Emma Norton Services

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
410859485
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone
6512241329
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Housing Development, Construction, Management

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,409,760
Expenses
$5,332,471
Assets
$8,040,072
Liabilities
$5,220,210

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANN GIRRES (BOARD PRESIDENT)
  • KATHY ARNOLD (BOARD VICE PRESIDENT)
  • TONYA BROWNLOW (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • TONYA BROWNLOW (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $129,671 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Emma norton services' mission is to provide transformational housing for women and families on their journey of recovery. To achieve this mission, ens offers supportive housing in both site based and scattered site models that serve both individuals and families as well as intensive support services.

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025, emma norton provided supportive housing to 355 individuals. We have three main housing programs, including our new restoring waters development, emma's place, and our scattered-site housing program, plus additional supportive services, including our new drop-in mental health space, the living room. Restoring waters offers a 24-hour staffed apartment-style living environment with enrichment activities and onsite case management services for 60+ individuals and small families at any one time. In 2025, the program served 63 people. In total, 93 percent of individuals maintained their housing for twelve months or more or exited to safe, affordable housing of their choice, and 98% of tenants participated in onsite programming to support their mental health and wellbeing. The family program starts with families who qualify to live at emma's place, a townhome community in maplewood, mn that can house up to 13 families at any one time. To qualify for the program, families must meet the definition of hud homelessness, have three or more children, and at least one member of the family must have a disabling condition. When a family has lived at emma's place for at least a year, they receive a section 8 certificate that can be ported into another rental opportunity anywhere in the community. Families that achieve this can choose to enroll in the families scattered site program and continue to receive case management in their own homes as well as participate in youth activities. Between the site-based and scattered site program, 159 people were served with the vast majority being children. Due to the high number of children, the program not only has case management and programming for adults, but it also has targeted programming and case management for the youth that focuses on academic achievement and social emotional skill building. In 2025, 39 youth between ages 5 12 engaged in afterschool programming including social emotional learning activities, art, school support, and other areas relevant to youth development. For the older youth, 25 teens engaged with one to one case management, and structured activities during teen nights where they could explore educational and vocational options for after high school and plan for their future. At emma's place, 95 percent of adults created a stability plan and actively worked toward completing at least one goal before exiting the programthe scattered-site program mainly serves individual headed households but does have some small families as well. These participants qualify for the program due to having a long-term homeless status and a long-term disabling condition. All referrals are received through the local coordinated entry system, and people do not have to live in one of the site-based programs in order to qualify. Case management staff offer housing navigation services to find a private market rate rental, and then offer housing stabilization services to tenants after transitioning from being unhoused to housed. In 2025, 70 individuals were served by the program, with 92 percent of tenants successfully completing their initial lease period. Additionally, 100 percent of households that experienced a crisis that could impact their housing stability received supportive services to resolve it.in august 2024, emma norton services launched the living room, an innovative, peer-led mental health support program designed to provide a welcoming alternative to emergency departments for individuals experiencing emotional distress, mental health challenges, or crisis. What began as a free drop-in service expanded to seven days per week in october 2024 and added telehealth services in may 2025, increasing accessibility for community members across the region.since opening, the living room has experienced steady growth and demonstrated meaningful outcomes. In 2025, the program provided 514 visits and connected visitors to 301 referrals for mental health services, housing resources, food support

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 73% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.6%; rating input score 75
  • Program expense ratio: 75.4%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 41; 41st 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: 1.4%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.51; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.65; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.4% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.3% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.6% of revenue deployed · 75.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $130K · 20 people listed
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 48/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.