,039
- Assets
- $211,558,878
- Liabilities
- $37,094,547
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
31 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Sally Blount (President & CEO)
- Gina Cleggs (Senior Vice President)
- Colleen Kennedy (Vice President)
- Harsh Shah (Vice President)
- Melissa Mares Stambor (Vice President)
- John DeCostanza (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- Sally Blount (President & CEO): $382,829 total reported compensation
- Elida Hernandez (CFO): $315,819 total reported compensation
- Ami Novoryta (Chief Program Officer): $298,655 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 partners with mission-driven people and organizations across Cook and Lake counties to serve neighbors in need, accompanying those on the margins and advocating for a more just society. Catholic Charities partners every day with mission-driven people and organizations across Cook and Lake counties to serve our neighbors in need. Accompany those on the margins and advocate for a more just society by volunteering with Catholic Charities**. Encounter our neighbors in need** , **make meaningful impact in our communities** , and **live your faith in the world**. Explore opportunities to serve on our Volunteer page, or contact [email protected] to get started.
What it reported doing in 2024
Mission Engagement efforts and initiatives enable external individuals, groups, organizations, and churches to partner with Catholic Charities as volunteers, project collaborators, and mission ambassadors. Community Engagement includes outreach, strategic engagement, and partnership with Catholic Parishes in Cook and Lake Counties as well as management of over 2,056 volunteers. Parishes and volunteers support food pantries, community meals, senior meal delivery, emergency diaper distribution, domestic violence transitional housing, and migrant welcoming, resettlement, and accompaniment. Total number of Church Partners: 137 Total Number of Volunteers: 2,056
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 69% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 68% for direct work, 32% for grants, and 0% 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. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 86
- Transparency & Controls: 88
- Accountability: 91
- Sustainability: 51
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 88%; rating input score 88
- Program expense ratio: 88.2%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: $32.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- 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; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 44th 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 3.2%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.25; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -0.5% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 88% of revenue deployed · 88.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 14 of 15 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $149.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $383K · 31 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $11.5M reported
- Consistency: 45 of 45 current checks pass
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 19 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 31 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 51/100.