Rise Above Foundation Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 271409946
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2016–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2015, Form 990-N 2009
- Location
- Northbridge, MA, USA
- Phone
- 8552468850
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Children's, Youth Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,076,695
- Expenses
- $1,047,320
- Assets
- $360,744
- Liabilities
- $48,172
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
17 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- WADE SULZMAN (PRESIDENT)
- SARAH BALDIGA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- SARAH BALDIGA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $93,305 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Founded in 2009, rise above foundation, inc. Provided Massachusetts children in foster care with access to enriching activities, opportunities, and experiences. The organization responds to the growing need to give youth in foster care opportunities that provide them with a sense of normalcy, provide comfort and build self-esteem. By funding individual wishes for request like karate, laptops, prom expenses and clarinet lessons, rise above provides positive experiences for foster children. Since its inception, the organization has served over 17,000 Massachusetts youth, including 2,800 in the last year.
What it reported doing in 2024
Founded in 2009, rise above foundation, inc. Provided Massachusetts children in foster care with access to enriching activities, opportunities, and experiences. The organization responds to the growing need to give youth in foster care opportunities that provide them with a sense of normalcy, provide comfort and build self-esteem. By funding individual wishes for requests like karate, laptops, prom expenses and clarinet lessons, rise above provides positive experiences for foster children. Since its inception, the organization has served over 17,000 Massachusetts youth, including 2,800 in the last year.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 61% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 35
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 81.9%; rating input score 82
- Program expense ratio: 84.2%; rating input score 84
- Fundraising efficiency: $14.84 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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; 63rd 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: 2.7%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.34; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.9%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 18.4% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 19.3% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 20.9% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 81.9% of revenue deployed · 84.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $881K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $93K · 17 people listed
- Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 50/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 16/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.