MEND - Meet Each Need With Dignity

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237306337
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Pacoima, CA, USA
Phone
8188960246
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,832,937
Expenses
$10,959,490
Assets
$12,197,404
Liabilities
$317,452

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Janet Marinaccio (Chief Executive Officer)

Highest reported compensation

  • Janet Marinaccio (Chief Executive Officer): $216,969 total reported compensation
  • Chanya Blumenkrantz (Chief Development Officer): $188,175 total reported compensation
  • Jenny Gutierrez (Chief Operating Officer): $137,199 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

For more than half a century, MEND has been a lifeline for the most vulnerable families, individuals, and seniors, offering services rooted in dignity and respect. What began in a humble Valley garage has grown into a cornerstone of the San Fernando Valley community, supporting thousands with crisis services and long-term intensive case management.

What it reported doing in 2024

HERE WE THRIVE is an umbrella for several services, chief among them: Pathways to Wellness for participants with a diet-related chronic health disease, Living Wise + Well targeted to low-income, older adults, Gateways Employment Services offering work readiness & job placement, Enhanced Care Management for low-income patients on Medi-Cal, and finally, Connections, which provides resource navigation & referrals.HOPE & CARE support services offer resources, referrals, and system navigation for mental health services as well as supportive services, such as diapers, wipes, household items, utility assistance, and other necessities for families with children aged 0-5. Hope & Care also oversees our First Step services for the homeless and supports them with hygiene products, clean clothing, and curated food bags, along with referrals to additional services.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 75% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 70% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86.7%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 85.4%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $17.64 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 18th 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; 66th 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: -1.2%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.11; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.5%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -4.5% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.2% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86.7% of revenue deployed · 85.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $9.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $217K · 14 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $134K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 24 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 17 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 54/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 26/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.