Collaborative Solutions for Communities
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 522328876
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2025186737
- Rating
- 73
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Child Abuse, Prevention
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $9,120,471
- Expenses
- $10,550,366
- Assets
- $9,674,823
- Liabilities
- $5,922,002
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- PENELOPE GRIFFITH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- CHARMAINE WEATHERLY (PRESIDENT)
- ARTHUR MOLA (VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- PENELOPE GRIFFITH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $371,748 total reported compensation
- BRENDA L CHANDLER (HR DIRECTOR): $185,794 total reported compensation
- TICIA FAREED COLE (DIR. PROGRAM MONITORING & EVAL.): $165,013 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To be the leading solution-focused resource in building strong, sustainable families and communities through family support services, innovative training, community capacity building, economic development and social enterprise.
What it reported doing in 2024
Case management servicesthe largest division of work at the collaborative solutions for communities (csc) is case management services, totaling $3,643,527 in expenses, with the largest grant in this area (47%) being the community based child well-being services, funded by the district of columbia's child and family services agency (cfsa). This program delivers community-based child welfare services focused on keeping children safely with their families through our healthy families/thriving communities collaborative. It ensures that children involved in the public child welfare system grow up in secure, permanent homes with the support of their families of origin. Each family undergoes comprehensive needs assessment ranging from case management, financial assistance, parenting education, and trauma-informed care to workforce development, family group conferencing (fgc), and truancy prevention support. For 30 years csc has been serving more than 150 families annually, preventing unnecessary entry into foster care, assisting families with gainful employment and financial stability.other essential programs under the family services division include the dhs rapid rehousing youth program, which assists young people experiencing homelessness in securing affordable permanent housing while supporting services to reduce long-term reliance on public assistance. Additionally, csc's success in reentry (sir) program, funded by the dc office of victim services and justice grants, helps returning citizens reintegrate into the community through restorative justice practices and support that lowers recidivism risks. Each of these targeted programs serves approximately 50 individuals annually.for over a decade, csc implemented the family rehousing and stabilization program (frsp), funded by the dc department of human services (dhs) until the program ended in september 2025. The program, comprising 30% of the division's expenses, provided time-limited rental assistance and supportive services to families to prevent and end homelessness. Csc delivered direct support to approximately 150 homeless families with children, offering case management including referrals for employment training, healthcare access, childcare, and education. Families also received financial counseling and budget planning to foster long-term economic independence.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 99% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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 - 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: 67
- Transparency & Controls: 75
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 19
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 79.6%; rating input score 80
- Program expense ratio: 68.7%; rating input score 69
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- 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: 80%; rating input score 80; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -15.7%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.92; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.61; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 10.9%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 9.5% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 17.1% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 79.6% of revenue deployed · 68.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $7.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $372K · 12 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $137K reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 9 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.
Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 9/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.
- High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.