Soulu

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
800251900
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
7734786000
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Children's, Youth Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,409,865
Expenses
$2,525,238
Assets
$2,749,576
Liabilities
$25,000

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MRS RACHEL KARESH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MRS RACHEL KARESH (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT): $237,194 total reported compensation
  • MR AVERY AMSTER (DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT): $111,111 total reported compensation
  • MRS STEPHANIE ATKIN (CLINICAL DIRECTOR): $105,311 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Upward community supports and enhances the emotional, social, and spiritual health of adolescents, young adults, and their families with an array of innovative prevention and intervention programs and services. We guide, encourage, and uplift youth to reach their best.

What it reported doing in 2024

Youth programs: upward community programs are designed to support and uplift teens and pre-teens through a variety of engaging activities. When children feel productive and energized, they are motivated to act in a healthy way. These programs, from fitness related activities, to trips, to stimulating discussions, foster proper self-image and appropriate societal outlook in a safe and nurturing environment. In addition to their intrinsic social and emotional benefits, these programs are venues for participants to gain advice and encouragement from staff and, in some cases, a portal to targeted mental/emotional services offered by the upward community clinical office.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% 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.

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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 41
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 61
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 38.9%; rating input score 39
  • Program expense ratio: 52.6%; rating input score 53
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 25.9%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.09; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 25.1%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.9% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 28.6% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 40.3% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 38.9% of revenue deployed · 52.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $237K · 17 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 39/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 53/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 13/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.