Special Operations - Finding Kids

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
812874951
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2020
Location
Sacramento, CA, USA
Phone
4154254967
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Sexual Abuse, Prevention

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,443,027
Expenses
$1,064,163
Assets
$1,147,440
Liabilities
$95,893

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ISABELLE FINNEY (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • ISABELLE FINNEY (CEO): $180,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Finding kids is a nonprofit organization dedicated to locating missing and exploited children, supporting children and families through recovery, and helping law enforcement identify and arrest predators. At no cost to families, the organization works with licensed private investigators and cyber-intelligence specialists to locate missing children through investigative fieldwork, digital intelligence, and collaboration with law enforcement. Following a child's recovery, finding kids provides trauma- informed aftercare, parent advocacy, youth advocacy, and resource navigation to help families heal and regain stability. The organization also partners with law enforcement to identify and disrupt individuals seeking to exploit minors through proactive investigative initiatives.

What it reported doing in 2025

Our aftercare advocates connect with the family to offer parents and caregivers a range of supportive services. These initial efforts are designed to provide immediate emotional and practical guidance during an incredibly challenging time. Parents receive coaching to restore trust and communication and address family dynamics. Additionally, our support groups for parents foster community and shared understanding, with guidance on online safety. Our child advocates have lived experience and offer individualized coaching to help the child process their experiences, rebuild trust, and regain a sense of safety. Our focus is on helping the child feel safe, understood, and supported as they begin their journey toward restoration and reintegration into their community and school. Finding kids coordinates with other ngos and aftercare agencies to monitor the long term stability and wellbeing of the child.

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 94% 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. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 52
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 57
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 52%; rating input score 52
  • Program expense ratio: 69.4%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • 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: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 26.3%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.08; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.9%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 24% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 31.4% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29.8% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 52% of revenue deployed · 69.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $738K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $180K · 9 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 52/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 45/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 37/100.