Hope Above Fear Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
884378059
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2024
Location
Pensacola, FL, USA
Phone
8505168744
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$74,569
Expenses
$73,673
Assets
$30,627

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SWENEDA MCDONALD (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • STEPHANIE SHEPARD (EXECUTIVE DI)
  • SWENEDA MCDONALD (PRESIDENT)
  • RACHEL TRAHAN (TREASURER)

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

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of hope above fear is to promote awareness about the dangers of substance use, extend assistance to youth and young adults affected by substance misuse, and provide support for families navigating these challenges.

What it reported doing in 2025

Choose your story: hope above fears choose your story program provides free, substance-free gatherings and positive engagement opportunities for teens focused on prevention through connection, healthy relationships, leadership, and resilience-building. Activities included community outings, educational experiences, and wellness-centered events designed to strengthen protective factors and reduce risk behaviors among youth. The program primarily served teens ages 1317 in escambia and santa rosa counties. In 2025, hope above fear hosted 23 choose your story gatherings, providing 277 participation opportunities and reaching 147 unique youth. This included 52 teens engaged through a community-wide awareness event, 25 participants from santa rosa county, and continued involvement from 29 returning participants who attended multiple events throughout the year. A significant accomplishment in 2025 was the continued growth and expansion of youth engagement opportunities, including increased participation from returning youth and expanded regional outreach. Program revenue included the escambia childrens trust grant and other donations.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 41
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 40.7%; rating input score 41
  • Program expense ratio: 41.2%; rating input score 41

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.2%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.42; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 22.1%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 40.7% of revenue deployed · 41.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 3 filed program accomplishments · $30K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 7 of 7 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 47/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 28/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.