Central American Refugee Center Carecen Ny
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 112705005
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Hempstead, NY, USA
- Phone
- 5164898330
- Rating
- 93
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Ethnic, Immigrant Centers
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,993,015
- Expenses
- $4,138,429
- Assets
- $1,908,140
- Liabilities
- $1,097,747
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BLANCA A VILLANUEVA (PRESIDENT, THRU JULY 2024)
- AMY FLORES (PRESIDENT, AS OF JULY 2024)
- ELISE DE CASTILLO ESQ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THRU SEPT. 2024)
- MELANIE CREPS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AS OF SEPT. 2024)
Highest reported compensation
- JESSICA GREENBERG ESQ (LEGAL DIRECTOR): $134,672 total reported compensation
- ANDREA MADRID ESQ (SUPERVISING ATTORNEY): $119,756 total reported compensation
- ELISE DE CASTILLO ESQ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THRU SEPT. 2024): $119,070 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
All people should have the right to work, build a community and determine their own future with a sense of dignity. The displacement of thousands of central americans into north america as a result of war and civil strife in their homelands created the need for an agency to safeguard the basic rights of those seeking safe haven in our midst. The central american refugee center - carecen (ny) promotes social justice and legal rights for central americans and all immigrants, particularly those of low and moderate income, through legal representation, advocacy, outreach, education, and community organizing. Since 1983, carecen has continued to fight against exploitation and discriminatory treatment of central american refugees and all immigrants under the laws of the united states.
What it reported doing in 2024
Carecen offered legal assistance and representation of immigrants in such cases as asylum, temporary protected status, family petitions, citizenship applications, special immigrant juvenile status, among others. In 2024, 1,773 immigrants received immigration legal services through carecen's various legal services programs. In addition to legal services, carecen provides a variety of community education and social service programs. In 2024, 766 immigrants received assistance accessing a variety of social services, 540 immigrants were enrolled in carecen classes, and 3,637 attended a workshop offered by carecen staff.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 66% 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 98
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 21
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 99.9%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 96.4%; rating input score 96
- Fundraising efficiency: $169.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 91; 91st 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: 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: -3.6%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.58; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11.3%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 20% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 16.9% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 19.5% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 99.9% of revenue deployed · 96.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $135K · 13 people listed
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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.
- 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 23/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 16/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.