Our Community La Fka Our Children La

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
273782128
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2015
Location
Santa Monica, CA, USA
Phone
3106331976
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Children's, Youth Services

Reported finances

Revenue
$346,161
Expenses
$208,571
Assets
$279,485
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DENISE MCCAIN-THARNSTROM (PRESIDENT AND FOUNDING CHAIR)

People named in this filing

  • DENISE MCCAIN-THARNSTROM (PRESIDENT AND FOUNDING CHAIR)
  • TUAN LE (FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER)
  • MELISSA SCHOONMAKER (BOARD MEMBER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Our community la (ocla) leverages technology to empower youth, families and adults in need or experiencing homeless to easily connect to essential resources. Ocla is committed to social justice; we envision a world in which no one will be unhoused or struggling with deep resource-insecure simply because they do not know how to find help. Those who are without housing or who are in need of essential supportive services will know that they are valued, their dignity and privacy are respected and that they have the power to search for and choose the help they need to build a life out of poverty or abuse. Understanding that the homeless and resource-insecure have smart phones (thanks in part to the federal lifeline program), ocla uses technology to directly serve those who are homeless or at risk with its free programs: the user-friendly mobile application, win (what i need), an easy to-read print directory of services for la homeless youth and adults (available in local libraries and

What it reported doing in 2024

Win what i need is a free mobile application designed to empower regional homeless or resource-insecure youth, (ages 12-25), families, students, seniors and other adults to connect to 12 categories of supportive services. The prototype was first released in the googleplay and itunes stores in november 2015, and was also available for use on ocla's website at oclawin.org. While the original app was developed to serve la county area youth only (ages 12-24), in response to calls for expansion, in 2018 ocla redesigned and expanded win's capacity to serve not only youth but also adults and families. In 2020 win's database was expanded to include unique programs and services available to vulnerable seniors as well. Win (mobile and web) was translated into spanish and released in the app stores and on ocla's website in october of 2021. Win now empowers english and spanish users of any age to locate and connect to over 2400 programs that they can access without a referral. Win users can also receive regular helpful alerts about free community events, resource fairs and job opportunities. Today win supports the efforts of anyone in need to locate essential resources, using technology that people today trust, cell phones and the internet. (the vast majority of homeless and resource insecure individuals have smart phones due to the federal lifeline program and can access the internet using wi-fi. Free wi-fi is widely available at libraries and coffee shops in la county.)the win app was developed with the guidance and input of regional homeless youth and adults. Ocla manages and operates this searchable application in la county, and maintains the supporting database, offering information and live connections to over 2400 area programs providing food, shelter, health/mental health, legal, drop-in/access centers, jobs, transportation, education, government benefits, hotlines, crisis supports and more. Win's program database is regularly updated by staff supported by volunteers including those from la works, and repair the world.win has been recognized as one of the top 3 resources for la's homeless youth and is featured on the la homeless services authority's website and la county office of education's website. Countywide partners who promote win to their clients include the public library system, the regional housing services authority, numerous nonprofits, local school districts, and universities. Win and ocla are recognized in the national center on homelessness and poverty directory. Honors include rotary star award, "knowledge sharing", operation children humanitarian of year awards (to founder for development of win), and receipt of the California senate certificate of recognition as well as a county of los angeles commendation.many local homeless service providers require their staff and/or clients to download win because it is the best resource access tool in the county. Win is scalable and designed with the capacity to add and serve other regions. Win's most important accomplishment however is that street youth and adults have told us that win empowers them to find help, offers hope and most importantly, its very existence makes them feel valued and worthy of support. Unlike other services, win never requires users to sign-in; it is confidential and truly a low-barrier tool designed to support those in need.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% 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 a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 73
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.3%; rating input score 57
  • Program expense ratio: 94.5%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 39.7%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.34; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.3% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 20.5% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.1% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 57.3% of revenue deployed · 94.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $197K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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 57/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 49/100.