LifeWire

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
911190193
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2022
Location
Bellevue, WA, USA
Phone
4255628840
Rating
93
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Family Violence Shelters

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,247,468
Expenses
$7,211,491
Assets
$18,538,585
Liabilities
$9,763,686

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

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LAURIE MIYAUCHI (BOARD VICE PRESIDENT)
  • THERESA ANDERSON (BOARD PRESIDENT)
  • REBECCA HOUGHTON (BOARD MEMBER, PAST PRESIDENT)
  • JANEIRA BENCOSME-GIL (INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • KARLAH RAMIREZ TANORI (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KARLAH RAMIREZ TANORI (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $141,866 total reported compensation
  • JANEIRA BENCOSME-GIL (INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $137,965 total reported compensation
  • E JEANNETTE BIFFLE (CONTROLLER): $130,732 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to end domestic violence by changing individual, institutional and societal beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate it. To achieve this we work with the community to provide services in east and north king county for people who have experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse; and prevent domestic violence through advocacy, education and support.

What it reported doing in 2024

Emergency housing: my sister's home is an emergency, confidential shelter that provides interim housing and supportive services for families and/or individuals in the most dangerous situations. Safety planning, support groups, legal advocacy services, children's services, crisis support services, referrals, and domestic violence education information and support are provided to residents during their stay. In addition, the hotel motel voucher program provides families and/or individuals supportive services and emergency housing in a hotel or motel for short-term stays. 24 hour helpline: 24/7 year round gateway to all services. Advocate staffed to provide support listening, safety planning, domestic violence education, referrals to community resources, and intake into services. Mental health counseling: individual mental health therapy for adult, youth, and child survivors of domestic violence. Community engagement and prevention: resource and catalyst for social change in the community. Lifewire leads social change efforts through innovative community partnerships and collaborations; by educating community leaders, educators and students about domestic violence and healthy relationships; and by working for justice through multiple systems.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 73% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 77% for direct work, and 23% for 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 91
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 28
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 83.4%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $32.93 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 71; 71st 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: Limited
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: -37.4%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.57; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.53; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.7%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 83.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $142K · 24 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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.
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.