Neighborhood Wellness Foundation

What it reported doing in 2025

NW ROOTS to RISE (RTR) Program Overview Neighborhood Wellness Foundation's mission is to navigate and disrupt intergenerational trauma and poverty in Del Paso Heights and surrounding Sacramento neighborhoods. Through the ROOTS to RISE (RTR) Program, NW uses an interdisciplinary, community-embedded, trauma-educated and trauma-responsive approach to build self-efficacy, promote mental and physical health and wellness, improve educational and vocational attainment, support housing stability, and re-establish healthy social structure. RTR is NW's integrated program framework that organizes the organization's work across four core impact pathways: Healing Circles, Restore Legacies, Pacers Take Space / Youth Development, and Higher Heights. Together, these pathways address behavioral health, substance use recovery, youth and family stabilization, education and workforce readiness, housing instability, violence mitigation, and community safety. Healing Circles are the cornerstone of NW's work and a foundational pathway within RTR. They are sacred, powerful spaces with evidence-based and culturally connecting elements that help participants identify root causes of rage, substance use disorders, low educational attainment, incarceration, domestic violence, gang violence, grief, and trauma. NW Healing Circles have demonstrated notable impact, including helping prevent domestic violence situations and interrupting four gang violence retaliations, including after the downtown Sacramento mass shooting in April 2022. Northeastern University partnered with NW through concept mapping to capture the value and impact of Healing Circles, including violence mitigation, improved communication, capacity building, and disruption of intergenerational trauma and poverty. NW also provides Healing Circles and professional development to agencies that serve the community, helping improve service delivery by deepening understanding of the lived experiences behind illiteracy, substance use disorders, truancy, low attendance, violent behavior, and family instability. Twin Rivers Unified School District professional development and law enforcement engagement are two examples of this cross-sector work. NW's urban garden, donated to the organization, serves as a therapeutic and restorative space where many neighbors seek peace, reflection, and tranquility. Restore Legacies focuses on youth and adults who are legacies of addiction, illiteracy, homelessness, economic instability, incarceration, domestic violence, gang violence, and other trauma-related barriers. Through RTR, Restore Legacies provides outreach, engagement, care coordination, resource navigation, crisis prevention, and stabilization support for individuals and families facing housing instability, substance use challenges, and disconnection from traditional systems of care. NW conducts field outreach on the North Sacramento Bike Trail and surrounding areas, including support for individuals experiencing homelessness and those impacted by the fentanyl crisis. Community members experiencing homelessness reported over 70 fentanyl overdose reversals involving adults and dogs. NW has also partnered with the Sacramento Street Medicine team to provide medical services to unhoused neighbors in the field. NW provided fentanyl and ACEs awareness presentations to 620 students at Grant Union High School, 60 Sierra Service Project students, Jubilare Evangelistic Ministries, Potter House Church, Capital College & Career Academy students and staff, and other community organizations. These sessions included education on Adverse Childhood Experiences, substance use disorders, fentanyl risks, and Narcan training. NW also hosted opioid and fentanyl awareness events at the NW Community Center and collaborated with Grant High School to share current information on the crisis and distribute resources. Pacers Take Space is NW's school-based health center pathway located on the campus of Grant Union High School. In partne

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 96.3%; rating input score 96
• Program expense ratio: 97%; rating input score 97
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 4 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 44
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Fail
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 0.7%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.71; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 16.5%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 26.2% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 26.4% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 31.5% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings