The Carson Strong Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
825084118
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020
Location
Stow, OH, USA
Phone
3309310291
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Cancer

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$637,507
Expenses
$305,879
Assets
$747,987
Liabilities
$2,685

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DEBBIE HIGGINS (CEO)
  • JOHN HIGGINS (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • RACHEL HIGGINS (SECRETARY/PR): $36,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The carsonstrong foundation is committed to improving the lives of children and families impacted by cancer and other significant life challenges.

What it reported doing in 2024

Augment therapy is reality exercise program designed to monitor and motivate pediatric patients by transforming physical therapy tasks into immersive, game-like experiences. It encourages children to engage in balance, endurance, and strength exercises within a virtual world that tracks their movements and rewards progress.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 88% 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.

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: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 64
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 39.5%; rating input score 40
  • Program expense ratio: 81.4%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $19.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 69%; rating input score 69; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 52%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.45; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.8%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20.2% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 34.3% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 31.4% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 39.5% of revenue deployed · 81.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 12 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $249K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $36K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 40/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.