Freed People

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
883814746
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2022
Location
Crowley, TX, USA
Phone
8175841431
Rating
53
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,220,573
Expenses
$1,175,718
Assets
$453,680
Liabilities
$3,932

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Matt Shelton (President)
  • Carmen Shelton (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Matt Shelton (President): $127,938 total reported compensation
  • Carmen Shelton (Vice President): $75,164 total reported compensation
  • Brandy Zeigler (Employee): $62,827 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Freed People ignites hope by redeeming destinies and restoring families. Our faith leads us to believe there are no hopeless situations, only hopeless feelings Freed People supports organizations that rescue girls from sex trafficking , prosecutes traffickers, and assists in returning girls/people to society.

What it reported doing in 2025

Provided assistance to organizations that return girls that have been sex trafficked and men that have been incarcerated to society

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 76% of its reported program spending out as grants.

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: 64
  • Accountability: 23
  • Sustainability: 33
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.2%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 61.4%; rating input score 61
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.84 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 79.5%; rating input score 79; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.7%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.39; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 30.8%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 40.7% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 46.5% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 44.4% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.2% of revenue deployed · 61.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $722K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $128K · 10 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 24 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 18 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 12 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 41/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.