South Asian Youth Action Saya Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
133943630
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Elmhurst, NY, USA
Phone
7186513484
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Children's, Youth Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,471,521
Expenses
$6,921,806
Assets
$5,329,779
Liabilities
$559,717

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

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SONIA B SISODIA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • SONIA B SISODIA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $216,513 total reported compensation
  • SAPHIA NAJAFEE (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $184,562 total reported compensation
  • JASMINE BLANEY (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $158,481 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

South asian youth action (saya) is a 501(c)3 youth development organization providing valuable life skills and holistic, impactful, free programming to underserved New York city youth. As one of the first south asian organizations in the united states, we play a critical role in the positive and holistic development of young people from immigrant communities. Our culturally responsive programming - centered on the pillars of leadership, academic support, and enrichment - propels the social and emotional growth of our young people, and drives education equity.

What it reported doing in 2024

Saya remains steadfast in supporting under-resourced youth across all program sites. Through culturally-affirming resources, mentorship, and academic support, we foster resilience, enhance access to opportunities, and prioritize nurturing a sense of belonging. The success of this year underscores the profound impact of saya's multifaceted programs, reinforcing our commitment to empower and inspire young people to reach their full potential. Between july 2024 and june 2025, more than 4,000 youth in elementary, middle, high school, and college participated in saya programming across 12 sites. (continued on schedule o)1. Elementary and middle school programming: this year, our elementary and middle school programs combined academic support, enrichment, and team-based activities to promote learning and belonging. Eighty percent of elementary students are highly engaged in saya's afterschool programming, and four out of five students at our largest elementary site said saya gives them opportunities to explore new subjects and ideas. Additionally, we increased our parent and guardian engagement through regular family-focused events. 2. High school programming: saya deepened our presence across all high school sites, strengthening our connections with students and the school communities - providing tailored support to meet their evolving needs. During the 2024-25 school year, we surveyed our community center participants, with those youth who responded indicating substantial growth: 83% reported improved communication, and 68% showed enhanced public speaking abilities. In addition, our impact on college readiness was significant, with 91% of college students on track to graduate within five years and 100% of high school seniors attending our center program accepted into college or vocational school.3. College success and career readiness programming: our 2024 college success cohort currently has a 97% persistence rate, having stayed in school through their second year of college, which is 20% higher than the national average of 77% (per the national student clearinghouse research center)

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 97% 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

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: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.4%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 85.3%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.22 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -7%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.77; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.7%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.4% of revenue deployed · 85.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $5.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $217K · 24 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.