Life for the Innocent

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
474070550
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Official website data refreshed
Jun 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Fort Collins, IL, United States
Phone
970-402-3426
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Religion Related N.E.C.
Affiliation
Religious (unspecified)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,328,636
Expenses
$2,449,356
Assets
$540,459
Liabilities
$12,379

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHRIS SEMMENS (PRESIDENT/TREASURER)
  • KELLY JOHNSTON (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • LAURA ALBRITTON (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KELLY JOHNSTON (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $82,000 total reported compensation
  • LAURA ALBRITTON (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $82,000 total reported compensation
  • CHRIS SEMMENS (PRESIDENT/TREASURER): $40,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Life for the Innocent partners with communities to rescue, restore and renew trafficked children. LFTI’s Mission Life for the Innocent partners with communities to rescue, restore and renew. This form needs Javascript to display, which your browser doesn't support. Sign up here instead Life for the Innocent logo Thank you** for joining Life for the Innocent's email list! Share your info below to receive stories, field updates, and more in your inbox. Life for the Innocent partners with communities to rescue, restore and renew children affected by human trafficking.

What it reported doing in 2024

Lfti's team in south asia works with partners on the ground to identify and intervene for children trafficked for sex, labor, or organs. After every rescue, the team provides initial services through local agencies, including medical examinations and identification documents. Every child immediately goes on the missing child registry in order to find any family members who may be looking for them. When this intake process is finished, the team transports children to lfti's homes in south asia, providing a safe place to heal and grow. Lfti operates over 2 dozen homes for rescued children in south asia. Children stay in the homes for 6-8 months, depending on the level of care needed. Here, their physical, spiritual, educational and emotional needs are addressed before placement with their vetted, adoptive forever family. Lfti's robust two-year follow-up process ensures ongoing accountability for parents and long-term support for the kids.

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 90% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 80
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.3%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 86.7%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $16.77 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • 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: 83.3%; rating input score 83; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -5.2%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.22; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.3%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 30.5% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 91.3% of revenue deployed · 86.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $82K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 6/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 36/100.