Sidewalk Soldiers

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
384074788
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Dayton, OH, USA
Phone
9379491524
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Mental Health, Crisis Intervention N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$252,172
Expenses
$289,786
Assets
$46,719
Liabilities
$7,289

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Amy Cornelius (Executive Director)
  • Charlsie Edmonson (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Amy Cornelius (Executive Director): $17,584 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Sidewalk Soldiers exists to provide hope, help, and healing to those who have been sex trafficked and those at risk of trafficking. At-risk populations include individuals with vulnerabilities such as substance use disorder, poverty, and those who have aged out of the foster care system. We strive to take these individuals to safety, self-sustainability, and success, one person at a time. Sidewalk Soldiers Stands With Survivors!

What it reported doing in 2024

Ongoing Support: As an Ohio-certified PRO and PRS, Sidewalk Soldiers provides comprehensive ongoing support through individual peer support, peer-led groups, skills-building sessions, and mentorship. Peer support is offered in both one-on-one and in group settings, allowing participants to develop coping skills, receive guidance, and engage in mutual encouragement. Peer-led activities further empower participants to take leadership roles and support one another in their personal growth and recovery. Our group offerings are designed to meet a wide range of needs and interests and include Mindfulness Courses, Hot Topics Wellness Group, Self-Care Group, Survivor Support Group, Parenting Support Group, Bible Study, and Survivor Drum Circle. These groups provide safe spaces for skill development, emotional healing, community connection, and spiritual or creative exploration. Mentorship opportunities pair participants with experienced peers who provide guidance, encouragement, and role modeling. In Fiscal Year 2024, Sidewalk Soldiers served 216 individuals through group programs and provided ongoing individualized peer support to 137 individuals, demonstrating consistent engagement and meaningful impact on participants' well-being.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 17
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84.5%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 73.5%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.45 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 22nd 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -14.9%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.16; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.16; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.1%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 28% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -23.9% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 84.5% of revenue deployed · 73.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $213K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $18K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 28 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 35/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 18/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 22/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.