North Star Reach

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
260347065
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2011
Location
Pinckney, MI, USA
Phone
(734) 680-8744
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$729,868
Expenses
$1,625,965
Assets
$13,130,798
Liabilities
$1,753,855

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JJ LEWIS (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • JJ LEWIS (CEO): $92,400 total reported compensation
  • DAVID LECKEY (FORMER INTER): $77,763 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

North Star Reach provides life-changing, year-round programs (at camp and remotely) for children with serious health challenges and their families, free of charge.

What it reported doing in 2024

North star reach operates a camp in southeastern Michigan that serves children with serious health challenges from across the great lakes region. Through weekly residential children's camps, weekend residential family camps, and ongoing virtual (remote) programming, the organization offers children and their families an opportunity to build community and make new friends with similar challenges, develop self-confidence and self-esteem, and improve their overall recovery and management of their own significant health challenges. The programs help kids and their families feel "normal", often for the first time. The camp includes a state-of-the-art health center that is staffed 24/7 during camp sessions by medical professionals from leading hospitals and medical centers throughout Michigan and chicago. As a member of seriousfun children's network, founded by paul newman, north star reach is part of one of the world's largest networks of camps and programs for children with serious illnesses. Like all camps in the network, camp attendance and access to programming is offered at no expense to the campers and families. Funding to operate the camps is provided through support from private donations and grants.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 90% 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

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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 78.4%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.64 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th 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: 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: -122.8%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.08; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.5%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -20% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.9% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 78.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $92K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 35/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.