Essential Friends Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 871864096
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2025–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2021
- Location
- Houston, TX, USA
- Phone
- 8325245933
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $36,526
- Expenses
- $48,849
- Assets
- $34,895
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
4 people listed
People named in this filing
- HERMAN BURROUGHS (CHAIRMAN)
- THOMAS CHADWICK (VICE CHAIRMAN)
- JOEL MCEWEN (SECRETARY)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Provide college scholarships and support to underserved, under privileged, and socially disadvantaged youth in our communities.
What it reported doing in 2025
The foundation helps bridge the financial gap for members of our community who might otherwise be unable to pursue their educational goals and build a successful future. Through the dr. Ronald e. Mcnair scholarship fund, the foundation provides financial assistance to college-bound students in the metropolitan houston area. Scholarships are awarded in two categories each year.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 83% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 75
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 33
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 83.3%; rating input score 83
- Program expense ratio: 62%; rating input score 62
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -33.7%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.71; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 83.3% of revenue deployed · 62% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $30K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
- Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 39/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.