Hero Kids Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
463993070
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2021, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Suffolk, VA, USA
Phone
7575984453
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Health Support Services

Reported finances

Revenue
$278,382
Expenses
$218,947
Assets
$223,268
Liabilities
$75,057

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

People named in this filing

  • JOHN RANIOWSKI (FOUNDER & DI)
  • RIC SUTTON (BOARD MEMBER)
  • SHANE RODDY (BOARD MEMBER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

At hero kids foundation, our mission is to support and uplift the families of first responders and military personnel through nature-based team- building activities and environmental education. We are dedicated to fostering resilience, camaraderie, and well-being within our community by providing unique, engaging experiences that strengthen bonds and inspire a deep appreciation for the natural world. Through our innovative programs and events, we aim to create a sustainable impact that empowers families and ensures lasting positive change.

What it reported doing in 2025

1.nature-based team building: conducting outdoor programs to enhance resilience, improve communication, and strengthen family bonds through structured team-building exercises. 2.nasa steam globe camp: offering science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (steam) education through nasa-supported programs, promoting environmental awareness and scientific inquiry. 3.trail of heroes: maintaining and expanding an accessible nature trail designed for mobility-impaired individuals through the use of all-terrain wheelchairs for our veterans and first responders, as well as our community as a whole, enabling therapeutic outdoor activities and environmental education. 4.c.a.r.e. (community arts resiliency engagement) center: delivering multidisciplinary therapeutic services through arts-based activities, fostering emotional wellness and creative expression in collaboration with community partners. 5.horticultural wellness programs: utilizing gardening and pollinator initiatives as therapeutic and educational tools, supporting mental health, and fostering environmental stewardship. 6.animal-assisted programs: providing opportunities for families to engage with farm animals for emotional support and therapeutic benefit, enhancing empathy, responsibility, and humane education. 7.community outreach and engagement: hosting fundraising events, community education workshops, and collaborative programs that raise awareness and support for the needs of military and first responder families. 8.Virginia elementary stem lab partnership: serving as a community partner with the first Virginia elementary stem lab at booker t. Washington elementary school in suffolk, supporting earth sciences education through integrated stem activities and curriculum. Collectively, these activities reflect hkf's mission to promote mental, emotional, and physical well-being among the communities we serve.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.
  • 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 56
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 92.8%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $78.31 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 24th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: 21.4%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.02; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.34; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.3% per year; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.2% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.8% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73% of revenue deployed · 92.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $203K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule D land buildings reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 41/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.