The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
273761788
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2011
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2022894670
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Administration of Justice, Courts

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,477,221
Expenses
$4,347,543
Assets
$4,462,924
Liabilities
$283,836

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

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • XAVIER MCELRATH-BEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • XAVIER MCELRATH-BEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $215,401 total reported compensation
  • CRYSTAL CARPENTER (CHIEF PROGRAM STRATEGY OFFICER): $183,125 total reported compensation
  • ABD'ALLAH LATEEF (DEPUTY DIRECTOR): $172,527 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To catalyze the just and equitable treatment of children in the united states by demanding a ban on life without parole and other extreme sentences for children who cause harm; advancing alternative responses that focus on their unique characteristics as children, including their capacity for change; and creating opportunities for formerly incarcerated youth to thrive as adults and lead in their communities.

What it reported doing in 2025

Movement building - cfsy serves as the national hub for all those working to end the practice of sentencing youth to die in prison. Cfsy prioritizes outreach, engagement, and leadership development for those who are directly impacted by the policies. Cfsy also works to achieve reforms by engaging those juveniles serving life without parole, their families, and the families of victims of violence committed by youth in the process. This includes the incarcerated children's advocacy network ("ican"), a first-of-its-kind national network of individuals formerly incarcerated as youth. These individuals are experts who demonstrate through their advocacy and public education efforts that children - even those convicted of serious crimes - can mature and become positive members of society. Alongside ican members, cfsy convenes and coordinates, among its partners around the country, in order to ensure all those involved in this effort have the opportunity to communicate and work together strategically toward a common goal.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% 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 the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 64
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87.1%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 69.4%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.59 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 2nd 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: 47.9%; rating input score 48; 19th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -25%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.03; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 27.3%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.1% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.3% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.9% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 87.1% of revenue deployed · 69.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $215K · 24 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $157K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 38 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 48/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 35/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grants require schedule f did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.