Persevere Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 471039429
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2019–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2018
- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Phone
- 8772607299
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Adult, Child Matching Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $12,970,995
- Expenses
- $12,999,802
- Assets
- $1,778,367
- Liabilities
- $1,093,214
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Stacey Books (Interim CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Stacey Books (Interim CEO): $129,582 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To empower justice-involved individuals at risk for further justice involvement to succeed as productive members of society.
What it reported doing in 2024
Education - Persevere integrates industry-recognized technology education with comprehensive support services to ensure incarceration impacted individuals have the resources needed for long-term success. In 2024, more than 1,200 individuals were enrolled in educational programs nationwide, and hundreds of graduates secured employment in technology and related fields. Persevere also connects with employers, workforce boards and community organizations to expand second chance hiring and align training with industry demand. Persevere's recidivism rate remains below 2 percent, compared to the national average of 44 percent, demonstrating the transformative impact of education, employment, and holistic support on successful reentry. Graduates have become homeowners, entrepreneurs, and mentors, proving that, with opportunity, support, and belief in their potential, second chances truly lead to lasting change. To further ensure success, Persevere provides wrap-around services, such as mental-health support, digital access, transportation assistance, case management, housing stability, and employment preparation. These services support approximately 250 families impacted by incarceration. Persevere's comprehensive approach combining technology education, employment, mental-health support, family stability, and housing continues to transform lives and communities.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 92% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 86
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 27
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 86.4%; rating input score 86
- Program expense ratio: 86.2%; rating input score 86
- Fundraising efficiency: $78.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -0.2%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.14; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.61; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 1%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 38.7% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 39.4% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 33.7% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 86.4% of revenue deployed · 86.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $11.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $130K · 8 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $423K reported
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 21/100.