Firecracker Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
462969449
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2018, Form 990-N 2014
Location
Lansing, MI, USA
Phone
5172425467
Rating
45
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Counseling, Support Groups

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$163,896
Expenses
$168,091
Assets
$34,071
Liabilities
$16,708

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHONG-ANNA CANFORA (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • CAROLYN ABIDE (CO-DIRECTOR): $36,371 total reported compensation
  • TASHMICA TOROK (CO-DIRECTOR): $36,147 total reported compensation
  • TARA SCOTT (CO-DIRECTOR): $33,454 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Firecracker Foundation provides holistic healing services to child survivors of sexual trauma under the age of 18 and their families in the tricounty area of Mid-Michigan.

What it reported doing in 2024

Youth Advocacy: advocacy for youth who have experienced sexual violence and/or gender-based violence in school, medical and home settings. Advocacy programs also include services that provide pregnant and parenting teens of color with access to reproductive education and support.

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 available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 33
  • Transparency & Controls: 85
  • Accountability: 6
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 36.6%; rating input score 37
  • Program expense ratio: 35.7%; rating input score 36
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 13th 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; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -2.6%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.2; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.49; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 63%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -12.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 36.6% of revenue deployed · 35.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 1 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $60K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $36K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 21 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 37/100.
  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 11/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.