Erie United Methodist Alliance
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 251494750
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Erie, PA, United States
- Phone
- (814) 874-3687
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Christianity
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,602,165
- Expenses
- $2,596,828
- Assets
- $2,638,851
- Liabilities
- $876,935
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Kurt Crays (CEO)
- Rev Keith McGarvey (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- Kurt Crays (CEO): $99,556 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Rooted in God's love and care, EUMA provides life-changing opportunities for those who live at the margins of homelessness to become vital members of our community. Since 1888, the Erie United Methodist Episcopal Alliance formed to provide pastoral fellowship and form new churches committed to caring for those newly arriving in the area. In 1960, South East Erie Ministries (SEEM) was established to house a pre-school and facilitate outreach to those living in public housing units. SEEM was renamed the Erie United Methodist Alliance and was granted 501 c (3) nonprofit status in 1974. The Refuge was EUMA’s first dedicated shelter program, opening in 1984 as a shelter for women with children fleeing domestic violence. In 1989, based on a growing need, The Refuge was converted to 34 bed emergency homeless shelter for families with children. In 1985, the Rai.
What it reported doing in 2024
Permanent Housing - EUMA's Journey Home program works to keep youth aging out of foster care, out of the homeless system by providing independent and supporting-living apartments, direct and referral services that strengthen housing permanency. EUMA has 15 dedicated apartments split between supportive and independent living programs, the former to include building resident assistants who support youth tenants. EUMA's permanent affordable and supportive housing effort is committed to preserving and maintaining safe and affordable housing in Crawford and Erie Counties. EUMA pairs 16 units of traditional apartments with individuals who have experienced a housing crisis or who are at risk of experiencing a housing crists. All apartments are rented at below fair market value and have utilities included in the rent. EUMA has a "no eviction" commitment believing that eviction is a cause of homelessness, not a symptom. EUMA's goal is to have 0 exits into homelessness.
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 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 81
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 84
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 87.9%; rating input score 88
- Program expense ratio: 85.5%; rating input score 86
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.73 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0.2%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.02; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 9 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 87.9% of revenue deployed · 85.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $2.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $100K · 13 people listed
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.