Center for Independence
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 911577469
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Lakewood, WA, USA
- Phone
- 2535821253
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Religion Related N.E.C.
- Affiliation
- Religious (unspecified)
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,327,464
- Expenses
- $2,786,873
- Assets
- $2,231,790
- Liabilities
- $256,779
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KIM OKIMURA (PRESIDENT (RESIGNED JAN-25))
- KIM RINEHARDT (VICE PRESIDENT)
- LEAH VELASCO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (RESIGNED))
- FAITH BROWN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- LEAH VELASCO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (RESIGNED)): $103,610 total reported compensation
- FAITH BROWN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $6,154 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 center for independence (cfi) serves as a resource for individuals with disabilities to fully access and participate in the community through outreach, advocacy, and independent living skills development.
What it reported doing in 2024
Veterans directed carecfi provides individualized, community-based services to veterans through its veteran directed care and neuro-rehabilitation programs. Through veteran directed care, cfi supports eligible veterans referred by the department of veterans affairs in developing and managing individualized plans for home and community-based services. The program gives veterans greater choice and control over the assistance they receive and supports their ability to remain in their homes and communities. Cfi also provides long-term case management, independent living skills training, and community-based support to veterans with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other neurological conditions. Services are tailored to each veteran's needs and focus on developing and maintaining skills that promote greater independence.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 61% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 68
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 74
- Sustainability: 57
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71.2%; rating input score 71
- Program expense ratio: 85%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- 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: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 16.2%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.8; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.9%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11.1% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 14.2% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 71.2% of revenue deployed · 85% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $104K · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 9 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.
- High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.