Lifespan Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
561142969
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Charlotte, NC, USA
Phone
7049445100
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,160,771
Expenses
$8,969,712
Assets
$15,485,534
Liabilities
$3,749,877

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KENNETH FUQUAY (PRESIDENT/CE)

Highest reported compensation

  • KENNETH FUQUAY (PRESIDENT/CE): $191,000 total reported compensation
  • ROBIN DEVORE (CCO): $134,491 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTOPHER WHITE (VICE PRESIDE): $125,856 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Lifespan empowers children and adults with disabilities by providing education, employment, and enrichment opportunities to live, work and play in their communities.

What it reported doing in 2025

Employment and enrichment: lifespan provides employment services through the North Carolina division of vocational rehabilitation, serving individuals across western and central North Carolina. Commissioned by both the division of vocational rehabilitation services and managed care organizations, lifespan supports individuals who want to work in securing and maintaining meaningful employment. Our employment services span 16 counties and include comprehensive vocational assessments, person-centered career exploration, and individualized job development. Employment specialists partner with local employers to secure positions, provide on-the-job training, and deliver ongoing support to promote long-term employment success. In addition, lifespan offers community-based enrichment programs in union, mecklenburg, iredell, surry, guilford, and marble counties through its creative campus model. These programs provide inclusive, hands-on learning environments with an interactive curriculum focused on horticulture, visual and performing arts, culinary arts, sensory experiences, health and wellness, leisure and recreation, computer literacy, music appreciation, and volunteer engagement. Mosaic makers - lifespan services located in greensboro and charlotte is an enthusiastic and unique art studio where resident artists create pottery, paintings, mosaics art, and more. The studio artists, with differing abilities, are encouraged and supported. We strive for an inclusive atmosphere. Items created are sold in shops, galleries, and boutiques throughout North Carolina and beyond. The goal is to provide a safe, open, and energetic environment for artists of many levels to create independently, express themselves, grow and learn. Enrichment services also extend into residential settings, where programming emphasizes skill development and independence. Participants receive training and support in social skills, personal health and hygiene, recreation and leisure activities, and access to specialized therapeutic services designed to enhance quality of life and community participation.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 91% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87.4%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 86.4%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 76.5%; rating input score 76; 15th 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: 2.1%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.73; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.1%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.2% per year; rating input score 100; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 87.4% of revenue deployed · 86.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $7.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $191K · 20 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 8/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 53/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.