PRISMS Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
541652029
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Herndon, VA, USA
Phone
9722310035
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Birth Defects and Genetic Diseases

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$439,157
Expenses
$345,036
Assets
$710,153
Liabilities
$7,040

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Michelle Larscheid (Executive Director)
  • Percy Huston (President)
  • Jackie Fallenstein (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Michelle Larscheid (Executive Director): $100,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

PRISMS provides a range of services for persons with SMS telephone support, database of registered families, newsletters, informational packets for caregivers and medical professionals. P.R.I.S.M.S., Inc. engages individuals with medical and scientific expertise to serve on its Professional Advisory Board, conducts an international conference.

What it reported doing in 2025

PRISMS continued to support the PCRC PRISMS Clinics and Research Consortium. SMS Clinics provide multi-specialty, comprehensive and compassionate care for patients with SMS. PCRC also offers families the opportunity to carry home treatment recommendations to share with their local providers. The Clinic Travel Fund reimburses caregivers for expenses associated with travel to and from a SMS clinic. This helps ensure families seek the best medical care. With the addition of a clinic at St. Jude Childrens Clinic in Memphis, TN there are now nine clinics in the United States with locations on both the East and West Coast, the Central, and Mid-West.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 87% 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 most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 53.1%; rating input score 53
  • Program expense ratio: 63.4%; rating input score 63
  • Fundraising efficiency: $15.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

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: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 21.4%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.06; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 29%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.4% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 53.1% of revenue deployed · 63.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $219K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $100K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2017 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 53/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 48/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.