Streetlights

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
832958166
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, United States
Phone
3124095952
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support
Affiliation
Religious (unspecified)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$874,898
Expenses
$976,566
Assets
$354,869
Liabilities
$140,437

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ESTEBAN P SHEDD (PRESIDENT, CO-EXECUTIVE DIR.)

Highest reported compensation

  • ESTEBAN P SHEDD (PRESIDENT, CO-EXECUTIVE DIR.): $100,000 total reported compensation
  • LOREN C LA LUZ (VICE PRES., TREASURER, CO-EXECUTIVE DIR.): $100,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

STREETLIGHTS is a nonprofit ministry supported by the generosity of people like you. Our mission is to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God’s Word to our generation through creative resources and Gospel outreach. As you consider where to invest your gifts, we ask that you would consider generously supporting the mission of STREETLIGHTS as a foundational ministry bringing God's Word & Gospel Light to this generation. Support Streetlights. Everything we produce at STREETLIGHTS is freely given because of your support. Contact. David Stephens l Board Member David is the son of a military chaplain, and grew up all over the world. Similarly, Susie was raised in Bosnia in a missionary family. David was saved as a young boy, and felt a call to ministry in high school. While attending Moody Bible Institute, his brother invited him to the Chicago Tabernacle, where he began to serve...

What it reported doing in 2024

Through the organizations programs and initiatives, our coure demographic of youth and young adults between 13-35 years old are given a uniquely produced and culturally engaging audio bible, provided free of charge. The core demographic we serve are often young people who prefer or need digital resources (because of low levels of literacy) for their personal growth and spiritual development. Streetlights uses three main initiatives to accomplish this bible production and engagement: the streetlights audio bible, the online musical ministry of prisims, and through social media engagement, a freely given streetlights app and and outreach events online, we engage, encourage and help train young people to understand gods word for themselves. Each initiative works by producing, translating, teaching adn proclaiming gods word so all can understand. Our indentity and call are founded on the belief gods word is transformational and needs to be accessible and understandable to all people - no matter their education level

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 84% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 16
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.9%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 69.8%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.41 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th 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: 60%; rating input score 60; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -11.6%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.36; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.4; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20.5%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 25.7% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 18.6% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 21% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: 78.9% of revenue deployed · 69.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $682K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $100K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.