Raise the Bar Family Service

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
883412024
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2022
Location
Camden, NJ, USA
Phone
8566307916
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Residential Intellectual & Developmental Disability Facilities (Group Homes, Intermediate Care Facil

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$469,235
Expenses
$415,507
Assets
$418,964
Liabilities
$110,692

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KARLY FORMAN COHEN (FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KARLY FORMAN COHEN (FOUNDER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $78,901 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Through a unique and community-driven approach, raise the bar family services inc. (rtb) aims to enhance the overall well-being of individuals with disabilities and their families by developing high-quality programs, cultivating an inclusive community and making resources accessible for all.

What it reported doing in 2025

The organization provides youth programs focused in the following areas: resource navigation - hands-on assistance in finding and accessing services to help the needs of families.familiy support - the establishment of caregiver support groups, workshops and family fun events.youth programs - the establishement of kids club saturday programs to provide structured activities to youths with disabilities and their siblings in a social squad program for older children, focusing on life skills and social programing.camp program - one week for kids club participants (ages 3 to 11) and one week for our social squad participants (ages 12 to 21).

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% 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 most voting board members are independent. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 72
  • Sustainability: 44
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.6%; rating input score 60
  • Program expense ratio: 66.5%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11.5%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.01; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 34.5% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 39% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 43.9% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.6% of revenue deployed · 66.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $276K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $79K · 9 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 34/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 59/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 41/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.