Mercy Center Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 133865634
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2016–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Bronx, NY, USA
- Phone
- 7189932789
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Community Recreational Centers
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,568,708
- Expenses
- $4,948,503
- Assets
- $6,542,562
- Liabilities
- $1,410,384
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
22 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- Stephen J Stritch III (Executive Dir.): $184,121 total reported compensation
- Paula M Sarro (Assoc. Ex. Dir): $147,782 total reported compensation
- Linda Simmons (Dir. of Finance): $132,681 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Mercy center creates opportunities for women, men and families in the south bronx to grow and thrive through education, family, civic, social and economic programs. We build community with a spirit of hospitality, respect and equity in the tradition of the sisters of mercy. For 33 years, mercy center has been a trusted resource for residents of the south bronx, especially immigrants. Our integrated and holistic services fall into six overall program areas: 1. Adult education and workforce development provides participants with an integrated approach to language acquisition, basic adult education, skills building and job readiness. Services include classes in english for speakers of other languages, online learning, work readiness workshops, and one-on-one job coaching, including help with resumes, job searches, applications, and interview preparation; 2. Immigration and asylum seeker services offers immigrants help with immigration applications including citizenship, green card, deferr
What it reported doing in 2024
Familia adelante (family forward)/ family skills/ social services is a group of programs that aims to strengthen family functioning and help participants to navigate systems and resolve problems. In fy25, 184 participants enrolled and 118 completed one or more of our parenting skills classes/activities: parenting (english), parenting (spanish), abriendo puertas (for latino parents of young children), anger management (spanish) and mom's support group. In fy25, we completed the eighth full year of our collaborative 'wholefamily approach' program, familia adelante (family forward), in partnership with fiver children's foundation, qualitas of life foundation, and mindfulness practitioner maritza puello. During fy25, 105 families participated in active case management. 38 families graduated from the program, and 24 new families enrolled. Our social services unit provided case management, advocacy, and referrals for participants seeking help navigating systems and accessing resources. The unit provided a total of 1,322 case management sessions for 608 individuals. The top three issues (by number of visits) addressed in fy25 were public benefits, cash assistance & one_shot deals, and healthcare enrollment referrals.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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
SUPPORTED - 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 74
- Transparency & Controls: 72
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 52
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77.3%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 83.2%; rating input score 83
- Fundraising efficiency: $9.44 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Compensation committee: Missing
- 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: 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: 11.1%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.32; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11.9%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 77.3% of revenue deployed · 83.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $4.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $184K · 22 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $171K reported
- Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 36/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.