Pathways Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
522456469
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3122381000
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Rehabilitative Medical Services

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,426,028
Expenses
$2,048,372
Assets
$1,203,532
Liabilities
$30,044

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Pablo A Celnik MD (Chief Executive Officer)
  • Nancy E Paridy (President, Chief Administrative Officer)
  • Peggy M Kirk (President, CEO (ending 1/1/2024))

Highest reported compensation

  • Nancy E Paridy (President, Chief Administrative Officer): $2,551,405 total reported compensation
  • Peggy M Kirk (President, CEO (ending 1/1/2024)): $2,503,629 total reported compensation
  • Pablo A Celnik MD (Chief Executive Officer): $2,230,293 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Pathways Foundation is committed to advancing the mission and functions of the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab by providing parents with free, trusted resources to effectively support their child's early development and capitalize on neuroplasticity.

What it reported doing in 2024

Pathways Foundation operates exclusively for the benefit of, to perform the functions of and to carry out the purposes of Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, dba Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. SRALab is dedicated to providing the best patient outcomes through the highest-quality clinical care, translational research, scientific discovery and education. IN FURTHERANCE OF THESE PURPOSES, PATHWAYS IS ORGANIZED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AND EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTS RELATED TO INFANTS WITH A PARTICULAR EXPERTISE AND FOCUS ON ATYPICAL MOTOR, SENSORY, AND COMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENT AND TO CONDUCT SUCH RELATED CHARITABLE OR EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. During FY25, Pathways Foundation accomplished this through the following programs. Pathways Educational Outreach: Pathways.org is dedicated to sharing information about children's development, as well as raising awareness and promoting the benefits of early detection and early intervention for babies to prevent motor, sensory, or communication delays. By providing educational resources on these topics, all children have the ability to achieve optimal development leading to improved functional independence, social and emotional well-being, and integration into the community. Using the expertise of Pathways.org Medical Round table, comprised of leading physicians, clinicians, nurse practitioners and lay advisors, we develop and disseminate print, digital, and video materials to parents and healthcare professionals, participate in professional and medical conferences, and develop continuing education programs for medical professionals. The Pathways.org materials are used worldwide and trusted by thousands of healthcare Professionals around the world. More than 600 educational websites and universities link to the Pathways.org website because they trust the information that Pathways.org provides. During fiscal year 2025, our materials were used over 69 million times across the world. All materials are reviewed by experienced pediatric speech language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists. Additionally, all milestones are validated by American Academy of Pediatrics findings. Some of the most recent projects in progress include, new features on our baby development app, 10 additional languages available, as well as 400+ videos of games and activities to promote motor, sensory, and communication development, an online course available for Continuing Medical Education credit for physicians and nurses, and 3 courses for Continuing Ed and State Licensure credit for Early Interventionists in the State of Illinois.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 83
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.1%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 97.2%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.6%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.59; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 63.9%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -7.7% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6.3% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.4% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82.1% of revenue deployed · 97.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 7 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $2.6M · 11 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.