Friends of The Children
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 931300690
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Portland, OR, USA
- Phone
- 503.820.0903 or Toll-Free 1.800.348.3105
- Rating
- 87
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Adult, Child Matching Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $22,354,442
- Expenses
- $23,375,085
- Assets
- $32,742,941
- Liabilities
- $7,158,861
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
23 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- TERRI SORENSEN (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- TERRI SORENSEN (CEO): $410,234 total reported compensation
- ERINN KELLEY-SIEL (CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER): $244,580 total reported compensation
- ABIGAIL WEAST (COO/CFO): $208,126 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Impacting generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with professional mentors.
What it reported doing in 2024
Friends of the children is a national nonprofit with the mission of impacting generational change by empowering youth who are facing the greatest obstacles through relationships with paid professional mentors - 12+ years, no matter what. Our successful model is now in 42 locations around the country. 83% of our youth receive a high school diploma or ged, 98% of our youth wait to become parents until after their teens, 93% of our youth remain free from juvenile justice system involvement, and 92% of our youth go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve our country, or enter the workforce.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 74% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 64% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 89
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 34
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 94.6%; rating input score 95
- Program expense ratio: 90.3%; rating input score 90
- Fundraising efficiency: $22.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- 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: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -4.6%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.4; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.9%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 21.5% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 17.9% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 18.3% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 3 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 94.6% of revenue deployed · 90.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $21.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $410K · 23 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 38 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 34 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 17/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 48/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.