Phil's Friends
Legal name: Phil's Friends Nfp
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 203087488
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2025
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Crown Point, IN, United States
- Phone
- 2246538315
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Counseling, Support Groups
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,684,994
- Expenses
- $2,128,436
- Assets
- $1,266,558
- Liabilities
- $100,471
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- PHILIP ZIELKE (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- PHILIP ZIELKE (PRESIDENT): $66,691 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We provide Christ-centered support and hope to those affected by cancer through Care Packages, cards of hope, encouragement, and prayer. We believe in a world where no one faces cancer alone. Where every individual impacted by cancer receives Christ-centered hope, comfort, and support. Our Values We are dedicated to fulfilling our mission within a Christ-centered, caring culture that supports individuals and families impacted by cancer. We respond to the evolving needs of those we serve with responsibility, urgency, and a commitment to excellence. Guided by integrity, our team serves with compassion, respect, and kindness, bringing hope and peace to all.
What it reported doing in 2025
The mission of phil's friends nfp is to bring christ-centered support and hope to those affected by cancer. This is done through care package delivery, monthly card outreaches, and one-on-one support (phone calls, home and hospital visits, etc.). The mission relies heavily on volunteers. 20,000 volunteers served in 2025. Additionally, overhead expenses are kept low through in kind-donations such as professional services and facilities.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 95% 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. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 83
- Sustainability: 54
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72.1%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 90.9%; rating input score 91
- Fundraising efficiency: $52.33 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 18th 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: 80%; rating input score 80; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- 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: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 20.7%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.6; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.1%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 15.9% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 72.1% of revenue deployed · 90.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $67K · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 30 of 31 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.