Choose 180

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
464242313
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Burien, WA, USA
Phone
2064578940
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,555,306
Expenses
$3,599,627
Assets
$2,918,239
Liabilities
$308,029

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NNEKA PAYNE (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • NNEKA PAYNE (CEO): $150,813 total reported compensation
  • ROBERT SAPPINGTON (CHIEF OF FINANCE): $105,209 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Choose 180 exists to transform oppressive systems that have caused harm and assist young people as they heal from hurt to wholeness.

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025, the counseling program provided trauma-informed mental health support to youth and young adults through individual therapy, support groups, and connections to community resources. The program delivered 417 free one-on-one therapy sessions to 54 participants and facilitated 35 group sessions in both community and school settings, including partnerships with highline and seattle public schools.counseling staff continued to provide weekly online support groups and collaborated with community partners such as mary's place, youthcare, and ywca job training programs to strengthen wraparound support for participants. The team also expanded and completed a mental health and expressive arts curriculum that will support future programming efforts. Staff further strengthened their prevention and intervention skills through participation in training opportunities, including the community anti-drug coalitions of america (cadca) conference focused on substance misuse prevention and building healthy, safe communities.participants demonstrated meaningful growth throughout the year. Twenty-seven participants reported increased resilience and well-being, and 19 achieved goals related to education, employment, housing, family relationships, social connections, and mental health. In addition, 20 individuals received basic needs support, including groceries, clothing, hygiene supplies, and rental assistance, helping reduce barriers to stability and wellness.through counseling, supportive relationships, and access to resources, the program continued to create opportunities for healing, growth, and long-term success for young people navigating complex life challenges.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.5%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 56.4%; rating input score 56
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.17 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • 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; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: -1.2%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.81; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.1%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.8% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 57.5% of revenue deployed · 56.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $151K · 13 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $148K reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 22/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.