The Baker Center for Children and Families
Legal name: Judge Baker Children's Center
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 042103860
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Boston, MA, US
- Phone
- (617) 232-8390
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Children's, Youth Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $31,072,068
- Expenses
- $33,641,429
- Assets
- $40,258,801
- Liabilities
- $20,165,697
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
26 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROBERT FRANKS PHD (PRESIDENT & CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- ROBERT FRANKS PHD (PRESIDENT & CEO): $508,468 total reported compensation
- DANIEL CHERON (VP OF CLINICAL PROGRAMS (UNTIL 6/25)): $197,003 total reported compensation
- GARY SHAW-LYON (VP OF INNOVATION AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS): $186,748 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 judge baker children's center promotes the best possible mental health of children and families through the integration of research, intervention, training and advocacy. Through the research we identify best practices. Through intervention we bring those practices to children and families of diverse communities. Through training we disseminate skills in research and quality care. Through advocacy we use scientific knowledge to expand public awareness and inform public policy.
What it reported doing in 2024
Research and training programs at the baker center consist of the professional training program, the quality care initiative, and the implementation research division. The baker center provides professional training programs to current and future psychologists, social workers, early childhood specialists, special education teachers, psychiatrists, nurses, and mental health counselors through the professional training program. The quality care initiative partners with community-based mental health agencies, schools, and healthcare organizations across the country to increase access to high quality, scientifically proven, services through training, organizational development, and advocacy. The implementation research division, based in Hawaii, focuses on improving the lives of those with behavioral health conditions through community-based participatory research approaches.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 86% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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. 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: 79
- Accountability: 97
- Sustainability: 28
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 93.4%; rating input score 93
- Program expense ratio: 86.2%; rating input score 86
- Fundraising efficiency: $62.84 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 79; 79th 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: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 95%; rating input score 95; 28th 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: -8.3%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.2; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.5; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.3% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 93.4% of revenue deployed · 86.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 19 of 20 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $29M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $508K · 26 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $796K reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- 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 12/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.