Mother & Child Education Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237097546
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Portland, OR, USA
Phone
5032495801
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$445,054
Expenses
$428,891
Assets
$229,201
Liabilities
$4,814

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CATHY SHERICK (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JESSICA RENGO (EXECUTIVE DI): $71,524 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Mother & child education center (mcem) is a nonprofit in portland, Oregon, providing compassionate, judgment-free support to families navigating pregnancy, parenting, and early childhood. Mcec builds strong connections in historically underserved communities by providing a judgment-free space where families with children ages 05 can access no-cost resources, education, and personalized support. The center helps caregivers access essential supplies, education, and resources to promote healthy development and family well-being

What it reported doing in 2025

For over 50 years, mcec has served as a critical safety-net provider for families facing poverty, language barriers, housing instability, domestic violence, and social isolation. During the earliest and most vulnerable years of a childs life, mother & child ensures families have the stability and support needed to remain healthy and connected. Services are available regardless of income, immigration status, or language and are delivered in a culturally responsive, welcoming environment. Mcec provides direct support through on-site appointments, educational classes, and community outreach. Programs include childbirth education, newborn care, safe sleep, early literacy, and parenting support. Families also receive essential supplies such as diapers, clothing, food, hygiene items, formula, books, and larger equipment including car seats, cribs, and strollers. The organization operates five days per week and maintains strong partnerships with community agencies, including wic, healthcare providers, and home visiting programs, to connect families with additional resources. Mcec also extends its reach through digital communication and community- based outreach. In 2025, mother & child supported over 2,300 individual families representing more than 30 spoken languages and distributed over 23,623 essential items to help meet basic needs and promote family stability.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 83% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 47
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 35
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 50.3%; rating input score 50
  • Program expense ratio: 51.7%; rating input score 52
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.76 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 3.6%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.53; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.7%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.6% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 50.3% of revenue deployed · 51.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $222K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $72K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 50/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 52/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.