Support Center for Child Advocates

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
232048664
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2675469200
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Child Abuse, Prevention

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,401,922
Expenses
$5,422,436
Assets
$10,406,975
Liabilities
$1,772,601

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

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DOMINIC PROPHETE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (TIL 11/24))
  • LISA BARRIMOND (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (EFF 12/24))
  • ALISA HUTH GIFFORD (PRESIDENT)
  • LEAH KATZ (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DOMINIC PROPHETE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (TIL 11/24)): $214,882 total reported compensation
  • LISA BARRIMOND (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (EFF 12/24)): $137,285 total reported compensation
  • XIA CHEN (CONTROLLER): $134,225 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The support center for child advocates, founded in 1977, is the country's oldest and largest pro bono legal and social services agency for children. Our mission is to advocate for victims of child abuse and neglect with the goal of securing safety, justice, well-being and a permanent, nurturing environment for every child.

What it reported doing in 2024

Child advocates' comprehensive service included training volunteer attorneys to team with staff social workers and staff attorneys in the representation of children and youth in all court hearings and interagency meetings. Working in concert, staff social workers, staff attorneys and volunteer attorneys assessed each child victim's safety and needs by conducting home visits, reviewing all relevant documents, and arranging for further assessments and services. These child advocate teams also represented children who were victims of prosecuted crimes, accompanying and supporting child/victims to prepare for court and to testify in preliminary hearings and trials of alleged abusers. Child advocates served as the child's counsel and guardian ad litem as long for as the child was a party to dependency or criminal proceedings, providing continuing protection of rights, assessment, referral to services, and progression towards permanent nurturing homes. On average, child advocates represents clients for slightly more than 2 years.

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 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 - 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: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.1%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 72.4%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.04 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -23.2%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.92; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.6%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.9% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90.1% of revenue deployed · 72.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 24 of 24 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $215K · 29 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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 26/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 48/100.