Families First Community Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
474792801
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2018, Form 990-N 2017
Location
Ellsworth, ME, USA
Phone
2074603711
Rating
58
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$516,821
Expenses
$466,398
Assets
$1,152,820
Liabilities
$245,409

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Shaina Mugford (Executive Director)
  • Richard Williams (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Shaina Mugford (Executive Director): $70,200 total reported compensation
  • Arielle Morong (Property Manager): $37,186 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The orgainzation's mission is to break the cycle of homelessness by equipping families with minor children with the skills they need to gain self-sufficiency.

What it reported doing in 2025

Focus on four areas to improving a family's situation:1. Life Skills - Instruction on how to maintain housing, job coaching, interpersonal skill building, housekeeping skills, teaching grocery basics, sewing, teaching personal finance, offering parenting classes and assistance obtaining a drivers license.2. Education and Job Skills - Providing employment opportunities, HiSET and adullt education classes, vocation and technical training, higher education, tutoring both adults and children, volunteering opportunities and enrichment activities for children.3. Medical and Therapeutic - Assisting with setting up regular well check-ups, optical and dental care, physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy, drug and alcohol treatment, help obtaining health care coverage, advocate for adults and children with disabilities, creative therapies, and excercise classes.4. Safety and Stability - Providing case management to formulate and ensure success with the family's life plan.

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.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and a relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 0
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.1%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 65%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 12; 12th 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Fail
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9.8%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.47; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 23%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 28.3% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.1% of revenue deployed · 65% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 9 board members independent · 0 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $303K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $70K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 7 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 12/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 24/100.