Arbor Circle

Legal name: The Arbor Circle Corporation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
383263853
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Grand Rapids, MI, US
Phone
616-456-6571
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Family Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$24,378,559
Expenses
$24,715,826
Assets
$11,821,259
Liabilities
$3,746,394

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KRISTIN GIETZEN (PRESIDENT /)

Highest reported compensation

  • KRISTIN GIETZEN (PRESIDENT /): $163,302 total reported compensation
  • MARIE BRILL (CFO): $146,168 total reported compensation
  • SUSAN SHEPPARD (VICE PRESIDE): $137,798 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We foster strong communities by providing individuals and families with tools for growth, healing, and well-being.

What it reported doing in 2024

Early childhood services: individual child, youth and family therapy and case management services provided to address mental health issues and promote healthy development and attachment. Parent nurturing services - 14 served infant services - 316 served strong beginnings - 88 served healthy families - 106 served k.e.e.p. - 63 served youth development services: short-term residential placements for youth ages 10-17, case management services for youth ages 16-20, and youth prevention and early intervention services. Bridge shelter - 123 served ysh/tlp - 33 served street outreach - 275 served rapid rehousing, other housing - 63 served child welfare: provides services for children and families who are involved in the state and county child welfare system due to child abuse or neglect. Foster care - 280 served adoption - 48 served casa - 77 served prevention and advocacy: prevention and advocacy services focusing on child abuse/neglect. Including great start services for training, support, and coaching for child care providers and prospective child care providers. Abc - 21 served parenting education groups - 441 served youth prevention groups - 588 served great start to quality - 2,338 served total trek quest - 389 served professional development - 1,291 served youth leadership - 1,357 served family connections - 29 served prevention - 3 served

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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.6%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 90.1%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $33.23 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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; 66th 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: -1.4%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.48; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.32; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.8%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 9 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 3 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 91.6% of revenue deployed · 90.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $22.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $163K · 19 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 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.
  • 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 44/100.