CORA Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 942481188
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- San Mateo, CA, USA
- Phone
- 6506520800
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $9,327,768
- Expenses
- $8,477,090
- Assets
- $11,004,841
- Liabilities
- $2,141,427
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
20 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Karen Ferguson (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Karen Ferguson (CEO): $254,768 total reported compensation
- Rupinder Malhi (CFO): $199,544 total reported compensation
- Lynn Scheutte (Quality & SI Dir): $172,412 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Coras mission is to provide safety, support and healing for individuals who experience abuse in an intimate relationship, and educate the community to break the cycle of domestic violence. Coras vision is a society where intimate partners treat one another with respect, where domestic violence and other forms of relationship abuse are not tolerated, and where services are accessible to all who need them.
What it reported doing in 2024
Prevention & Community Engagement: CORAs Prevention & Community Engagement Department implements primary prevention strategies and community-based education to raise awareness, reduce risk factors, and strengthen community responses to domestic violence throughout San Mateo County.The department is comprised of the following programs: Guaranteed Income Initiative As part of its prevention and stabilization efforts, CORA administers a Guaranteed Income initiative for survivors experiencing financial instability. The program provides time-limited, unrestricted financial support to reduce economic dependence, support safety, and decrease barriers to long-term stability and independence.Satellite Offices East Palo Alto and Coastside Through satellite offices in East Palo Alto and the Coastside region, including Half Moon Bay, CORA expands access to domestic violence services for communities that face geographic, linguistic, or systemic barriers to care. These offices provide outreach, education, and direct advocacy services. Community Advocates offer case management, safety planning, risk assessment, education, referrals, and connection to CORAs core programs, while also conducting community outreach and awareness activities to increase access to culturally responsive support for underserved residents.Speak Up A tailored community education program that equips local businesses with tools to recognize and respond to domestic violence affecting employees and customers. Through a three-module training, participants learn to identify warning signs and provide appropriate support.TDAH (To Do At Home) A primary prevention initiative designed for families with young children, providing developmentally appropriate activities that strengthen family bonds and promote healthy relationships. The program engages community partners such as schools, libraries, and housing agencies.YEA! (Youth Education & Advocacy) A school-based program that engages middle and high school students in education about relationship violence and healthy relationships. The program includes classroom-based training and student-led initiatives focused on prevention and advocacy.During the fiscal year 2024-25, the Prevention & Community Engagement Department served 352 businesses through Speak Up, over 3,250 students through YEA!, 42 households through the East Palo Alto and Coastside satellite offices, and 425 families through TDAH.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 67% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 78% for direct work, and 22% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 62
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 50
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 61.2%; rating input score 61
- Program expense ratio: 66.8%; rating input score 67
- Fundraising efficiency: $17.87 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th 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; 72nd 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: 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: 9.1%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.3; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13.7%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 61.2% of revenue deployed · 66.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $5.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $255K · 20 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 56/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.