Families of Children Under Stress Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
581577602
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
Phone
7702349111
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,261,378
Expenses
$1,194,018
Assets
$3,193,259
Liabilities
$363,322

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DANIEL FORESTER (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • FRANCES MCBRAYER (EXECUTIVE DI): $118,965 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 mission of focus is to embrace and equip families of children with disabilities to make everyday life better. Children participating in focus programs range in age from birth to 29 years old and have a wide range of physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, and/or complex medical conditions, including rare genetic syndromes, cerebral palsy, autism, and down syndrome. Focus families come from diverse backgrounds but share the common experience of caring for a child with significant needs that often require ongoing or lifelong support. As a result, their parents and caregivers often need access to resources, guidance, and a supportive community that understands and embraces their child. To fulfill its mission, focus provides a variety of programs and services, including family activities, support groups, educational workshops and conferences for parents and caregivers, children's recreational programs and summer camps, teen and young adult social and recreational programs, m

What it reported doing in 2025

Activities for children, teens, and young adults with disabilities focus provides inclusive recreational, therapeutic, and social programming for children, teens, and young adults with disabilities to promote self- confidence and meaningful social connections. These programs offer participants opportunities to engage in enriching activities while supporting families through specialized care and accessible recreational experiences. In 2025, focus operated camp hollywood, an adapted summer day camp serving 248 children over nine weeks at multiple metro atlanta locations. The program was staffed by special educators, paraprofessionals, nurses, and music therapists to ensure individualized support for campers with diverse needs. Activities included arts and crafts, cooking, science, recreation, and music therapy. Post-program evaluations indicated that 99% of parents were very satisfied with their child's camp experience and the program's ability to meet their child's unique needs. Focus also operated fast fins, an adaptive swim program for children with developmental and physical disabilities. The program provided two eight- week sessions at five locations, serving 86 participants in 2025. Families reported improvements in water safety skills, physical fitness, confidence, and recreational participation. To support families of children with significant disabilities and medical complexities, focus offered the extra special saturday respite childcare program, serving 129 children ages 1 to 12. The program provided specialized childcare in a safe and supportive environment while giving caregivers valuable respite. Focus supported teens and young adults with disabilities through monthly social and recreational activities serving 155 participants in 2025. Programs included sports, yoga, music therapy, and other structured opportunities that fostered peer relationships, social engagement, and greater independence. Focus also offered a six-day, five-night residential camp for teens and young adults with disabilities providing opportunities to develop life skills, experience increased independence, and build lasting friendships. Both campers and parents reported high satisfaction and increased feelings of belonging. A fall weekend camp was also provided for teens and young adults, many of whom experienced their first overnight stay away from home, further promoting independence and confidence. Through its camp, recreation, respite, and young adult programs, focus expanded access to inclusive experiences, strengthened social connections, and enhanced quality of life for children, teens, and young adults with disabilities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 81% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84.7%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 88.1%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.3%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.67; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 84.7% of revenue deployed · 88.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $119K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • 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 46/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.